Certificate of College Teaching Preparation

Overview

The Certificate of College Teaching Preparation (CCTP) is an opportunity for Yale Graduate Students, Professional Students, and Postdoctoral Scholars to complete a comprehensive training program in effective college teaching. Participants are responsible for keeping track of their participation in programs. Our full list of requirements includes workshop attendance and the creation of a teaching portfolio. 

The best way to keep updated on CCTP-related opportunities and events is to subscribe to our newsletter, which circulates between late August and early May! Graduate and professional students are automatically subscribed – but if you’re a postdoctoral scholar or think you might have been left off the list, here’s how to subscribe:

1. Visit Yale Email Subscriptions.
2. Sign in using your CAS credentials.
3. Using the search bar, look for “CTL Graduate and Postdoctoral Teaching.”
4. Select “Subscribe.”

Those teaching in language and literature departments are encouraged to consult the Center for Language Study website for information about the Certificate in Second Language Acquisition.  

Objectives

The goal of this certificate program is to equip Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows with transferable skills that are valuable both on the academic job market and in a wide range of careers involving teaching and mentoring. The objectives for participants are adapted from CIRTL Practitioner objectives, which are listed on the CIRTL Network Commons.

The experience culminates in the production of a portfolio, in which participants will gather evidence of their teaching development that they can then share on the broader market…

Upon completion of the CCTP, participants will understand and be able to do the following:

• Articulate learning goals for students, the nature of learning, and effective teaching strategies that can support specific learning goals. 
• Design processes to assess what students have learned.
• Use relevant literature, including research about high-impact teaching.
• Describe learning theories.
• Create opportunities for learning communities. 
• Use and promote strategies that value diversity and impact classroom equity.
• Develop scholarship of teaching and learning within the context of higher education.
• Leverage communities including classrooms, institutions, departments, and the nation to impact teaching and learning.

Activities

Individuals can tailor their training according to their interests and convenience. Participants may take advantage of the online CIRTL Network training opportunities and learning communities, which bring people together for shared generation of knowledge, as well as training opportunities and learning communities at Yale. Participants who want to design and apply curriculum and assessments may choose to conduct a Teaching as Research (TAR) project.

Time Commitment

The CCTP time commitment is roughly 45 hours and can be completed over the course of months or years. Options for completion are flexible and self-paced. CIRTL Network Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and short courses are offered yearly and are asynchronous; content can be accessed at any time. CTL events are often scheduled during lunchtime or evening hours to accommodate busy schedules. 

Evidence from national studies indicate that pre-faculty benefit the most from greater than 10 hours of teaching professional development prior to a faculty appointment. The CCTP is designed to align with metrics of high to moderate teaching development in studies that show greater teaching engagement leads to greater gains in teaching self-efficacy (Connolly, 2015 and 2016).  

Outcomes

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. The credential also makes them more attractive candidates for colleges and universities who are recruiting skillful teachers.

In particular, the CCTP:

• Earns the title of CIRTL Associate
• Provides 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
• Provides tools and a space for self-reflection on teaching skills
• Provides an opportunity to observe others teaching
• Leads to proficiency in a range of topics related to teaching and learning
• Provides transferable skills in effective written communication, presentation, and interviewing
• Supports advance preparation for the job market, particularly in considering the development of materials like the teaching statement and portfolio
• Communicates to future employers your commitment to teaching

What to Expect 

The CCTP program supports teaching fellows and others throughout their years at Yale. For those teaching at Yale, it is most effective to start the program as you begin teaching. For those who will not teach at Yale, there are options for how to complete the program. The program requirements for postdoctoral fellows, as well as graduate and professional students, are outlined in their respective pages. If you have questions, please reach out to askpoorvucenter@yale.edu.

Testimonials

Primary Contact

For questions about the Certificate of College Teaching Preparation, please contact askpoorvucenter@yale.edu.

References

1. Connolly, M.R.; Lee, Y.-G.; & Savoy, J. N. (2015). The Effects of Doctoral Teaching Development on Early career STEM Scholars’ College-teaching Self-efficacy. WCER Working Paper No. 2015-1.  
2. Connolly, M. R., Savoy, J. N., Hill, L., Lee, Y.G., & Associates (2016). Building a better future STEM faculty: How doctoral teaching development programs can improve undergraduate education: Executive summary. LSFSS Brief Series, No. 9, Madison, WI: Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison.