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Beyond Co-Requisites: Math Success at Cal State LA
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 When Executive Order 1110 required the end of remedial math across the California State University (CSU) system by Fall 2018, Cal State LA sprang into action. Through an inclusive, collaborative redesign process that included campus and community stakeholders, a consensus on goals was reached: to increase completion of quantitative reasoning courses and eliminate the completion gap. The team designed and implemented a comprehensive plan that addresses curriculum, student support, administrative backing, and faculty development through Cal State LA’s partnership with ACUE.
The early results? Nothing less than astonishing: a 25% increase in completion every year between 2016 and 2018 and an achievement gap closed. Another reason why Cal State LA was ranked #1 in the nation for student upward mobility in a study published by The New York Times.
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The "Must Reads" of the "Must Reads"
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With the avalanche of content  we want to read and bookmark, Kim Marshall’s Memo, along with Jenn David-Lang’s The Main Idea, are essential. Since 2003, the weekly Marshall Memo has scanned over 60 publications to curate the best and most insightful articles on teaching and learning, including pieces from the ACUE community. Since 2007, David-Lang has published monthly summaries of books on a range of education topics. As “designated readers” for busy educators, particularly in K12, they share a simple goal: to highlight articles and books that will have the  greatest potential to improve teaching, leadership, and learning.
Now, Marshall and David-Lang have teamed up to comb through more than 16 years of 8,000 article summaries from the Marshall Memo archive. Their new book, The Best of the Marshall Memo, Book One: Ideas and Action Steps to Energize Leadership, Teaching, and Learning, identifies the most thought-provoking and helpful article summaries and includes professional learning suggestions. We asked them to recommend a few of their favorite articles most relevant to higher education. They came back with the “must reads” of the “must reads.”
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New in Brief
Uncovering a Huge Mystery Of College: Office Hours
Faculty office hours play an instrumental role in student success, according to Amherst College student Aniah Washington. Beyond that, Harvard professor Anthony Jack opines that through these meetings, faculty can become mentors. Monica McLemore of the University of California San Francisco, meanwhile, suggests using different models to make office hours less intimidating, such as conducting sessions through video apps. (All Things Considered)
Why Higher Education Will Change
Steve Mintz notes that the nature of higher education has evolved. For example, many of today’s students are first-generation, have work responsibilities, or speak English as a second language. According to Mintz, expectations for quality teaching have risen and college is often falling short at fulfilling the promise of preparing students for careers. He proposes innovations such as scaling high-impact practices and embedding career preparation into the curriculum. (Higher Ed Gamma)
The Benefits of Teaching in Public
Anthropology professors Mark Warner and Katrina Eichner believe students need hands-on experience, so they facilitate digs near the University of Idaho, where they teach. The digs are not restricted to students in their field-methods course; community volunteers are welcome, too. This often facilitates an important dialogue about local history and the archaeological process. (The Chronical of Higher Education Teaching Newsletter)
Universities Should Be Preparing Students for the Gig Economy
With the Gig Economy making up 30-40 percent of the U.S. workforce, Diane Mulcahy believes colleges need to prepare students for careers aside from full-time jobs. This, she writes, involves teaching basic skills needed to work independently, such as creating a business entity and negotiating contracts. Additionally, she notes, since many colleges hire independent contractors and allow faculty to have side hustles, they should teach what they practice. (Harvard Business Review)
What 5 Colleges Learned from Implementing Guided Pathways
Early adopters of guided pathways have shown promising results, including increased graduation and retention rates. For example, at Lorain County Community College, math and English instructors formed a committee to redesign developmental education courses, allowing students to complete remedial and college-level courses simultaneously. This ultimately enables students to finish their degrees more quickly. (Education Dive)
Deadlines in the “Real World”
In the real world, deadlines aren’t quite as rigid as we make them out to be, John Warner writes. Professionals often have the leeway to move deadlines around and push them back, he notes, suggesting that instructors offer their students some latitude as well, depending on their particular circumstances. (Just Visiting)
How to Make Smart Choices About Tech for Your Course
With so many tech options available, it can be difficult to determine what’s most suitable for teaching, Michelle D. Miller writes. She urges instructors to consider the learning objectives for the course and the most failure-prone aspects of the material. She also suggests instructors explore possibilities for teaching their material — for example, using smartphones to take virtual reality tours of cultural sites — and the costs and value of using technology for learning. (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
Why Skills Training Can’t Replace Higher Education
Programs that focus on job skills can’t replace higher education, according to George D. Kuh. He opines that there is no shortcut for learning important career skills like critical thinking, noting that many underserved groups are disproportionately represented in vocational programs, despite the benefits they might receive from a degree-granting program. Ultimately, he believes that higher education contributes to the success of students, institutions, and employers. (Harvard Business Review)
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Partner News
American Council on Education: Better Teaching, Better Institutions (Higher Education Today)
University of Central Missouri: The Focus is You: Bonnie Slavych (Faculty Focus)
University of Nevada, Reno: ACE Fellow: Why I chose the University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada Today)
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Conference News:
Malcolm X ACUE/NISOD Seminar Equips Faculty to Engage and Support Underprepared Students
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 “We believe in our faculty. We believe we have the greatest faculty there is anywhere in the world. And we believe that there ought to be opportunities for you to sharpen your skills, network, learn from other colleagues, and strengthen your craft. And that’s what today is all about.”
With these inspiring words, President David Sanders of Malcolm X College opened ACUE and NISOD’s regional seminar on “Engaging and Supporting Underprepared Students.” This blended workshop provided nearly 100 participants with an opportunity to strengthen their instruction and earn credit toward ACUE’s Certificate in Effective Instruction.
Sanders further encouraged his faculty to be fully engaged themselves. “I’m not going to be here. I want you to be candid and have honest conversations. So, I’m going to step out to just let you learn and enjoy. But know that we strongly support you.”
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