Certificate in College Teaching Program

The Certificate in College Teaching (CiCT), co-sponsored by the Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education (AdvancED) and the Graduate School, prepares Vanderbilt graduate students and postdoctoral scholars for successful careers in higher education teaching. This program aims to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience necessary to excel in their teaching roles within colleges and universities.

Program Details

Deciding when to enroll in the CiCT Program often depends on the track of your graduate studies. Talking with your department’s Director of Graduate Studies or advisor early on in your graduate career will help clarify timing and professional development questions. This will help you to pinpoint when the best time will be to enroll in the CiCT Program.

We recommend that participants enroll in the program when they are closer to applying for academic positions, as the certificate is geared toward preparing future faculty. However, if you will be an instructor of record for a Vanderbilt course, the CiCT can help you prepare.

Due to its popularity, the CiCT Program has a waitlist, which is about a semester-long. Once you decide when to enroll, apply for the academic year or Summer Intensive Program waitlist.

If enrolled in the program you will receive a registration link via email for dates and times of the CiCT Seminar. Sessions are generally scheduled on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, including morning and afternoon options. Look at your schedule and determine which date and time work best for you.

Availability is based on a first-come, first-served basis.

CiTC Components

  • Seminar

    Participants explore educational theory and practice and develop teaching skills that promote learning within a diverse student body across various settings. Throughout the sessions, facilitators and participants will model various active learning strategies (cooperative learning, problem-posing, case study, interactive lecturing, discussion, critical thinking, and role-playing). All educational topics are considered through the lens of teaching as a scholarly practice.

    • As a result of completing the Seminar, participants will:
      • develop an essential fluency with core elements of teaching and learning
      • develop a purposeful approach to teaching
      • develop a reflective teaching philosophy
      • assemble a set of resources on teaching and learning that can assist with creating a syllabus, unit plan, and teaching portfolio.
    • Seminar Requirements
      • Participation in 8-weekly sessions, 75 minutes in length:
        • Session 1. Why We Teach – Developing a Teaching Philosophy
        • Session 2. Critically Reflective Teaching
        • Session 3. The Science of Learning
        • Session 4. Active Learning
        • Session 5. Diversity and Student Learning
        • Session 6. Assessing Teaching & Learning
        • Session 7. Peer Workshopping of Teaching Statements
        • Session 8. Continuing Professional Development
      • Development of a Philosophy of Teaching, including one-on-one consultation to receive feedback, typically 1 hour
  • Practicum

    The Practicum provides participants with an opportunity to apply educational theory in the development of teaching materials and the practice of teaching. Participants model effective teaching practices through a microteaching demonstration, classroom observation, and unit (re)design. Practicum participants will develop the knowledge and skills to enhance their teaching and assessment practices.

    • As a result of completing the Practicum, participants will:
      • develop an approach to their teaching that involves research, experimentation, reflection, and assessment.
      • develop course design experience based on sound pedagogical principles.

     

    • Practicum Requirements
      • Participation in 8-weekly sessions, 75 minutes in length:
        • Session 1. Course Introduction and Introduction to Team-based Learning
        • Session 2. Understanding by Design (UbD)
        • Session 3. Assessment of Learning through UbD
        • Session 4. Developing Learning Activities
        • Session 5. Creating Inclusive Classes
        • Session 6. Teaching in Times of Crisis
        • Session 7. Microteaching Demonstrations (must attend)
        • Session 8. Continuing Professional Development
      • Completion of ONE classroom observation sequence. Participants teach a class period that a teaching consultant will observe. Participants meet with their consultant before and after teaching to plan for and reflect on their teaching experience, typically one hour each in length.
        *NOTE: Our team does not arrange teaching opportunities for participants. This is the responsibility of the participant.

     

  • Specializations

    Upon completing the Practicum, participants can specialize in the following: a) Online Teaching, b) Humanities Teaching, and c) STEM Teaching. Each section is open to anyone who has completed the CiCT, regardless of their discipline, and allows participants to refine their teaching knowledge and skills within more specific teaching contexts. Participants are eligible to earn multiple specializations.

