Fostering a Culture of Belonging

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.

Institutions may register a group of faculty in ACUE open enrollment courses by contacting the program director at courses@acue.org. Institutions that enroll course-takers in courses are subject to the cancellation, deferment, 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. 

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 that you have access to a webcam for live sessions.

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 contain six or seven 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 completion, maintain login access to course materials for 1 year. 

The Fostering a Culture of Belonging course contains four modules, and the estimated time to completion is 2-3 hours per week (4-6 hours per module) over an 8-week period. This course opens a new module every 2 weeks.

Yes, registering for all 4 courses in the same application to earn the Effective Teaching Practice Framework Certification (Creating an Inclusive and Supportive [Online] Learning Environment, (2) Promoting Active Learning [Online], (3) Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners [in Your Online Course], and (4) Designing Learner-Centered and Equitable Courses provides a 15% discount. The total cost to enroll in all four courses would be $2,295. Full information available here.

If you’re taking/have taken one or two courses and would like to enroll in the remaining two or three courses in the same application to complete the Effective Teaching Practice Framework Certification, the same discount applies for the remaining courses.

If you’ve earned the Effective Teaching Practice Framework Certification and enroll in the 3 courses in the same application to complete the Advanced Certification you are eligible for the same discount. 

For all bundle types, course dates must be selected at time of application. These dates may adjust according to our deferment policy (see below). All courses must be paid for prior to the start date of the first course.   We suggest taking one course at a time when actively teaching at least one course. You have 18-months to complete the four courses. Packages may not be transferred to another individual.

ACUE reserves the right to defer a concurrent start date if a course-taker is behind at the end of the structured course end date. For example, Course 1 ends on July 31 and Course 2 begins on August 6. If the course-taker has not completed Course 1 by July 31 their Course 2 start date will be deferred to a future start date to allow them a bit of extra time to complete Course 1 without the additional pressure of starting Course 2. Course 2 will be rescheduled for a later time that works for their schedule and is within the 18-month window to complete the four courses.

We strongly recommend taking one course at a time. Course start dates are established so it is possible to start the next course within 2 weeks of completing the previous course allowing you to earn the Effective Teaching Practice Framework Certification, 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. 

Enrollment deadlines will be displayed on the course details page. Applicants are accepted on a first come, first served basis; subject to program director approval. Early registration is recommended.

To earn the Effective Teaching Practice Framework Certification, 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 Practice (geared primarily for those teaching in person), our Effective Online Teaching Practice (geared for those teaching online), or a combination of both modalities.

To earn the Advanced Certification in Effective Teaching Practice Framework, you must complete the three additional courses, such that all seven courses in the Effective Teaching Practice and Effective Online Teaching Practice have been completed. 

The Fostering a Culture of Belonging course is a deeper dive into inclusive practices. Participants will earn a course badge upon completion, but this course does not apply toward the full ACUE Certification or Advanced Certification in the Effective Teaching Practice Framework.

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.

An ACUE course facilitator will provide support throughout your course, including leading virtual discussions in LMS discussion boards. Facilitators will also respond to your support needs within 24 hours. Technical assistance is also available by emailing support@acue.org. For additional information about course accessibility, please review our Statement of Accessibility.

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.

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 four to seven reflections to earn the course badge. Each reflection is scored by a National Reader assigned to your cohort. Successful completion of all assignments is required to complete the course.

There is no set order to take open enrollment 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. It 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 course after the others so that you can take the knowledge from the modules in the other courses and apply it as you work on developing outcomes and assessments.

• Most open enrollment courses are comprised of six or seven online learning modules. Each module addresses a competency defined in ACUE’s Effective Teaching Practice Framework©. Successfully completing an open enrollment course earns a course badge, which can stack with other ACUE courses to earn Effective Teaching Practice Framework Certification.
• The Fostering a Culture of Belonging course is a deeper dive on inclusive practices. This course contains four modules and does not apply toward the ACUE Certification or Advanced Certification in Effective College in the Effective Teaching Practices Framework.
• Modules are content-rich and include demonstration videos, interviews with leading experts, curated planning guides, and other resources.
• Downloadable planning guides and resources o support learning and implementation of recommended practices.
• One synchronous, facilitated 1.25-hour Zoom session on the course launch date.
• 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.

You will receive an application confirmation email within 1 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 courses@acue.org.

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.

Yes, courses are available to international course-takers. ACUE courses are taught, facilitated, administered, and supported in English.

To Cancel an Individual Enrollment

All cancellation notifications must be sent in writing via email to courses@acue.org.

A full refund may only be obtained if such request is made at least 31 days prior to the course start date*. Cancellations received 30 days or less before the program begins are eligible for refunds as described below:

• If requested 15-30 days before the course start date, 50% of course tuition.
• If requested fewer than 15 days before the course start date, no refund.

If ACUE cancels a course, registered participants are eligible for either:

• A refund of any tuition paid or
• A transfer of their registration to a future course.

Refunds will be processed to the original payment method. ACUE reserves the right to limit refunds to 1 per year.

If a bundle of 2 or more courses were purchased refunds will only be permitted prior to the first course in accordance with the terms above. Packages may not be transferred to another party.

Open Enrollment Seats Purchased by an Institution  

Open Enrollment seats purchased by institution are valid for 1 year from the purchase date. Seats not utilized by the end of this term will expire. 

Bundles of 2 or more courses purchased by an institution are valid for the original course-taker only and are non-transferable. 

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 courses@acue.org and are valid for an ACUE open enrollment course within 1 year of the original course start date. One deferral is permitted per course. ACUE cannot guarantee the same course in which you were registered will be offered in the future.

Bundles of 2 or more courses may be deferred in accordance with the terms above. All courses must be started within the 18-month use period. Bundles are non-transferable.

Forfeiture of Fees

Please note, 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.

* Exceptions to the refund/defer policy may be made due to (1) illness or injury of a nature that significantly impacts the course-taker’s ability to continue in the course or (2) illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member (spouse/partner, parent, child, grandchild, sibling, grandparent). Please contact courses@acue.org to discuss next steps.

To Substitute

Course-takers that purchased a single enrollment are eligible to provide a substitute to their paid enrollment if such request is received within 3 calendar days of the course launch. Substitution requests must be sent in writing to courses@acue.org and are valid for the currently enrolled ACUE open enrollment course only. One substitution is permitted per paid enrollment.

Bundles of 2 or more courses purchased by an individual or an institution are eligible for substitution only if a substitute course-taker is finalized within 3 calendar days of the Course Launch. Replacement course-takers must meet all bundle requirements (previous courses completed). Substitution requests must be sent in writing to courses@acue.org.  

ACUE reserves the right to change without notice any statements contained herein concerning, but not limited to, policies, course fees, curricula, and courses.