College Teaching Certificate Timeline

View the suggested timeline for the College Teaching Certificate here.

Note: This timeline is designed to reflect an ideal sequence of professional and teaching development; however, the order of completion of certificate requirements is flexible.

College Teaching Certificate Program

The Chicago Center for Teaching and Learning offers a range of professional development activities aimed at supporting PhD students and postdocs as they develop their approach to teaching. As a means of structuring and documenting this professional development process, the CCTL offers the College Teaching Certificate (CTC) program, which outlines a pathway for teaching development during graduate training and postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago. 

This program aims to help PhD students and postdocs to develop and critically reflect on their teaching practice, to appraise and implement key pedagogical principles and frameworks in their own courses, to receive formative and constructive feedback on their teaching, and to articulate and demonstrate an inclusive and student-centered approach to teaching through a statement of teaching philosophy and a teaching portfolio. 

To register for the program, log the completion of requirements, and track progress, students must enroll in the College Teaching Certificate Canvas site.  

In addition to the College Teaching Certificate, the CCTL also offers two specialized certificates: 

Students may generally complete only one College Teaching Certificate track.  

Overview of Program Requirements 

1. Orientation: Attend Teaching@UChicago 

  • Teaching@UChicago 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. Reflecting on Teaching: Complete Teaching Development Programming 

  • Complete at least 5 hours of teaching development programming. For example, you could attend at least 3 of the 4 sessions in a Fundamentals of Teaching Series, participate in other workshops or events on teaching offered by the CCTL, or participate in other programming about teaching offered by the Writing Program, other centers on campus, or your department, etc.  
  • Write a 500 to 700-word reflective essay that summarizes how your approach to teaching was shaped by participating in this programming.  

3. Course Design: Complete “Course Design and College Teaching”  

  • Course Design and College Teaching (CCTE 50000) is offered each quarter by the CCTL. Course participants read and discuss literature on teaching and learning, complete a course design project, and write a statement of teaching philosophy.  

4. Teaching: Complete Two Terms of Teaching 

  • You may complete the teaching experience requirement as either a teaching assistant or an independent instructor. The teaching experience must include direct student contact in a classroom or lab setting. Appointments that involve only grading or office hours do not satisfy the teaching requirement. 

5. Observation and Feedback: Participate in an Individual Teaching Consultation (ITC) 

  • The CCTL offers ITCs by request each quarter to graduate students and postdocs as a way to receive constructive feedback to help them develop their teaching. 

6. Statement of Teaching Philosophy and Teaching Portfolio: Participate in the Seminar and Workshop on Teaching Portfolios 

  • The Seminar on Teaching Portfolios, offered every quarter, 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. 

7. Reflection on Inclusive Pedagogy: Essay on Inclusive Teaching

  • Write a 500- to 700-word essay reflecting on the ways that inclusive pedagogical practices inform your approach to teaching.  This essay may reflect on programs in which you have participated at the CCTL and elsewhere, and might include an assessment of specific, inclusive strategies you have been able to incorporate into your teaching. You may want to describe changes you made to your course or approach and consider what you noticed about student learning and your ability to address differences in the classroom. You may also use the essay to describe your understanding of inclusion and diversity issues in your discipline and particular ideas and activities in which you will engage in to address these issues.

8. 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. CCTL staff will review your materials, certify that you have completed all requirements, and issue your certificate. Portfolios are reviewed quarterly, and those submitted by Week 5 will be reviewed in the current quarter.