ACUE’s Effective Teaching Practices Syllabus

Welcome

Welcome to your ACUE course. Consider this a mini graduate course in which you will dedicate at least 2–3 hours per week engaging with the material, implementing teaching practices in your classes, and composing a written reflection. Each module provides you with various research-based practices to implement in your course. Among these, you will select and implement the practice(s) that best suits your instructional goals and your students. The ACUE course is also community-based, and you will have many opportunities to learn from and share ideas with your colleagues about the teaching practices you are learning. Your instructor will guide you through the modules; help to create an environment where questions, conversation, and learning are valued; and provide you with ideas and feedback.

Instructor Corner

Some of the ways your instructor provides guidance and encouragement are by:

Course Overview

Depending on the course, you will complete 6–7 modules. As you engage with each module, you will view videos of effective teaching practices featuring faculty and students from a wide variety of colleges and universities, as well as experts in the field of teaching and learning. A set of resources designed to help you implement practices and deepen your learning is available, and you will have opportunities to participate in thought-provoking discussions to learn with and from your colleagues. Finally, you will reflect and write about your experiences implementing new teaching practices. Your reflections will be reviewed by an ACUE National Reader.

Complete the following to earn a badge for each module:

Download the transcript for this video.

Module Component	Description
Introduction	Piques your interest and gets you thinking about and relating to the module topics
Learning Objectives	States what you will learn as well as the practices you can choose to implement
Pause & Plan I & II	Pause & Plan I provides you with the opportunity to think about how the outcomes and practices could be implemented in your course. In Pause & Plan II, you select the practice or practices you will be implementing in your course and download implementation guides.
Course Demonstration	Shows the effective practices recommended in the module being implemented by instructors from across the country in the learning environment
Expert Insights	Delves deeper into some of the module’s practices with further explanations, supporting research, and commentary by nationally recognized experts in the field
Common Challenges & Misconceptions	Provides research-based clarifications and suggestions for addressing common challenges and misconceptions
Observe & Analyze	Showcases practices with different levels of proficiency and provides an opportunity to discuss the module practices more deeply with your colleagues
Practice & Reflect I	Serves as the culminating activity where you implement a research-based practice that you learned in the module and then reflect upon it
Practice & Reflect II	Provides an opportunity to think about what you learned, what you implemented, and what you may implement in the future
Note to Future Self	Provides the opportunity for you to write a “note to your future self” that will appear on your What’s Next Report after completing the course
Implementation Resources	Provides step-by-step guidance, course resources, and examples designed to help you implement module practices; resources are downloadable
References	Provides a list of faculty and experts featured in the module and a list of sources used for module content

Creating a Productive Learning Environment

Promoting Active Learning

Leading the First Day of Class
Promoting a Civil Learning Environment
Ensuring Access to Learning for All
Helping Students Persist in Their Studies
Checking for Student Understanding
Providing Useful Feedback

Developing Effective Class Sessions and Lectures
Teaching Powerful Note-Taking
Using Groups to Ensure Active Learning
Using the Active Learning Cycle
Planning Effective Class Discussions
Facilitating Engaging Class Discussions

Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners

Designing Learner-Centered Courses

Motivating Your Students
Providing Clear Directions
Using Concept Maps and Other Visual Tools
Using Student Achievement and Feedback
Using Advanced Questioning
Developing Self-Directed Learners

Ensuring Learner-Centered Course Outcomes
Designing Aligned Assessments and Assignments
Aligning Learning Experiences with Course Outcomes
Creating Clarity with Checklist and Rubrics
Developing Fair and Transparent Grading Practices
Preparing an Effective Syllabus

“The only way you’re going to learn a new teaching practice 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

This below video, featuring ACUE certified educators, reinforces ACUE’s model and Brookfield’s statement by addressing the importance of implementation.

Download the transcript for this video.

“Without reflection, how do I begin to know how well I am doing? Reflecting critically on what I do in the classroom slows the clock and allows me to carefully consider my current and future teaching actions and behaviors. Critical reflection is a tool for college faculty to use and alter their teaching practice in powerfully beneficial ways.”—Catherine Haras, Senior Director of the Center for Effective Teaching and Learning (CETL) at California State University, Los Angeles,

Assignment Types & Reflection Guide

Each module presents a variety of teaching practices and two reflection assignment types, Implementation or Plan to Implement. Prior to implementing a teaching practice, you should review the rubric and download the Reflection Guide for the selected assignment type, Implementation or Plan to Implement. The Reflection Guide is a Microsoft Word document that you will use to type your reflection assignment and upload as your Practice & Reflect I: Reflection Assignment submission. Using the Reflection Guide is the best way to ensure that all rubric requirements are met.

