Description: This presentation proposes a solution to the student actuarial paradox “I mastered the syllabus but failed the exam,” by utilizing the two-dimensional syllabus vehicle which pedagogically focuses on the two dimensions of content and problem difficulty. This presentation advocates the PMR characterization of three levels of problems difficulty: Plug-ins (easy), Monkey-wrench (intermediate), and Research-type(hard) questions. PMR was developed by examining difficulty levels in SOA exams, and problems of various software vendors. The author's students routinely score high on the SOA FM exam; it is hoped that these methods will assist other instructors in their quest for good pedagogy. Very briefly: “Plug-ins,” refer to multi-part problems, for example, calculating the price of an annuity that is first increasing and then level; “Monkey-wrench” problems specifically refer to plug-in multi-part problems where one component is a monkey-wrench, an issue the candidate has not previously encountered. It might be a non-typical modeling or it might be a non-typical algebraic simplification or it might be an unexpected integration of distinct modules in a manner that the candidate has not yet seen. “Research-type questions” refer to problems requiring some type of experimentation for example, looking at initial cases, seeing a pattern and then applying methods

Description: This is a notice is a call of papers reflecting actuarial and insurance related themes.

Description: This article provides a general introduction to JRI, including details about the types of research areas it highlights, an explanation of its prior review policy, current calls for papers, and its social media efforts.

Description: Actuarial science curricula at universities tend to focus on preparing students for academic and professional exams. In this article, I will share the value of student professional development and how it complements the technical skills taught in the classroom, using Temple University as an illustrative case study.

Description: Discussion of the merger between the the Actuarial Education and Research Fund and The Actuarial Foundation. The named of the merged organizations will be The Actuarial Foundation. Legally, the AERF will go out of existence, but all of its functions will be continued by the new, merged organization.

Description: This article studies several pedagogical uses of tables, particularly as they apply to actuarial teaching.

Description: This article discusses the work of the Accreditation Implementation Task Force in developing accreditation standards for university actuarial programs.

Description: A special issue of the Annals of Actuarial Science, focusing on insurance data science, was published on July 1. As explained by the editors—Katrien Antonio (KU Leuven), Christophe Dutang (Université Paris Dauphine), and Andreas Tsanakas (City, University of London)—the theme of this issue grew out of the rapid and transformative developments in the field, with the increased use of computational statistics, machine learning and artificial intelligence models in insurance applications. While the special issue has been associated with the Second Insurance Data Science Conference, held in June 2019 at ETH Zurich, the published papers come from a wider and very distinguished pool of authors.