As part of the University's commitment to cultivating teaching excellence, Bryant is offering faculty the opportunity to enroll in an online course in effective teaching practices, offered by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).

“At Bryant, we already demonstrate dedication to teaching with our student focus, innovative teaching methods, and our small class sizes, which we’ve gone to great lengths to preserve,” says Ed Kairiss, Ph.D., Director of Faculty Development and Innovation and Director of Bryant’s Center for Teaching Excellence. “We also recognize that continuous improvement in our teaching practice is important. You can always get better, and that’s our motivation behind offering the course for our faculty.”

The course is funded by the Davis Educational Foundation and facilitated by Kairiss.

The science of how students learn

Research on effective teaching practices has been ongoing for decades, resulting in a rich collection of techniques based on the science of how students learn.

“It’s our aspiration that as a result of the course, faculty develop a rich array of evidence-based pedagogical approaches they can draw on to ensure that a course is successful and that student learning objectives are achieved.”

The ACUE course exposes faculty to a broad range of effective practices detailed in scholarly literature that are applicable to higher education settings. 

Founded in 2014 to improve student outcomes through quality college instruction, ACUE reviewed over 300 citations from the scholarship of teaching and learning, as well as experiences of faculty, to develop the course.

“It’s our aspiration that as a result of the course, faculty develop a rich array of evidence-based pedagogical approaches they can draw on to ensure that a course is successful and that student learning objectives are achieved,” says Kairiss. 

Evidenced-based practices for all faculty

According to Kairiss, all faculty at the University will be eligible to take the course over the next several years, whether they’re adjuncts or full-time faculty members. Bryant's 'inaugural cohort consists of 25 faculty who span the ranks, colleges, and disciplines. The course was launched in February and is expected to conclude with a certificate ceremony in January 2021.

“Higher education holds a great responsibility, educating the next generation of leaders and practitioners in a variety of fields [...] The ACUE course is another way we make sure our students get the best education possible.”

Those who complete the course will receive a nationally recognized certificate from the American Council on Education and recognition at Bryant as a Provost’s Teaching Fellow. 

“Higher education holds a great responsibility, educating the next generation of leaders and practitioners in a variety of fields,” says Kairiss. “At Bryant, we take that responsibility and the profession of teaching very seriously. The ACUE course is another way we make sure our students get the best education possible.”

From the ACUE website

•    100% of ACUE faculty sustain use of evidence-based practices
•    93% of students rate ACUE-credentialed faculty higher
•    87% of students recommend ACUE-credentialed faculty in higher numbers
•    98% of courses are relevant to faculty across disciplines and years of experience