A Credential with Impact
CIC and ACUE are proud to offer credentialing for CIC Belong community members. Up to six faculty or staff per institution can be certified per membership year through ACUE’s “Fostering a Culture of Belonging” credential.
ACUE’s nationally recognized online microcredential course equips administrators, faculty, and staff with actionable practices they can immediately implement to contribute to whole-campus reform and ensure all students and colleagues feel seen, heard, and valued.
This program prepares faculty and staff to:
- Manage the Impact of Biases;
- Reduce Microaggressions;
- Address Imposter Phenomenon and Stereotype Threat; and
- Create an Inclusive Learning Environment.
Course participants experience an asynchronous learning design that aligns with the best practices in effective online instruction and is compelling to both new and seasoned instructors and staff. With support from a skilled facilitator, course participants spend an average of 4–6 hours per module:
- Engaging in authentic demonstrations of interactions with students and colleagues
- Learning from nationally recognized experts
- Collaborating with colleagues in facilitated discussions
- Participating in virtual discussions with colleagues
- Implementing new practices and observing impact
- Writing structured reflections, including plans to continually refine their practice
Actual Results from the First Belong Cohorts
- 98% of course-takers report the course helped with their professional practice,
- 82% report more positive beliefs about inclusive teaching and 60% report more positive believes about students,
- 34% of course-takers had 20+ years experience, and still reported deep learning,
- Each individual course-taker plans to implement TEN additional practices, leading to 1,710 new success practices coming to CIC campuses this fall.
Start with Six, Go Campus Wide
Every institution participating in Belong is provided up to 6 registrations during their membership year for the “Fostering a Culture of Belonging” microcredential. Upon registration in the Belong Community, institutions will receive materials and guidance for selecting faculty and staff participants for credentialing. Some institutions may choose to create a campus-wide process for selection, others may select members of their retention team, faculty leaders, or first-year program instructors. These six individuals will interact with hundreds of students over a single year, with the program’s reach exponentially expanding from there.
Upcoming Course Dates
A number of credential course “cohort” dates are available to accommodate various academic calendars. The dates below represent the course launch date and course end date. The course is 8 weeks in total, with 2 weeks per module for 4 modules. Registration closes 2 weeks in advance of course start dates.
- June 8-August 4
- July 13-September 8
Registration for the course dates below will be available at a later date.
- September 14-Nov 10
- October 5-December 1
Each course is structured as a series of modules. Module start dates are Mondays, with module reflections due every other Sunday. Courses launch with a live Zoom gathering on the Saturday start date from 11:00-12:15pm ET. The goal of the launch is to welcome everyone to the course, facilitate introductions, discuss the themes of the course, and answer any questions. Course participants then complete modules on their own time, estimated at 2–3 hours a week (6 hours per module).
Details on how to register credential participants are provided after sign-up to the Belong community.
Further Credentialing
Many institutions will pursue additional credentialing in effective and equity-promoting teaching strategies across all modalities through ACUE, now offered at exclusive CIC Belong member rates. For more information about this, please contact Jen McAllister, ACUE director of program management, at jmcallister@acue.org.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Credential
How do I enroll in a specific date and submit names for my campus?
Instructions on how to submit course participant names are provided to the campus lead after enrollment in Belong. (Note: participant name, position, and email are needed for registration.) The enrollment process is first-come first-served, with a capacity limit for each course. Multiple institutions will be participating at the same time, and we encourage campuses to enroll all six of their participants in the same course start date.
Are the courses live and what is the time investment?
Courses launch with a live Zoom call on the Saturday start date from 11:00-12:15pm ET. Interaction after that is asynchronous, adjustable to the needs of course participants, but with specific weekly modules requiring regular participation. To successfully complete certification, course participants should plan to spend a few hours per week on the course material and interaction platform.