Together with 450+ colleges, universities and systems and more than 26,000 faculty, ACUE is strengthening the quality of in-person and online instruction and helping every student succeed. Our real-time analytics and efficacy studies show the impact of great teaching.
ACUE’s professional development programs for faculty are delivered online, through graduate-level courses on effective college instruction for classroom and online learning. ACUE offers open enrollment, microcredential courses, as well as comprehensive programs implemented through institutional partnerships. In all of ACUE’s cohort-based programs, faculty learn about—and are required to implement and reflect upon—a comprehensive body of evidence-based teaching practices shown to improve student engagement, persistence, course completion, and learning.
Who can enroll in ACUE Open Enrollment Courses?
ACUE courses are most impactful when you are actively teaching at least one college-level course, whether face-to-face, hybrid or online. ACUE courses are relevant to educators across all disciplines teaching at all types of institutions. ACUE reviews each course application for acceptance into the course. Course enrollment is subject to capacity limitations and the ACUE Terms and Conditions. If you’re not sure these courses are for you, please email [email protected] to discuss your situation.
How do you enroll a group of educators from an institution?
Institutions may register a group of faculty in ACUE open enrollment courses by contacting the program director at [email protected]. Institutions that enroll course-takers in courses are subject to the cancellation, defer, and forfeiture of fees structure listed below. Depending on the group enrollment size, course-takers may be split between multiple cohorts of the same course.
Faculty groups should also consider ACUE’s Programs for Institutions. ACUE’s campus and system partnerships are formed through a collaborative process with a broad set of institutional stakeholders. ACUE’s Programs for Institutions include academic support, advanced reporting, impact research at both faculty and student levels, and campus culture and communications support.
What is the tuition for an Open Enrollment Course?
Tuition, which covers all course fees, is $600 per open enrollment, microcredential course. ACUE will also apply the appropriate tax based on the local tax laws in the course-taker’s geographic location.
Are there deadlines to enroll?
Enrollment deadlines will be displayed on the course details page. Applicants are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis, subject to program director approval. Early registration is recommended.
How do I apply?
You may apply for open enrollment courses here. You will receive confirmation upon receipt of your application. Upon acceptance, you will be contacted by email with enrollment and payment information. All course fees must be paid before your enrollment is confirmed.
Do I need to be actively teaching to enroll in an Open Enrollment course?
ACUE courses are most impactful when actively teaching at least one college-level course, whether face-to-face, online, or hybrid.
One aspect that sets ACUE apart from traditional faculty development is that faculty select at least one new practice to implement with students in each module. The opportunity to apply your learning and reflect on student impact leads to transformative teaching and learning.
“The only way you’re going to learn a new teaching strategy is to do it. You have to apply what you’ve learned. … then reflect on what worked well, what needs tweaking in the future, what [you’ve] missed, what students appreciate about it…”
—Stephen Brookfield
Course-takers leading teams or advising students may find they are able to implement the recommended practices with students and/or colleagues outside of their courses. If you are unable to take the course while teaching, you will be asked to write “plan to implement” reflections where you prepare to implement a practice for a future course and reflect upon the likely student impact.
Which course should I take first?
There is no set order to take open enrollment microcredential courses. Each course description includes module titles that may help you determine which one is of most interest to you at this time.
All of our courses except one are structured such that you engage with the course content, identify a practice, implement this practice with your current students, and then reflect upon the student impact of the new or modified practice selected.
Designing Learner-Centered and Equitable Courses is the exception and is focused on working with your course documents applying the concepts learned in the modules to those documents and reflecting on the process and the impact on student success in your course. You may find it beneficial to take this microcredential course after the others so that you can take the knowledge from the modules in the other microcredential courses and apply it as you work on developing outcomes and assessments.
When will I know if I am accepted into the course?
You will receive an application confirmation email within one week of applying. You will be enrolled in the course upon full payment. All fees must be paid before the course begins. Preferred payment is online via credit card. To inquire about alternative payment methods, contact [email protected].
Are courses available to international course-takers?
Yes, courses are available to international course-takers. ACUE courses are taught, facilitated, administered, and supported in English.
How are courses delivered?
Courses are delivered online through ACUE’s customized instance of Instructure’s Canvas Learning Management System. Course-takers also attend a 1.25-hour synchronous virtual facilitated course launch on the course start date conducted via the Zoom videoconferencing platform.
What are the basic technical requirements?
Newer devices including desktop and laptop computers, tablets and smartphones are equipped to engage with ACUE open enrollment courses using only a supported web browser and active internet connection. Technical requirements to access Instructure’s Canvas Learning Management System can be found here. Technical requirements to access Zoom for synchronous course launch and summary discussion sessions can be found here. We recommend you have access to a webcam for live sessions.
How long will it take to complete the open enrollment course and earn a microcredential?
