At the University of Minnesota, I serve as an Associate Professor in History & Higher Education and Manager of the Educational Opportunity Association (EOA) Best Education Practices Clearinghouse. My home academic department is Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education and Human Development. I teach an undergraduate global history course and conduct workshops for educators to embed best practices of student engagement, enrichment, and academic support. The EOA Clearinghouse identifies, validates, and disseminates best practices to increase persistence and academic achievement of historically underrepresented students.

My scholarly work is expressed through four research projects: (a) academic access, developmental education, and learning assistance; (b) learning technologies; (c) postsecondary peer cooperative learning groups; and (d) Universal Design for Learning. These are not mutually exclusive to each other since effective practices often are found at the crossroads of these four projects. A central theme is improving academic success of historically underrepresented students.

We do not need to "reinvent the wheel" regarding best education practices. Instead, we must effectively communicate what already exists to others. I welcome your thoughts and comments about my work and would enjoy the opportunity to collaborate. Take care, David Arendale (arendale@umn.edu; http://Arendale.org)