Description: Article describes best practices for teaching a course module that involves multiple parameters. A good example is hypothesis testing which requires consideration of the parameters, sample-size, population distribution, known variance and has as consequences whether a normal or t distribution should be used or whether non parametric methods are used. The articles recommends use of the Prime Implicant Normal Form as a means of teaching. It shows the superiority of this method over other forms such as heuristics, complete rules, or graduated approaches.

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: Article describes accomplishments as Chair during the year. Four accomplishments are mentioned: i) Actuarial Research Conference ii) Early Career Award, iii) Establishment of Outstanding Educator Award, iv) Push to create surveys from the section containing a reservoir of ideas that can be used for webinars, podcasts, etc.

Description: This interview with Andrés Villegas, an Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney, explores his journey from Colombia to Australia, his research on mortality modeling, and his contributions like the R package StMoMo. He discusses the importance of mentorship, industry-academia collaboration, and the role of actuaries in addressing global issues such as population aging and climate risk.

Description: The article discusses the use of the keyword strategy in teaching. The literature with a negative view of keywords is reviewed and responded to by advocating keywords with multiple meanings supplemented with relevant instructional guidance. Numerous examples are presented from the SOA preliminary exams. Additionally, advanced use of keywords to problems not having them are presented.

Description: A description of a new award for outstanding educators in actuarial science.

Description: Expanding Horizons recently had the opportunity to interview Wenjun Zhu, the winner of the Society of Actuaries’ (SOA’s) third Actuarial Science Early Career Award.

Description: The article outlines the editorial vision of Risk Management and Insurance Review (RMIR), emphasizing the need for research that bridges theoretical innovation and real-world application in the evolving landscape of risk management and insurance. RMIR prioritizes methodologically sound work that contributes to conceptual development and offers actionable insights. The journal encourages interdisciplinary, globally diverse, and practically relevant submissions, including those addressing emerging themes like systemic catastrophe risk, behavioral interventions, algorithmic ethics, and the use of AI in insurance.

Description: Over the last two years, we experimented with online peer assessment platforms in undergraduate courses and saw them deliver major learning advantages and be highly popular with students. We explain why peer assessment shows great promise for actuarial science education and the main factors to consider when designing peer assessment activities. We also detail our use of online platforms in two undergraduate courses. By sharing our experience, we hope to provide you, our fellow educators, with a solid starting point for experimenting with this format.

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.