Fulbright Faculty Among First at U of A to Earn National Certificate in Effective College Instruction

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Samantha Robinson, left, Melinda Schroeder and Tori Ryburn of the Department of Mathematical Sciences

The Department of Mathematical Sciences' Samantha Robinson, Tori Ryburn and Melinda Schroeder and the Department of English's Robin Roberts are among the first U of A faculty members to earn the complete Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) certification.

The quartet were part of the Arkansas cohort of Strong Start to Finish, and recently completed the full ACUE credential, which is the only nationally recognized certificate in effective college instruction.

To complete the full credential, these faculty members implemented innovative classroom practices and dedicated two to three hours per week during a nine-month period to complete 25 modules and earn four micro-credentials on their way to the full ACUE certification. 

Robinson, a teaching assistant professor, said she was incredibly honored to have the opportunity to complete the full certification during 2021.

"It was definitely the reset that my teaching needed after such an intense focus on remote instruction during 2020," she added.

Ryburn, an instructor and plane trigonometry coordinator, said she was never formally trained to teach at the graduate school level, which is often the case for faculty in higher education.

"I was extremely enlightened by the course, and the way its real-time application of methods created a lasting impression for me and my students," she said.

Schroeder, an instructor and pre-calculus coordinator, said she encourages more faculty to complete the certification because "it keeps the fire for teaching burning" and is immediately applicable.

"Obtaining ACUE certification is extremely rewarding," she added, "benefitting faculty, students and the entire campus community."

Likewise, Roberts, a professor of English who is currently teaching courses for the department's online Bachelor of Arts in English degree, said the ACUE certification has paid off tremendously as she's adapted to teaching and empowering students in the online program.

The U of A is one of the first institutions to participate in the ACUE program, which was adopted by Fulbright College to promote teaching excellence in the core curriculum, especially for instructors teaching courses with high D, F or withdraw rates.

Deborah Korth, Fulbright College teaching professor and director of student success, brought the program to the U of A and continues to champion it and guide faculty on their certification journey.

In addition to the four faculty who have completed the full ACUE certification, 32 Fulbright College faculty have also completed the first of four micro-credentials toward the complete certification, including:

• Brian Becker, Jackson Jennings and Karen Willard from the Department of Biological Sciences
• Matt Gerner, Margaret Hershberger, Julia Kohanek and Mya Norman from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Lynn Meade from the Department of Communication
• Leila Sadegh Beigi, Olivia Cash, Catherine Heath, Emma Jones, Sharla Rosenbaum, Jordan Savage and Larissa Sprecher from the Department of English
• Brian Hurley and Jessica Sheets from Graduation & Retention
• Michael McCoy from the Department of History
• Ninette Sosa from the School of Journalism and Strategic Media
• Monica Davanzo, Elizabeth Dickerson, Michael J. Duffy Jr., Shanda Hood, Nikki Kennedy, Brandon Miller, Zachary Payton, Gretchen Scroggin, Sloan Scroggin, Tom Shields and Richard Shumate from the Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Deborah Korth and Angela Williams from Fulbright College Student Success

The series of micro-credentials include:

• Creating an Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environment
• Promoting Active Learning
• Inspiring Inquiry and Preparing Lifelong Learners
• Designing Student-Centered Courses

ACUE, which is endorsed by the American Council on Education, designs certificate programs to help educators be more effective with students by using evidence-based practices that improve student engagement, increase student persistence and close equity gaps.