Effective Teaching Practices Program | ACUE: Year Two

The ETP program offers professional development experiences that provide a deep dive into effective teaching principles and practices. It utilizes the curriculum of the Association of Colleges and Universities (ACUE) accompanied by support of Cal Poly faculty peer mentors. In the certificate program, faculty complete modules to earn the ACUE's Certificate in Effective College Teaching. We also offer opportunities to earn an ACUE microcredential on a particular theme by completing a six-module workshop and opportunities to continue making progress using the ACUE curriculum in the "ACUE: Year Two" program. These programs are a component of Cal Poly's Equity Priority 5 Program.

Program Overview

Faculty who successfully completed the ACUE Certificate in Effective College Teaching have the opportunity to extend their professional development momentum through participation in the ACUE: Year Two program. While completing the certificate program, participants worked through 25 modules, each offering 5-6 research-supported teaching methods. The expectation was to select at least one new teaching method per module for integration into their teaching repertoire.

While participants finished the program with more than two dozen new methods, they were exposed to about 120 other recommended methods that they were encouraged to consider adding to each person's "to-do next" list. This program supports faculty as they re-engage the modules to add another cluster of effective teaching methods to their teaching repertoire.

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Expectations

Participants are expected to:

1. Identify, adopt and implement at least 15 NEW methods from any of the 25 (now familiar) modules in the ACUE curriculum. Which modules and which methods are completely up to you to select based on what you think will be  most valuable.
2. Participate in at least three peer exchanges during the academic year (one per quarter) with the purpose of connecting with colleagues, providing mutual support and strengthening the practice of contributing to the campus community of educators.
3. Document your work adopting and implementing each of the new methods in brief reports as evidence of your professional development along with a culminating reflection essay. These materials will be well-suited for inclusion in WPAF materials as impressive evidence of your commitment to teaching excellence.
    

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Logistics

This program is structured much as a typical CTLT community of practice, which means several meetings each quarter during the academic year. Participation entails self-paced work complemented by the interactive sessions that enable connecting with colleagues to share insights and inquiries. This structure provides flexibility for participants to re-engage the ACUE modules as is convenient for their schedule plus opportunities for collegial collaborations and mutual support.
 

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Stipends

Participants can earn a $500 stipend for (1) consistent participation in interactive sessions throughout AY2023-24 and (2) quality documentation of your implementation of the 15 new methods.

NOTE: Stipend eligibility follows the CTLT's Stipend Policy.
 

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Eligibility

Faculty who have completed the ACUE Certificate in Effective College Teaching (including all cohorts from AY 2019-20, AY 2020-21, AY 2021-22 and AY 2022-23) are eligible for stipends. NOTE: Those who have already completed the ACUE: Year Two program in a prior year are welcome to participate but are not eligible for another stipend.
 

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Peer Facilitator

The program's peer facilitator this year is Dr. Natasha Neumann (SOE). She has completed the ACUE Certificate in Effective College Teaching and also served as an ACUE certificate program facilitator. She will provide support, encouragement and guidance throughout the academic year for this year's cohort.
 

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Program Contributions to Campus Goals

This ETP program is a component of the Equity Priority 5 Program that is focused on continued progress improving student success by reducing equity gaps and decreasing the number of students needing to retake courses. The program includes design elements to maximize contributions to several high-priority campus goals regarding evolving and strengthening the curriculum:

1. Fostering a more inclusive and diverse campus
2. Strengthening General Education instruction and impact
3. Reducing both equity gaps and course retakes, contributing to improved graduation rates
4. Supporting new faculty to learn and apply current, effective teaching methods
5. Supporting lecturers with opportunities to strengthen their teaching
6. Enhance the campus community of educators

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SIGNUP FORM FOR THE ACUE: YEAR TWO PROGRAM