MCC Faculty Earn National Credential in Teaching Excellence

Sixteen Middlesex Community College faculty members have earned a nationally recognized teaching credential co-endorsed by the Association of College & University Educators (ACUE) and the American Council on Education (ACE).

MCC faculty demonstrated their commitment to student success by participating in the Transformative Learning Institute, which included attending all-cohort meetings, communicating with faculty mentors, and completing the ACUE program. Focused on effective teaching practices, the program equips faculty with the instructional skills shown to promote student motivation, learning and persistence.

“Congratulations to the professors who earned ACUE/ACE Certificates in Effective College Instruction,” said MCC President James C. Mabry. “This endeavor is just one of the ways Middlesex is investing in the professional development of faculty who always go above and beyond every day to ensure our students find academic success.”

To earn their certificates, faculty members completed a 25-module course that required them to learn about and implement new evidence-based teaching practices in their courses, and reflect on the experience.

The credentialed faculty members include professors Ahmed Alsaeedi, Jean Cremins, Madhu Dhar, Sophie Kazanis, Julia Kelly, Leng Chivon Kou, Jeanne McIsaac, Aliza Miller, Nathan Percival, Sally Quast and Marie Tupaj (all teaching in STEM fields); Dona Cady and Cathy McCarron (English); Vikram Sharma (Business); Deb Botker (History); and Syeda Ferdous Begum (Information Technology). McCarron and Quast co-facilitated the ACUE program, and Botker, Cady, Cremins and Sharma served as faculty mentors.

“Working with faculty from different disciplines at different stages in their professional careers, in a supportive, multi-modal learning environment was a collaborative and empowering experience,” said Quast, a professor of chemistry.

Aligned with the latest research in cognition and adult learning, ACUE’s courses address more than 200 evidence-based teaching practices, covering how to design an effective course, establish a productive learning environment, use active-learning techniques, promote higher-order thinking, and utilize assessments to inform instruction and promote learning.

Faculty will continue to learn about pedagogy and receive career-long support through ACUE’s Community of Professional Practice, which provides access to member forums, expert webinars, biweekly newsletters, the ‘Q’ Blog, and “office hours” with leading scholars in college instruction.

The Association of College & University Educators (ACUE) believes that all college students deserve an extraordinary education and that faculty members play a critical role in their success. To learn more, visit acue.org.

For more information about MCC’s Transformative Learning Institute, contact professors Cathy McCarron (mccarronc@middlesex.mass.edu) or Sally Quast (quasts@middlesex.mass.edu).

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, we educate, engage and empower a diverse community of learners. MCC offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – on our campuses in Bedford and Lowell, and online. Middlesex Community College: Student success starts here!