Courses in Effective Teaching Practices
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Program Overview
The ACUE certificate in Effective Teaching Practices is a fully online professional learning experience. Designed in collaboration with teaching and learning experts and based on evidence-based pedagogy, this program empowers faculty to be impactful instructors and ensure student success today and in the future. Please click this link for our ACUE Showcase.
The Effective Teaching Practices certificate supports all design and delivery models, including face-to-face, synchronous, asynchronous, and hybrid formats, and is relevant for all faculty roles. This certificate is delivered through 4 flexible online courses.
Participants who complete 4 out of 4 Courses in Effective Teaching Practices, will earn the ACUE Certificate in Effective College Instruction, awarded in collaboration with the American Council on Education. These credentials distinguish faculty and institutions for their commitment to educational excellence.
All ACUE costs are waived for our faculty and offered free of charge to all participating instructors of record.
Each of the four ACUE micro-credentials costs $625 (the full ACUE course is $2500).
ACUE Courses in Effective Teaching Practices
Creating a Supportive and Inclusive Learning Environment provides practices that will create an equitable and supportive space that promotes learning by increasing student engagement, embracing diversity, and helping students persist in meeting academic challenges.
Course Modules:
- Leading a Productive First Day
- Promoting a Civil Learning Environment
- Ensuring Equitable Access to Learning
- Helping Students Persist in Their Studies
- Embracing Diversity in Your Classroom
- Checking for Student Understanding
- Providing Useful Feedback
Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners addresses practices for motivating students, providing clear directions, developing self-directed learners, and using advanced question techniques that help students take greater ownership of their own learning.
Course Modules:
- Motivating Your Students
- Providing Clear Directions and Explanations
- Using Concept Maps and Other Visualization Tools
- Using Student Achievement and Feedback to Improve Your Teaching
- Using Advanced Questioning Techniques
- Developing Self-Directed Learners
Designing Learner-Centered and Equitable Courses addresses outcomes, alignment, and equitable grading practices, to help you design future courses and syllabi that support student success.
Course Modules:
- Ensuring Learner-Centered Course Outcomes
- Designing Aligned Assessments and Assignments
- Aligning Learning Experiences with Course Outcomes
- Creating Equity with Checklists and Rubrics
- Developing Equitable Grading Practices
- Preparing an Inclusive Syllabus
Promoting Active Learning Online, will provide you with practices to more actively engage your students in varied learning formats including small- and large-group activities, discussions, and microlectures. This course helps you incorporate effective online instruction that leads to stronger student outcomes.
Course Modules:
- Developing Effective Class Sessions and Lectures
- Teaching Powerful Note-Taking Skills
- Using Groups to Ensure Active Learning
- Using the Active Learning Cycle
- Planning Effective Class Discussions
- Facilitating Engaging Class Discussions
Who should take ACUE?
Any instructor currently teaching as the instructor of record of a course who wants to refine and sharpen their teaching using effective teaching best practices. Participants will be practicing, designing, or implementing different teaching practices in their courses. Selected participants must also attend a one time mandatory 60-minute online orientation via Zoom. Specific orientation dates and times are in the online application and cohort calendar.
When does ACUE happen?
The program begins week 3 of the Semester and is facilitated entirely online, using ACUE's specific Canvas. Participants are generally expected to complete 1 module each week to stay with their cohort. There are 6 modules with make-up and work-ahead weeks built into the schedule. This is to help give faculty the greatest flexibility to plan, practice, and implement the techniques.
What do I have to do?
You must be teaching a course during the program so that you are able to practice and/or implement these techniques. You should expect to actively participate in the modules by watching video content, reading about best practices and techniques, and discussing scenarios and what you learned. Each module takes 1-2 hours to view and interact with online content and then about another 1-2 hours of planning, incorporating, and reflecting on one effective teaching practice in your class, totaling about 3-4 hours per module. Participants are encouraged to block out regular time in their schedules to work on the modules each week.
What do I earn?
Faculty who complete 4 out of 4 ACUE courses are awarded ACUE’s Certificate in Effective Teaching Practices. A nationally recognized, full course certificate for your file and robust professional development (a cost of $2,500), free to you!
When are the ACUE Courses offered?
Cohorts run each Fall and Spring semester such that the full certificate can be completed in 4 semesters. CETL sends a Call for Participation at the beginning of each Fall and Spring semester.
Feel free to email cetl@calstatela.edu with any other specific questions you might have.