    • Specialization in Online Teaching: In this specialization, participants are exposed to how to design digital/online curriculums, diversity and access in online platforms, building student communities, and generating “class discussion” in digital spaces. Participants will also discuss educational theory on effective online teaching and will design, develop and teach their online lesson plans/modules through Brightspace.
    • Specialization in Humanities Teaching: Thank you for your interest in the Humanities Teaching Specialization. We are currently developing this section and will post relevant information soon. For questions, please contact Ransford Pinto, Assistant Director.
    • Specialization in STEM Teaching: Thank you for your interest in the STEM Teaching Specialization. We are currently developing this section and will post relevant information soon. For questions, please contact Ransford Pinto, Assistant Director.
    • Summer Intensive Program: For graduate students and postdocs who cannot attend the weekly fall and spring sessions, they can enroll in the Summer Intensive Program, which offers a condensed sequential Seminar and Practicum as well as specialization sections in May and June. During the Summer Intensive Program, participants in the Seminar meet for two weeks, followed by two weeks for the Practicum. You must commit to both Seminar and Practicum sessions to participate.

Eligibility

The certificate is most useful for those soon applying for teaching positions at higher education institutions.

FAQ

  • Can I complete the Seminar and Practicum in any order?

    We ask that you complete the Seminar first and the Practicum second. It’s our intention that participants will build on knowledge and experiences from the Seminar in the Practicum. If completed out of order, participants will miss out on that opportunity for growth.

  • Does the Seminar and Practicum need to be completed in consecutive semesters?

    You do not have to complete the Seminar and the Practicum in consecutive semesters.

  • When is the best time to complete the certificate?

    The “best time” to complete the certificate is up to you! Here are some common factors, though, that do help graduate students make up their minds about when to start:

    • When you will be on the job market. The CiCT is intended for participants who are soon applying to academic positions that require higher education teaching. We assume that participants will be putting together their job market materials, including their teaching philosophy statement, in the near future. Therefore, while those who may not be applying to jobs soon will find the topics covered useful, they may find the program more valuable if they take it closer to when they plan on hitting the job market.
    • Time commitment. Both pieces of the certificate require you to attend regularly scheduled 75-minute sessions and consultations. Taking an evaluative look at your schedule and determining if you have that time available is important. If you can’t commit to the sessions offered during the academic year, consider signing up for the Summer Intensive Program in May, which allows you to complete the Certificate in one week.
    • Available teaching opportunities. The Practicum does require participants to undergo one teaching observation. While we try to be flexible about what is “teaching”, typically, participants are observed giving a lecture/presentation or leading a discussion/review group. For most, completing the Practicum during a semester that one is teaching or TAing (and thus has some access to classroom teaching) is ideal. For those whose TA duties don’t include teaching (or those who are not TAing at all), we suggest that you speak with others in your department and work out an arrangement to guest lecture before starting the Practicum.
  • I'm not a current Vanderbilt student, can I still participate?

    Unfortunately, this program is only for Vanderbilt students.

  • I'm not a graduate student at Vanderbilt, can I still participate?

    Unfortunately, the CiCT program is only available to graduate students at Vanderbilt. However, some research faculty may qualify. If you are in doubt, please contact Ransford Pinto, Assistant Director.

  • What if I am not TAing a class during the CiCT Practicum?

    Consider asking your advisor if it would be possible to lead a session in their class. If that is not possible, consider reaching out to faculty in your department who may be traveling during the semester and ask if they would be willing to allow you in their classroom. You might also ask your advisor to reach out to a faculty member on your behalf. It is also possible to complete this requirement the following semester if it is impossible to find a teaching opportunity in the current semester you are taking the Practicum.

Questions?

email: advanced-teaching-learning@vanderbilt.edu

call: 615-322-7290