Description: It is an interview

Description: Read the October 2016 issue of Expanding Horizons published by the Education and Research Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: A typical course has some "hard" parts. These "hard" parts are the places where weaker students begin to fail, lose interest, and give up. The paper introduces a metric by which to evaluate each course topic. High metric values indicate "hard parts" of courses. The paper recommends spending more course time on hard parts and less course time on easy parts. The paper also recommends using disclosure: Tell students - this part of the course is "hard" and they may feel uncomfortable which is why more time is being spent on it." This approach to hard parts works! Failure rates are significantly reduced, while retention, satisfaction, and student scores improve.

Description: This short note discusses creativity in the context of actuarial science, and how to cultivate it. We first attempt to define creative thinking as opposed to procedural thinking or memory recall. We then describe concrete examples of actuarial projects that promote deeper thinking. We also address why creativity is needed and how to make sure our students are able to communicate their creative ideas effectively.

Description: Feature article describing the content and results of an introductory seminar on actuarial science presented at the University of Cincinnati.

Description: Some ideas for incorporating external forces, professionalism, and actuarial intuition into an introductory actuarial course. It's never too early to get students thinking about these ideas and prepare them to think like actuaries.

Description: Read the November 2020 issue of Expanding Horizons published by the Education & Research Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: Request for letters to the editor of the Expanding Horizons section.

Description: Wright State University is a public research university in Dayton, Ohio, with approximately 11,000 students. With the lowest tuition fees in Ohio, the university has an access mission and plays a critical role in the region by offering high-quality, affordable education. I joined Wright State University in fall 2019 as the director of the Actuarial Science program. In spring 2020 we attained the Universities and Colleges with Actuarial Programs (UCAP)-AC designation from the Society of Actuaries (SOA), becoming one of only three universities in southwest Ohio at this recognition tier. In this article, I would like to tell you about the journey our program has taken—its successes and its challenges. The goal is to offer a resource to other universities seeking to upgrade their Actuarial Science programs.