Course-takers tell us it takes approximately 2-3 hours to successfully complete each module. This typical time commitment includes time to review module content, engage in online discussions with colleagues, plan and implement a practice, and complete a written reflection. Most open enrollment courses contains 6-7 modules that will collectively require 12-18 hours to complete over a 6-8 week period. You will be given 8 weeks to complete the course and upon microcredential completion, maintain login access to course materials for one year.
The Fostering a Culture of Belonging course contains 4 modules and the estimated time to complete is 16-24 hours over an 8 week period. This course opens a new module every two weeks.
Can I take more than one course at a time?
We strongly recommend taking one course at a time. Course start dates are established so it is possible to start the next course within two weeks of completing the previous course allowing you to earn the Certificate in Effective College Instruction, if you desire, within 8 months. Each week you will be asked to learn new research-based practices, implement them in your courses, and reflect on your practice. The one module a week pacing allows you and your students to benefit from a deep focus on that module’s practices before moving on to additional topics and practices.
How do you earn the Certificate in Effective College Instruction?
To earn the Certificate in Effective College Instruction, you must complete four courses, Creating an Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environment, Promoting Active Learning, Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners, and Designing Learner-Centered and Equitable Courses. You may take courses from our Effective Teaching Practices (geared primarily for those teaching in person), our Effective Online Teaching Practices (geared for those teaching online), or a combination of both modalities.
To earn the Advanced Certificate in Effective College Instruction you must complete the three additional courses such that all seven courses in the Effective Teaching Practices and Effective Online Teaching Practices have been completed.
The Fostering a Culture of Belonging course is a deeper dive into inclusive teaching. Participants will earn a microcredential upon completion, but this course does not apply toward the full ACUE Certificate or Advanced Certificate in Effective College Instruction.
What type of course support is provided?
An ACUE course facilitator will provide support throughout your course, including leading discussions in LMS discussion boards. Facilitators will also respond to your support needs within 24 hours. Technical assistance is also available by emailing [email protected]. For additional information about course accessibility, please review our Statement of Accessibility.
How is the course graded?
To satisfy module requirements and earn a badge, course-takers submit a reflection aligned to a rubric that will be shared with you. Each course requires 4-7 reflections to earn microcredential. Each reflection is scored by a National Reader assigned to your cohort. Successful completion of all assignments is required to complete the course and earn the microcredential.
What does each Open Enrollment course include?
- Most open enrollment courses are comprised of 6-7 online learning modules. Each module addresses a competency defined in ACUE’s Effective Practice Framework©. Successfully completing an open enrollment course earns a microcredential which can stack with other ACUE microcredentials to earn a Certificate in Effective College Instruction.
- The Fostering a Culture of Belonging microcredential is a deeper dive on inclusive teaching competencies. This course contains 4 modules.
- Modules are content rich and include demonstration videos, interviews with leading experts, curated planning guides and other resources.
- One synchronous and facilitated 1.25 hour Zoom session on the course launch date.
- Downloadable planning guides and resources to support learning and implementation of recommended practices.
- Professional facilitation by an expert in teaching and learning with whom you will share insights and ideas along with other educators in your cohort.
- Continued access to course materials for one year after course completion.
Is there a language requirement?
ACUE courses are taught, facilitated, administered, and supported in English. To get the most out of your experience, proficiency in written and spoken English is essential.
What happens if I need to change my enrollment?
To Cancel
All cancellation notifications must be sent in writing via email to [email protected]. A full refund may only be obtained if such request is made at least 31 days prior to the course start date. Course-takers are limited to one refund within a calendar year. Cancellations received 30 days or less before the program begins are subject to fees as described below:
- 50% of course tuition, if requested 15-30 days before the course start date
- 100% of course tuition, if requested fewer than 15 days before the course start date
If ACUE cancels a course, registered participants are eligible for either:
- A refund of any tuition paid.
- A transfer of their registration to a future course.
Refunds will be processed to the original payment method.
To Defer
Course-takers are eligible to defer their paid enrollment to a future course if such request is received within three calendar days of the Course Launch. Deferral requests must be sent in writing to [email protected] and are valid for an ACUE open enrollment course within one year of the original course start date. One deferral is permitted per calendar year. ACUE cannot guarantee the same course in which you registered will be offered in the future.
Forfeiture of Fees
Please note that course-takers forfeit 100% of the full course tuition if one of the following occurs:
- The course-taker does not enroll in another course within one year of the original course start date.
- The course-taker fails to participate in the course, without notification, or if a withdrawal occurs on or after the course start date.
To Substitute
Course-takers are eligible to provide a substitute to their paid enrollment if such request is received within three calendar days of the Course Launch. Substitution requests must be sent in writing to [email protected] and are valid for the currently enrolled ACUE open enrollment course only. One substitution is permitted per paid enrollment.
ACUE reserves the right to change without notice any statements contained herein, concerning, but not limited to, policies, course fees, curricula and courses.
