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: It is an interview

Description: The 2024 Actuarial Teaching Conference (ATC) provided an engaging platform for actuarial educators to explore current trends and challenges in the field. Organized by a diverse planning committee, the conference introduced new interactive formats, including roundtable discussions that encouraged in-depth dialogue on key topics such as artificial intelligence, student behavior, and experiential learning. One of the major highlights was the strategic focus on networking, with efforts made to facilitate connections before, during, and after the event through digital platforms. Challenges such as selecting diverse yet cohesive presentation topics and scheduling concurrent sessions were effectively addressed by aligning themes with participants' interests. Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive, particularly regarding the innovative roundtable format, which fostered meaningful conversations and idea exchange. The success of this conference was attributed to meticulous planning, adaptability, and a commitment to innovation, setting a high standard for future ATCs.

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: It highlights key initiatives and leadership changes within the SOA Education and Research (E&R) Section in year 2025.

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

Description: The incoming E&R chair for the coming year reflects on past accomplishments of the E&R council, acknowledges with thanks contributors, and looks forward to continuation in the coming year.

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: An interview with Diana Skrzydlo, the inaugural winner of the SOA Outstanding Educator Award, about her teaching and the future of actuarial education.

Description: The author shares their experiences and timeline in building an actuarial science program from scratch and reaching the Advanced Curriculum level