In traditional models of higher education, faculty are hired for their outstanding research, meanwhile, the knowledge and skills for effective teaching can get deprioritized. Many come into their first faculty positions with little exposure to best teaching practices unless they have prior experience or were trained in pedagogy. ACERT has established a 4-tiered badging system to recognize faculty enhancing their teaching skills, and to make their achievements legible: an Explorer Badge recognizes knowledge and understanding (approx. 10 hours of engagement); a Practitioner Badge recognizes application, implementation, and analysis (20 hours); a Facilitator Badge recognizes sharing with colleagues, creation and evaluation (30 hours); and an Ambassador Badge recognizes mentorship and institutionalization (45 hours). The badges are suitable for inclusion on CV/resumes under “Professional Development,” on LinkedIn, below email signatures, and for sharing with Chairs and/or Directors.
ACERT Badge Types
Active Learning & Student Engagement
Exposure to: peer-to-peer learning; metacognition; mid-semester check-ins; group work; student agency, confidence, and motivation; a variety of equitable classroom management structures
Self-enroll in the Active Learning & Student Engagement badge program
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
Exposure to: Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI)*, Pluralism & Diversity (P&D), Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP); representation in the curriculum; cultivating mutual respect in dialogue and differences; community-based projects; receiving and implementing student input
Self-enroll in the Culturally Responsive Pedagogy badge program
*Register for Fall 2026 CDI programming and the Perspectives course.
Public Engagement
Exposure to: community-based practices; writing for public audiences; experiential teaching and learning models; forging and maintaining community partnerships; IRB, participant action research, and more on conducting and publishing research
Self-enroll in the Public Engagement badge program
As our badging program evolves, we anticipate offering additional badges in:
- Equitable Grading Practices
- Accessibility and Universal Design
- AI Teaching Innovations
- Career-Connected Teaching & Learning
At this time, ACERT will consider faculty participation in events during the 2025-2026 academic year for credit toward earning badges in our newly launched program. If you would like to have prior ACERT engagement from the last year count toward a badge, please email us at acert@hunter.cuny.edu with a list of the events you participated in during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Short- and Long-term Outcomes
ACERT has launched this program to increase awareness and implementation of evidence-based and inclusive practices, reflection on current teaching methods, and the use of feedback to refine practice, a sense of recognition and wellbeing at work; and to strengthen communities of practice for mutual support and analysis of data to support curriculum improvement. Over time, we hope this initiative will lead to wider, more consistent adoption of effective teaching; sustained engagement in faculty professional development; development of a growth mindset around teaching; improvements in student engagement; advocacy for effective teaching among peers; institutionalization of evidence-based course design; curriculum and/or programmatic improvements; and faculty professional growth.
