Certificate in Foundations of Teaching

The Certificate in Foundations of Teaching is a program of the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) and is supported by campus academic units and the Graduate College. It is designed for graduate students who have limited or no classroom teaching experience at the University of Illinois. It provides an opportunity to explore teaching and helps prepare these students for responsibilities in an academic setting.

When you decide to work on the Certificate in Foundations of Teaching, contact CTE to be matched with a Specialist in Education who will be your consultant for the process. You are encouraged to start working on the certificate as soon as possible in your graduate career. However, there is no time limit for completion of the requirements.

Certificate Requirements

1. Participate in a choice of teaching development workshops on principles of instruction.
   
2. Discuss and reflect on an observation of your teaching (a class session or mock lesson).
   
3. Explore literature on teaching (a book or set of articles).
   
4. Observe and reflect on a class taught by an experienced instructor.
   
5. Write a teaching philosophy statement.
   

1. Teaching Development Workshops

Participate in one of the following as a graduate student at the University of Illinois:

• A minimum of 8 hours of campus workshops on principles of instruction, or
  
• A pre-semester teaching development program (the Graduate Academy for College Teaching or equivalent), or
  
• A university course on college teaching (e.g., EOL 585).
  

2. Observation of Your Teaching

Arrange to teach a class session or a mock lesson that is observed by a faculty member or your CTE consultant. Discuss the observation with the observer, and write an essay reflecting on the teaching experience and observer feedback.

3. Exploration of Literature on Teaching

Read a book or several articles about teaching and/or learning, and write a reflective summary of them.

4. Observation of an Experienced Instructor

Arrange to meet with and to observe an experienced instructor teaching an undergraduate class. The instructor should be a professor in your home department who is known for good teaching. Write an essay reflecting on the lesson.

5. Teaching Philosophy Statement

Write a teaching philosophy statement which incorporates principles and ideas gleaned from participating in the Certificate in Foundations of Teaching.

Certificate Application

To begin the Certificate in Foundations of Teaching, or to learn more about it, please contact us.

Center for Teaching Excellence
249 Armory Building, MC-528
(217) 333-3370

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All certificate requirements must be documented in the Certificate in Foundations of Teaching Application (pdf) in consultation with a faculty member and/or your CTE consultant. The application contains more details for completing the certificate.

The completed application must be submitted to CTE for review by your CTE consultant. The submission deadline is April 15.

CTE Celebration of College Teaching

Through CTE’s certificate program, participants develop teaching skills, reflect on teaching and learning, and are motivated to strive for excellence in teaching. To celebrate these achievements, CTE hosts an annual event in the spring to recognize individuals who successfully complete the Certificate in Foundations of Teaching and other CTE certificates.

Last Updated September 5, 2007