As\u00a0East Stroudsburg University students\u00a0learned\u00a0and grew\u00a0through\u00a0the power of\u00a0education\u00a0during the\u00a0past\u00a0academic year,\u00a0dozens\u00a0of\u00a0their\u00a0professors and support staff\u00a0were doing the same\u00a0through the\u00a0completion\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0nationally recognized teaching credential\u00a0designed to sharpen their instructional skills.<\/p>\n
A total of 37\u00a0faculty and staff\u00a0members\u00a0earned\u00a0a\u00a0Certificate in Effective Teaching\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0Association of College and University Educators (ACUE).\u00a0Co-endorsed by the American Council on Education (ACE),\u00a0the\u00a010-month\u00a0certification\u00a0consisted of 25 modules focused on\u00a0how to design an effective course,\u00a0establish\u00a0a productive learning environment, use active learning\u00a0techniques\u00a0and\u00a0encourage lifelong learning.<\/p>\n
An\u00a0additional\u00a042 faculty and staff members completed ACUE\u2019s Fostering a Culture of\u00a0Belonging course, an 8-week course that covered topics including managing the\u00a0impact of\u00a0biases,\u202freducing\u00a0microaggressions, addressing\u00a0imposter\u00a0phenomenon and\u00a0stereotype\u00a0threat\u00a0and cultivating an\u00a0inclusive\u00a0environment.<\/p>\n
To\u00a0celebrate\u00a0the\u00a0accomplishment,\u00a0Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs\u00a0Margaret J. Ball\u00a0and the\u00a0Office of the Provost\u00a0held\u00a0reception\u00a0and pinning ceremony\u00a0for the group\u00a0on Jan. 29\u00a0in Sycamore Longue.\u00a0The event, attended by President Kenneth Long,\u00a0saw\u00a0several\u00a0members of the faculty\u00a0and staff\u00a0share their key takeaways from the\u00a0experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of it\u00a0was working to make students on campus feel more comfortable, whereas\u00a0the faculty were looking at how to bring evidence-based practices to the classroom and online as well,\u201d Ball said.<\/p>\n
With\u00a0the growth of both\u00a0online and traditional in-person course\u00a0offerings\u00a0in higher education, the aim\u00a0of the ACUE certifications\u00a0is to help instructors master the nuances of each\u00a0to further drive student success, engagement and\u00a0retention,\u00a0said\u00a0Kizzy Morris, Ph.D., associate provost of student success.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew that\u00a0partnering with ACUE\u00a0would lead to\u00a0helping our students be better students,\u201d Morris said.<\/p>\n
Eric Schumacher, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and religion, was among those eager to put what he learned\u00a0in the course\u00a0into practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a professional development opportunity, it was not only a way to reengage with some of the principles of teaching online but also seeing what\u2019s trending and what\u2019s most effective today,\u201d Schumacher said.<\/p>\n
The certification was\u00a0entirely\u00a0grant funded, allowing faculty and staff to\u00a0pursue\u00a0them at no cost\u00a0to them.\u00a0Courses were completed by the group over the past academic year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always great to\u00a0be given\u00a0opportunities to learn more ways to be successful\u00a0because that directly benefits our students,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0Josephine Coniglio, instructor of\u00a0art +\u00a0media\u00a0+\u00a0design.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0recent\u00a0ESU cohort\u00a0join\u00a0nearly 200\u00a0other\u00a0faculty\u00a0in\u00a0Pennsylvania\u2019s State\u00a0System of\u00a0Higher\u00a0Education\u00a0(PASSHE)\u00a0who\u00a0have become\u00a0ACUE-certified\u00a0since\u00a02021, with several\u00a0hundred\u00a0more\u00a0in\u00a0the process\u00a0of\u00a0earning\u00a0the\u00a0credential,\u00a0according to ACUE.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0years-long\u00a0partnership\u00a0helped earn\u00a0PASSHE\u00a0national recognition\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a02025 recipient of ACUE\u2019s Movement Maker Award<\/a>.\u00a0One of four\u00a0awards issued\u00a0in 2025\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and the\u00a0only\u00a0one\u00a0earned\u00a0by\u00a0a\u00a0higher education\u00a0system\u00a0\u2013\u00a0the\u00a0Movement\u00a0Maker Award\u00a0recognizes\u00a0institutions\u00a0committed to\u00a0teaching excellence\u00a0and student success.<\/p>\n