announcing two new programs for graduate students
over the past year, the cft has devoted significant time to planning and developing improved programs for graduate & professional students and post-doctoral fellows. we’re excited to share news of those developments with you now.
more specifically, in an effort focus our energies on what we know and do best, we’ve made revisions to the teaching certificate program and beginning in the 2012-13 academic year we will be replacing that program with the certificate in college teaching. in addition to this change, the cft will also be offering a new program – the sotl scholars program – which will help graduate students cultivate a scholarly, evidence-based approach to their students’ learning and their own teaching.
the purpose of the certificate in college teaching is to assist graduate students who wish to gain a clearer, deeper, more active approach to teaching and learning in higher education. the certificate focuses on the research on how people learn and best teaching practices, and supports the university’s pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning. the certificate is ideal for graduate students whose goals are to become more effective educators and who want to prepare for future careers in higher education teaching.
to receive a certificate, participants complete the following:
- seminar in college teaching. a one-semester seminar which explores and develops teaching skills. participants attend 8 group sessions and complete a microteaching experience. additionally, participants attend a teaching visit and develop a philosophy of teaching. those interested can apply now to be a part of the seminar in fall 2012.
- college teaching practicum. a one-semester practicum in which participants enhance the effectiveness of their current teaching and assessment practices. participants complete two observations of their classroom teaching. additionally, participants will refine their philosophy of teaching.
the purpose of the sotl scholars program is to help graduate students cultivate a scholarly, evidence-based approach to their students’ learning and their own teaching. the scholarship of teaching and learning (sotl) is a way of treating teaching as a scholarly activity by posing questions about student learning and its relationship to the ways in which they are taught. sotl practitioners collect and analyze evidence of their students’ learning to understand what happens in the classroom more fully and to facilitate learning more effectively. program participants will explore how to adopt this perspective, beginning to bridge the gap between their research and their teaching identities by asking and answering meaningful questions about teaching and learning in ways that align with their disciplinary research practices.
the sotl scholars program is directed by cft assistant director nancy chick, who brings years of sotl experience and expertise, as well as publications and presentations in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary venues. in addition to her own mentorship, she will draw on her sotl colleagues from the international society for the scholarship of teaching and learning (issotl) to provide mentorship and feedback to program participants. those interested can apply now to be a part of the program in the 2012-13 academic year.
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