Although most modules require implementation of an evidence-based practice with your students, in rare instances, we realize that you may not be able to implement a practice within the time frame of the course. With this in mind, you may submit up to one Plan to Implement reflection assignment in each Pathway Course. If you enrolled in the comprehensive course (25 modules), you may submit up to five Plan to Implement reflection assignments.

Example: Implementation Reflection Guide

**Implementation Guide Template**
Criteria	Scoring guide	Your reflection
What practice(s) did you implement?	Meets: Identify the practice(s) and either explain why you selected them or thoroughly describe the steps taken to implement them
What practice(s) did you implement?	Exceeds: Add both an explanation of why you selected the practice(s) and thoroughly describe the steps taken to implement the practice(s)	Optional
How did your use of the practice(s) impact your students or your teaching?	Meets: Share how your use of the practice(s) impacted your students or your teaching
	Exceeds: Share why this impact took place	Optional
What other steps will you take to continue to refine your use of the practices shared in this module?	Meets: Specify how this or other practices from the module will be used or adjusted for the future
	Exceeds: Explain why these steps will be taken	Optional

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The summary discussions may take place in one of three ways:

as a live virtual event offered through a web-conferencing tool
in your ACUE Canvas course on a discussion forum
as a face-to-face event on your campus led by your instructor

Actively participate. The course experience is more enriching when it includes a greater number of diverse voices and perspectives.
Read and respond to Observe & Analyze discussion threads. Research shows that learning is enhanced when online discussion participants read each other’s posts, engage in meaningful collaboration, offer encouragement, and share relevant resources.
Demonstrate respect for differences. We all come to the table with different experiences and viewpoints. In order to get the most out of this learning opportunity, show respect for differences by seeking to understand, asking questions, clarifying understanding, and/or respectfully explaining your own perspective.
Be timely. We ask that you do your best to stay on the same schedule as your cohort to maximize learning for all course-takers.
Be specific. We encourage you to offer specific evidence from the videos or your own course experiences when posting to the discussion forums.
Use an appropriate tone and language. In online environments without verbal or physical cues, humor and sarcasm can be mistaken as cold or insulting. Please pay special attention to your tone and language use before submitting discussion posts and contributing to the conversation.

“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.”—Robert Frost

Faculty surveyed who have earned a certification in ACUE’s Framework indicated it takes on average 2–3 hours to successfully complete each module. The Module Time chart below provides a visual representation of the typical time spent completing a module, followed by an example weekly schedule.

Example Weekly Schedule

Day	Task
Monday–Tuesday (or get a jump start over the weekend)	Complete Pause & Plan I to identify which learning outcomes you are most interested in learning more about. Engage in module content and begin thinking and planning where you can implement a practice from the module
Tuesday–Wednesday	Contribute to and engage in the Observe & Analyze discussion Return to the Observe & Analyze discussion to more deeply engage in the conversation
Thursday–Friday	Complete Pause & Plan II to select the practice(s) that you will implement in your course Implement a new teaching practice
Friday–Sunday	Submit reflection (P&R I) and complete survey (P&R II)

Life Happens

Due dates for every module are provided on the course schedule and posted in Canvas. However, we recognize that sometimes things come up, such as conferences, new committee assignments, and personal events. Or sometimes it is necessary to wait an extra week to implement a strategy effectively. In these instances, we recommend you contact your course instructor to let them know that you will submit module work after the due date.

**Resources for your ACUE course**
Resource	Description
Course Guide	Provides a comprehensive list of answers to frequently asked questions, implementation planning guides, and information about ACUE; located in your ACUE Canvas as part of the course’s navigation menu
Course Instructor	Serves as the guide and mentor, assisting course-takers as they learn about, implement, and reflect on teaching practices
ACUE Technical Support	Provides technical support at support@acue.org
ACUE Reader	Scores Practice & Reflect I written reflections using a scoring guide; scores reflection within three business days after module due date
ACUE Academic Director	Collaborates with course instructor to encourage implementation and ensure course-taker success
ACUE Content Feedback	Provides opportunity to send content-related suggestions and concerns to the team responsible for creating ACUE courses at coursecontent@acue.org
Community of Professional Practice	Serves to sustain the development and application of research-based teaching practices during the course and after its completion

“What we learn with pleasure we never forget.”—Alfred Mercier

Course Schedule

Each module’s start and due date is located on the course schedule that can be found on the Syllabus page in Canvas.

ACUE’s Effective Teaching Practices Syllabus

Table of Contents

Welcome

Instructor Corner

Course Overview

Module Components

Course Learning Objectives