Faculty members from Clark State College have been selected to participate in a 25-week Effective Online Teaching Practices course offered in collaboration with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).
The teachers will be joining more than 150 faculty members from 22 Ohio community colleges as they learn and implement equity-promoting, evidence-based teaching practices shown to improve student engagement, persistence, course completion, and learning.
The program is part of a collaboration between the Ohio Association of Community Colleges (OACC) and the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). ACUE programs in effective teaching practices are based on more than three decades of research that demonstrates effective teaching improves learning for all students.
“The faculty were asked to volunteer to participate in the ‘Effective Online Teaching Practices’ course by the academic deans,” said Dr. Tiffany Hunter, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Clark State. “We were looking for those individuals who had an interest in learning new teaching strategies for online instruction.”
Six faculty from Clark State will be participating, with two on the waiting list being asked to participate in the next course that will begin in the fall.
Hunter explained that criteria for selection was flexible as each college has different needs for faculty professional development.
“Consideration was given to faculty who had expressed a need for professional development related to online teaching, faculty who teach high D-F-W rate courses, faculty in disciplines where students typically struggle and faculty actively teaching during the spring and fall terms, 2021,” said Hunter. “Participants will be placed into professionally facilitated cohorts of peers across institutions to create communities of practice.”
Hunter said the 25-week course prepares faculty in evidence-based online teaching practices proven through independently validated research to improve student achievement and close equity gaps. Faculty who complete the program earn a nationally recognized Certificate in Effective College Online Instruction, the only college teaching credential endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE).
“We are excited to have faculty that expressed an interest in being included in this online course and we look forward to how their increased knowledge will benefit our students taking online courses,” said Hunter.
Considered a graduate-level course, the program consists of 25 modules separated into four blocks—Creating an Inclusive and Supportive Online Learning Environment, Promoting Active Learning Online, Inspiring Inquiry and Lifelong Learning in Your Online Course, and Designing an Effective Course.
Equity-promoting teaching practices are among the hundreds of recommended approaches that faculty learn about and develop in ACUE courses, as demonstrated in ACUE’s Inclusive and Equitable Teaching Curriculum Crosswalk.
The opportunity is offered free of charge to faculty through a partnership between ACUE and OACC’s Success Center as part of the Every Learner Everywhere (ELE) initiative—and was made possible by Achieving the Dream (ATD), an ELE network partner.
Jack Hershey, president and chief executive officer of the OACC, said the training will teach faculty ways to keep their online courses fresh and impactful.
“We are working hard to level the playing field to close equity gaps among Ohio students,” Hershey said. “Offering this course to faculty is one more way to do that.”