Celebrating 10 Years
of Teaching Excellence

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM)

Higher Student Retention and Stronger, More Equitable Outcomes Through Quality Teaching

In 2016, The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) began an institution-wide commitment to its faculty, evidence-based teaching, and student success by launching the ACUE Faculty Development Institute. From the start, USM and ACUE worked closely to lead high-quality, large-scale research to evaluate student impact.

Today, more than 200 faculty have participated across USM and—with 1 out of every 4 full-time faculty ACUE-certified—the university is on track to ensure every student benefits from high-quality, evidence-based instruction in every class.

Stronger Achievement in First-Year Gateway Courses

First-year students see increased performance when taking gateway courses with ACUE instructors.

Sustained Improvement

Students who complete a gateway course with an ACUE instructor perform better in their subsequent courses in the discipline.

3% pt lower DFW rates

Higher GPAs by .06 points (on a 4.0 scale)

More Academic Success and Equity Overall

When students complete more courses taught by ACUE instructors, they perform better across all of their courses.