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State System to expand ACUE training for faculty to strengthen online instruction
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Summary
The Board heard a report on a systemwide partnership with the Association for College and University Educators (ACUE) to train faculty in evidence-based online teaching practices; campuses piloting courses reported lower DWF rates and plans to scale training across all universities.
The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education heard a presentation on a systemwide faculty-development initiative with the Association for College and University Educators, or ACUE, aimed at improving online and hybrid teaching.
Diana Rogers Atkinson, chief academic officer, told the board the program targets effective online teaching practices and a later module called "creating a culture of belonging." She said 71% of system students take at least one online course and that about 10% of faculty have completed ACUE training to date; another cohort of 132 faculty is starting immediately. "ACUE trained faculty tend to have lower DWF rates and students tend to complete the classes more often," Rogers Atkinson said.
The nut graf: system leaders said the training pairs cohort-based professional development with immediate classroom application, letting faculty test methods and collect student feedback; leaders said the program supports planned course- and program-sharing across campuses.
Penn West Provost Fisher described local results: 16 Penn West faculty completed ACUE training in spring 2023 and 10 more enrolled this spring. He said participants reported concrete changes in course design and assessment and that some campus teaching centers have integrated ACUE approaches into campus professional-development offerings. "The training carves out a space for them to practice and test the application of proven techniques with their own students in real time," Fisher said.
Board members asked about how the system decides which courses to offer online and how outcomes will be tracked. Rogers Atkinson and panelists said decisions are guided by pedagogical considerations, input from deans and students, and program needs; they said ACUE provides completion and faculty self-assessment data and that the system will monitor retention, DWF (D/F/W grades) and other student outcomes to measure impact.
Panelists and governors also discussed using ACUE training to support other priorities, including AI literacy and an expanded first-year seminar pilot. Rogers Atkinson said the two-semester ACUE pathway includes four shorter modules across an academic year, followed by a certificate "pinning" when faculty complete the program.
Ending: Board members requested follow-up reporting on quantified outcomes as ACUE participation expands across all universities.
