Elmira Mangum

Along with research and service, higher education’s third pillar, teaching, has never been more important. We need to graduate more students, and we know from the cognitive sciences and scholarship on teaching the practices that promote student success. Yet formal preparation of faculty in the foundations of college instruction has remained more aspiration than reality. Through a new initiative, colleges and universities are working to change this reality with unprecedented support for faculty to strengthen their teaching. As a result, we are seeing better prepared faculty further embrace their indispensable role in the success of their students.

In late 2014, higher education leaders and experts in pedagogy were convened by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) to develop a scalable and comprehensive program on the essentials of college teaching. The result is ACUE’s Course in Effective Teaching Practices in which faculty learn about and implement evidence-based practices that keep students engaged, enrolled, and learning. Faculty who satisfy course requirements earn a credential in college instruction endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE). Every aspect of ACUE’s work is informed by insights from presidents and provosts, teaching center directors, leading researchers, and faculty members from across the country.

Reprinted with Permission from Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning