In Autumn 2016, the CCT implemented new requirements for the College Teaching Certificate. Graduate students and postdocs who began at UChicago in Autumn 2016 or later must satisfy the revised requirements. Graduate students and postdocs who entered UChicago before Autumn 2016 may choose to earn their teaching certificate following the current requirements or the pre-2016 requirements outlined below.
Objectives
This program aims to help graduate students and postdocs to:
1. Develop and critically reflect on their teaching practice as they take up teaching opportunities at UChicago.
2. Discuss and appraise key pedagogical principles and frameworks and implement them in the design of a new course.
3. Receive formative and constructive feedback on their teaching.
4. Articulate a meaningful, student-centered approach to teaching, expressed in a statement of teaching philosophy and demonstrated in a teaching portfolio.
Program Requirements
I. Pedagogical Training
1. Attend Teaching@Chicago
Teaching@Chicago (formerly known as The Annual Workshop on Teaching in the College) is an orientation to teaching at UChicago for first-time teaching assistants, interns, and instructors, and is an important first step in developing your teaching skills. Held the week before classes start each fall, the program provides initial guidance on your role as a graduate teacher.
2. Complete Your Department’s Pedagogy Course
If your department does not currently offer such a course, you should collaborate with one or more faculty members and other interested graduate students to organize 20 hours of meeting time investigating the following questions:
- What skills and knowledge are undergraduates expected to acquire in order to earn a baccalaureate in this discipline/major?
- What assignments and related activities will allow students to practice learning these skills and knowledge?
If you cannot find interested faculty members, you should attend the course offered by the Chicago Center for Teaching on Course Design and College Teaching (CCTE 50000).
* Please note that TA prep courses do not count as an advanced pedagogy course in your department.
3. Participate in the Seminar and Workshop on Course Design
The Seminar on Course Design and subsequent Workshop on Course Design, offered each quarter by the CCT, provide guidance on how to think through the elements of student-centered course design and the opportunity to receive guided peer feedback on a draft syllabus. While these sessions are required, we also encourage you to participate in the CCT’s other workshops and seminars as well.
II. Practice and Feedback
1. Participate in an Individual Teaching Consultation (ITC)
Observation and feedback is a key step for developing your teaching. The CCT offers ITCs to graduate students and postdocs as a way to receive constructive feedback to help them develop their teaching.
III. Document Your Teaching
1. Participate in the Seminar and Workshop on Teaching Portfolios
The Seminar on Teaching Portfolios provides guidance to graduate students and postdocs on how to write a statement of teaching philosophy and construct a teaching portfolio. The subsequent Workshop on Teaching Portfolios then provides a venue for guided peer feedback on the teaching statement and other elements of the portfolio in progress.
2. Submission of the Teaching Portfolio
Once all requirements have been satisfied, please submit your final teaching portfolio via Canvas to certify your completion of the program. CCT staff will review your materials, certify that you have completed all requirements, and issue your certificate.
If you began at UChicago prior to Autumn of 2016 and would like to pursue the College Teaching Certificate with the Pre-2016 Requirements, please send an email with your CNetID to Sam Harris at slharris@uchicago.edu to be formally enrolled in the Pre-2016 Requirements Canvas Site, where you can log the completion of requirements and track your progress.