Dr. Melinda Butler is an experienced educator, teaching both in person and online. But Butler, Assistant Professor of Literacy Education and Chair of the 杏吧传媒鈥檚 Department of Literacy, Language, and Culture, wanted to know more. Were there ways to better meet the needs of all the students in her classes? Could she hone her online teaching skills? What were the latest best practices in higher education?
So last year, Butler joined 23 other USM colleagues for the University鈥檚 first participation in the Effective Teaching Practice Framework course offered by the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).
Over the next year, Butler and her colleagues spent 25 weeks learning through online modules, discussion boards, feedback and collaboration, and exposure to hundreds of evidence-based best practices. At the pinning ceremony celebrating their ACUE course completion this spring, each member of the USM cohort received a certificate.
They also left ACUE with something more: knowledge.
鈥淭here were so many good things,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淚 picked up a lot of (teaching) strategies.鈥�
Strategies like giving students more choice in reading assignments to better engage and motivate them. Strategies for responding to difficult student discussions 鈥� whether that response needs to be immediate or privately done later on. Strategies to make classes accessible, regardless of how students attend.
鈥淓ven though these are online strategies for either synchronous or asynchronous situations. . . I鈥檝e been able to apply these to my in-person classes,鈥� Butler said.
That鈥檚 exactly what USM had hoped for when it partnered with ACUE.
鈥淲hat we鈥檝e seen is that the lines between online and classroom-based instruction are getting blurrier every day, so the skills they learn in ACUE will translate to all aspects of their teaching,鈥� said Paul Cochrane, Executive Director of Digital Learning Strategy and Programs.
ACUE鈥檚 research-based best practices and resources focus largely on making learning accessible to all students. The teaching practices that faculty learn through ACUE help students become better learners, and faculty can gain increased confidence knowing they have the tools to help their students succeed. For instructors, that might mean being more deliberate when setting up learning groups and facilitating group discussions, or it might mean being more open with assignments, or it might mean being more clear with class expectations.
鈥淥ne of their focuses has been on helping to level the playing field for students who might traditionally struggle in college 鈥� for example, first generation students, Pell (Grant) eligible students, students who may not have received the kind of grounding in high school they really needed to be successful or who may not speak the language of the university coming in,鈥� Cochrane said of ACUE. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e taken all of those effective practices and bundled them in this program.鈥�
Last spring, 75 USM faculty members applied for 31 slots in the University鈥檚 first ACUE cohort. Ultimately, 24 instructors from across disciplines went through the program.
While this was the University鈥檚 first time with ACUE, it won鈥檛 be the last. The course was so successful that USM formed a second cohort 鈥� they started work in April 鈥� and the University is already looking forward to cohort number three.
Butler enjoyed ACUE so much 鈥� and feels like she learned so much 鈥� that she shared ACUE鈥檚 resources with other faculty who couldn鈥檛 attend. And she鈥檚 a facilitator for USM鈥檚 new ACUE group that started in April.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great review for me in case there鈥檚 something I forgot because there are just so many wonderful strategies shared. So many resources,鈥� she said.