• Seton Hall University
• Center for Faculty Development

Seton Hall partners with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) to provide faculty with professional development opportunities that enhance teaching effectiveness, increase student engagement, and promote learning outcomes. Through this partnership, faculty have access to nationally recognized programs and resources that support evidence-based teaching practices. 

What’s Available to You:

1. Effective Teaching Practices (ETP) Course. A comprehensive, year-long course designed to strengthen faculty skills in evidence-based teaching, culminating in a nationally recognized certificate.
2. ACUE Commons. A professional learning community offering on-demand resources, Quick Study courses, expert-led events, and continued access to ETP course content for faculty who have previously completed it.

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ACUE Commons

The ACUE Commons is a virtual professional learning community that supports ongoing faculty development in teaching and learning. It provides flexible, accessible opportunities to continue building skills and applying evidence-based practices in your courses. The ACUE Commons allows faculty to engage at their own pace, revisit course content, and stay current with emerging trends in teaching and learning. It is designed to complement the year-long ETP course while providing ongoing opportunities for professional growth.

Key Features:

• Quick Study courses on current topics such as AI in Higher Education and Deliberative Dialogue
• Expert-led events and panel discussions
• Curated resources from leading educators and teaching centers
• Access to all ETP course modules and strategies for faculty who have completed the program

Getting Started - Activate Your ACUE Commons Account

• Look for an invitation from [email protected] to activate your account and join the virtual teaching community.
• Once activated, you’ll be able to view your available virtual asynchronous courses and connect with your colleagues from within our institutional group. 

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Effective Teaching Practices (ETP) Course

The ACUE Effective Teaching Practices (ETP) course is a nationally recognized program designed to enhance student learning and engagement, faculty will learn and apply evidence-based teaching practices. This 25-week program has been proven through independently validated research to improve student achievement and close equity gaps. Using a cohort model, this asynchronous, video-rich course will be delivered fully online, facilitated by an ACUE representative. The program addresses all the core competencies defined in ACUE’s Effective Practice Framework© and is organized into five major areas of practice:

1. Designing an Effective Course
2. Establishing a Productive Learning Environment
3. Using Active Learning Strategies
4. Promoting Higher-Order Thinking
5. Assessing to Inform Instruction and Promote Learning

Up to 33 Seton Hall faculty members will have the opportunity to participate in this comprehensive, year-long course. Faculty members who complete the program earn a nationally recognized Certificate in Effective College Instruction, the only college teaching credential endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE). As a sign of your achievement, faculty will also earn digital badges, which can be added to curriculum vitae, used in online teaching portfolios, and displayed on LinkedIn profiles or webpages. Faculty participants will also be acknowledged at Faculty Convocation and celebrated at a special ACUE Celebration. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the course cost?

• Seton Hall offers this opportunity at no cost to their faculty.

What is the time commitment?

• Cohorts typically complete one module per week over 25 weeks
• Faculty members spend approximately 2-3 hours of activity per week, on average, in the course
• The coursework is integrated into courses faculty are teaching at Seton Hall during the year: faculty employ and reflect upon new Effective Teaching Practices that they learn and apply one or more of them in their teaching each week.

What are the important dates?

• Course begins September 5
• Breaks include Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring breaks
• Course ends April 19 (with a short grace period)
• Course Celebration will be held in the Spring Semester.

Testimonials

The Office of the Provost is excited to continue our partnership with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) in offering faculty this professional development opportunity as part of our commitment to instructional excellence and student success. The Center for Faculty Development, informed by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, has brought this program at Seton Hall in response to faculty interest in inclusive teaching practices and faculty concerns about student stress and disengagement.

Seton Hall faculty who participated in the program in 2022-23 had the following to say about their experience:

"The diligence needed to complete the ACUE course was well worth the positive reactions I saw in my students and the improvement in my teaching abilities."

– Kimberly Conway, College of Nursing

"The ACUE program provided me with knowledge and tools to increase my effectiveness as an educator. The course provided me the opportunity to explore best practices in pedagogy that I could integrate into my existing approach to even better support student learning and promote student success. The cohort approach provided me with partners in learning, and the discussions were a safe space to examine ways to improve our effectiveness as well as share ideas for implementing the module learning into our work. The module assignments were directly impactful to my teaching. I highly recommend the ACUE program to both new and seasoned educators!"

– Jody Kulstad, College of Human Development, Culture, and Media

"As an instructor I’m looking for new ways to engage my students and enhance their learning experience. The ACUE curriculum exceeded my expectations! The curriculum covered everything from how to engage your students on the first day of class, to writing learning objectives, mapping course objectives to assignments, creating an inclusive classroom environment and simply ways to improve student learning. I really liked that the curriculum provided instructors guidance for in person learning and on-line learning. I teach a hybrid class and I was able to implement strategies during my virtual and in-person sessions. Taking the time to complete this course was an excellent personal investment and I’m so grateful for this opportunity." 

– Jessica Dunn, School of Health and Medical Sciences

"The program provides a great opportunity to work alongside your fellow colleagues to develop the skills necessary to deliver impactful class experiences for your students." 

– P. Jeffrey Christakos, Stillman School of Business

"Even an old dog like me with more than three decades of teaching experience learned so many new tricks. Very strongly recommend it to all." 

– Viswa Viswanathan, Stillman School of Business

Despite teaching more than 20 years, not expecting anything,  ACUE's 25-week online program was incredibly effective in teaching me new, innovative, and practical strategies to engage my students and enhance their learning outcomes."

– Chris Droussiotis, Stillman School of Business

"Originally, I didn’t think ACUE had much to offer.  I was wrong.  I learned so many tips and tricks to navigate instructing a 21st century classroom.  I enjoyed bringing the techniques to my students (including a snowball fight). I think they really enjoyed the fresh take on teaching that ACUE provided me, and I think they will be better learners in their career at Seton Hall."

– Erik Hill, College of Arts and Sciences

"This course gave me strategies that I could implement right away in both my in-person and online classes to help students develop evidence-based habits to become better learners. I never specifically taught skills for effective learning like notetaking and time management. Being intentional about discussing learning and how to develop a growth mindset as a student was a real takeaway from this class for me. Each of the course modules came with resources I could download that included specific recommendations for both the in-person and online environments."

– Katherine Hinic, College of Nursing