Faculty enhance teaching practices through course offered by the Association of College and University Educators

Professor Lori Coakley teaching students

Thirty-three members of the Bryant faculty are preparing to take part in the Association of College and University Educators’ (ACUE) Effective Teaching Practices course, which will help them expand their lessons in new directions and aid them in continuing to provide the superlative, student-centered education that Bryant is known for. Twenty-nine members of the Bryant faculty have already completed the course.

Aug 23, 2022, by Staff Writer

SMITHFIELD, RI - Academic excellence and faculty dedication to teaching, mentorship, and student success are hallmarks of a Bryant University education. Upholding these high standards requires accomplished faculty members who are committed to embracing new skills and ideas that will help them be more effective teachers and mentors. As part of that commitment to teaching excellence, 33 members of the Bryant faculty are preparing to take part in the Association of College and University Educators’ (ACUE) Effective Teaching Practices course, which is designed to help faculty learn about and implement approaches that improve engagement and persistence and promote deeper learning.

This most recent group, who will begin the year-long course this September, will be the third Bryant cohort to take part in the program. Twenty-nine members of the Bryant faculty have already completed the course.

Through the comprehensive, 25-module program, faculty members learn together in cohorts, honing their skills in designing effective and innovative courses, establishing productive learning environments, using active learning techniques, promoting higher order thinking, and assessing their work in ways that promote deeper levels of learning. The course also helps institutions promote student success by equipping faculty with evidence-based teaching practices that improve student achievement and close equity gaps.

Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a Certificate in Effective College Instruction, the only college teaching credential endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE), a major coordinating body for the nation's higher education institutions whose members include approximately 1,800 accredited, degree-granting colleges and universities and higher education-related associations, organizations, and corporations.

The opportunity to participate in the Effective Teaching Practices program was made possible to the Bryant community through the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE). The CTE supports and enriches the practice and scholarship of teaching and learning at Bryant University by providing consultation, resources, and programs across a wide variety of areas ranging from designing effective courses to supporting online learning.

Bryant’s 2022-2023 Effective Teaching Practices program cohort includes: