ACUE Focus: Dr. Richard Moss

More than 153 UA - Pulaski Technical College faculty have improved their teaching practices through a program with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). This rigorous, evidence based, 25-week course engages instructors with independently validated research to improve student achievement and close equity gaps. ACUE Focus is a question and answer series where faculty share their experiences with ACUE.

Dr. Richard Moss
Dean of Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Education: Ph.D. University of Arkansas, M.P.A. University of Arkansas at Little Rock, B.A. University of Arkansas at Little Rock

1. What ACUE Cohort were you a part of?

UA-PTC ACUE Cohort Number 2

2. What do you teach and how do you think you benefited from the ACUE course?

I teach American National Government, Pols 1310. It has allowed to listen more to students and adapt to their learning styles. It’s also helped me communicate better with them and explain the WHY behind the way the class and assignments are structured.

3. Best thing you learned from ACUE?

The best thing that I learned was, there is always room to grow and improve in teaching. And that starts with understanding and listening to the students.

4. What was your favorite module in ACUE?

My favorite module was probably Providing Useful Feedback (5C). While it’s important to give feedback, USEFUL feedback is more important. Giving specific feedback about an assignment, how to make it better and improve for the next one is key. Also, providing the feedback early i.e. first assignment, is more beneficial to student success than allowing them to continue the same error for a few weeks, thinking that the student will self-correct. We are here to teach and teaching involves correcting, supporting and doing all we can to help the student be successful.