The certificate is not a summative evaluation of your teaching; rather, it provides a record of your participation in teaching activities and your reflections on those experiences. Participants use the CCTP guidelines to organize and receive recognition on their transcripts for their efforts to become effective classroom teachers. Earning the CCTP, also meets requirements for Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) Associate.

We believe that those who complete the certificate program will be better able to teach undergraduates at Yale and beyond, more attractive candidates for colleges and universities who are recruiting skillful teachers.

In particular, the CCTP:

• Earns the title of CIRTL Associate
• Gives you a formal way to show your interest in teaching as part of your graduate education
• Gives you a formal structure for organizing your teacher training and professional development
• Gives you the self-awareness to improve your teaching skills
• Provides a mechanism for observing others teaching
• Leads you to become proficient in a range of topics related to teaching and learning
• Provides you with transferrable skills in effective written communication, presentation, and interviewing
• Helps you to think about the job market early on (and to prepare your teaching statement and portfolio as teaching happens)
• Communicates to future employers your commitment to teaching