The requirements of the certificate are as follows. Please note that these requirements have been updated effective Fall 2022. Participants who began work toward the CCTP before Fall 2022 may count all previous workshops toward the requirements.
You may also track your progress using our worksheets for Graduate and Professional Students and for Postdoctoral Scholars.
| Requirement | Graduate and Professional Students | Postdoctoral Scholars and DNP Students |
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| Registration | Registration is required for GSAS graduate students who want the certificate to appear on their transcript. Complete the GSAS Certificate Program Declaration Request – and note that we do not require you to submit a statement of interest. | No registration is required. |
| Foundational Courses |
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| Intermediate and Advanced Teaching Workshops |
8 ITWs and ATWs
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6 ITWs and ATWs
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| Teaching | 2 semesters of teaching at Yale | Not required |
| Observations |
All observation reports should be compiled in submitted at the end of the CCTP, and you and your observers may use this form (observation report). During the session, you and your observers may use the pre-class questionnaire and in-class observation protocol), but they are not required. You are required to undergo:
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All observation reports should be compiled as part of the portfolio submitted at the end of the CCTP, and you may use this form (observation report). During the session, you may use these forms (pre-class questionnaire and during class observation protocol), but they are not required. You are required to undergo:
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| Learning Communities |
2 Learning Communities (LCs)
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2 Learning Communities (LCs)
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| Teaching Portfolio and Exit Interview |
Participants must complete:
Email askpoorvucenter@yale.edu to arrange your exit interview. Please allow between two weeks and a month for processing your portfolio and scheduling. In order for the certificate to appear on the transcript, graduating students should plan to complete the certificate before graduation, before the date that final grades are due for degree recipients. Please consult the academic calendar for details. |
Participants must complete:
Email askpoorvucenter@yale.edu to arrange your exit interview. Please allow between two weeks and a month for processing your portfolio and scheduling. |
The CCTP Portfolio is designed to document your teaching experience, while giving you a chance to reflect on your unique approach and philosophy. Each component is commonly required on the academic job market, so it is also a critical opportunity to prepare in advance for your interviews.
Please note that an annotation must be included for each of the required items, except the teaching statement. This is a brief 100-to-200 word description of how a hiring committee should read this document. What would they need to know in order to appreciate your strengths and experience as a teacher? Annotations need not follow any particular format, but many people include an italicized statement at the very beginning.
| Section | Guidelines |
|---|---|
| Cover page, listing teaching experience, workshops attended, and Learning Communities |
Please include a list of the following:
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| Documentation of Observations | Please include all observation reports (including the ones done of your teaching, if you are a graduate or professional student). You and your observers may use this form (observation report), and faculty members are welcome to submit a confidential letter of recommendation, focusing on this teaching observation, at the time of portfolio submission. |
| Teaching Statement | Typically 1 to 2 pages (single-spaced), this document provides a window into your classroom, describing how you approach teaching in your field. It is often composed of narrative vignettes, each of them demonstrating a principle of pedagogy that is especially important to you. |
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Sample Course Materials
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Two newly developed syllabi
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While the final decision is up to you, we suggest providing one introductory level and/or one advanced level course in your discipline. If you have not actually taught these courses, which will often be the case, these syllabi should provide a course plan (title, level, description, objectives, readings, methods and approach for instruction and grading, assignments, what topics will be addressed in what order over the course of the semester, etc.). Your annotation should include information about the level of student you expect, the prerequisites you’ll require, and the innovative or unusual practices you’d like to highlight. |
| Student evaluations, if available |
If you’ve taught at Yale, you will be able to access your student evaluations online. We recommend that you sort your evaluations by question (rather than by respondent), and then click ”Print All Responses to Selected Question” to create a pdf of your evaluations. You may format the evaluations for readability, but please include the complete set of evaluations from each class. We recommend annotating each set of evaluations separately, including a brief description of the course, and your role as an instructor or TF, and your reflections on what was most successful in your teaching. You might also identify positive patterns and highlight any innovative or unusual practices your students have noticed about your teaching. You can also consider quoting directly from an evaluation if it is particularly insightful or representative. A sample annotation might read, “The following evaluations are from a first-year composition course I teach on consciousness. The course is aimed at first-year students making the transition to college writing. Students recognize my commitment to their learning and my skill at creating an inclusive space in which they feel comfortable sharing their writing. They praise my ability to meet them where they are as writers, including in one-on-one conferences, which they rate generally as ‘very effective.’ Students note that they learned to ‘think critically about the readings’ and that the seminar discussions I led were ‘awesome—I felt like I was truly in a college atmosphere.’ Finally, students noted that they felt better prepared to write papers in their other courses. ‘I feel much more confident that I know how to handle writing assignments in all my classes.’” |
| Optional: Letters of support or consultation reports from observers who may be faculty or students |
While this portion of the portfolio is optional, it can be a great addition to job application packages. This category may include letters that you solicit from faculty or students as well as informal emails from students (or others) who comment on your teaching. |
| Reflective narrative about your experiences |
Thoughtful reflection serves to enhance your preparation for college teaching and maximize the benefit you get from your experiences. It also helps the Poorvu Center understand the specific ways in which CCTP participants experience the program. Compose a brief (1-2 pages, double-spaced) reflective narrative describing your experiences in each part of the program:
While we are flexible about the form and shape of your reflection, you may wish to structure the narrative by responding to the following questions:
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The exit interview is a 50-minute meeting with Poorvu staff members. No extra preparation is required. You’ll be asked to
Finally, we’ll offer feedback on the element of your choice from your portfolio. Many participants who are actively applying for jobs use this space to improve their teaching statement. Participants who have already secured a position will often use this portion of the interview to revise their sample syllabus.
Email askpoorvucenter@yale.edu to arrange your exit interview. Please allow between two weeks to four weeks for processing your portfolio and scheduling.
For questions about the Certificate of College Teaching Preparation, please contact askpoorvucenter@yale.edu.