AGTC: Advanced Graduate Teacher Certificate

The mission of the University of Illinois is to advance human knowledge through teaching, research, and public service. The University of Illinois’ strategic plan, A Framework for the Future, states, “We shall accord full value to our teaching mission, preparing our students for professional life, leadership and citizenship in a changing world.” The University of Illinois believes that teaching assistants (TAs) can contribute significantly to the mission of the University as current instructors and as future faculty. Furthermore, the research and public service of TAs can work to strengthen their teaching. 

The Advanced Graduate Teacher Certificate Program (AGTC) is designed for a select group of graduate students who are outstanding TAs. The AGTC motivates TAs to teaching excellence in a number of ways.

·        The AGTC encourages TAs to approach teaching from a discipline-based perspective, incorporating interaction with peers, and applying multiple tools in the assessment of teaching.

·        The AGTC honors graduate students who have made exceptional contributions in classroom teaching, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and service related to teaching.

·        The AGTC equips TAs to advance confidently into faculty positions and other careers. 

The AGTC program is a collaborative effort among academic units, the Graduate College, and the Center for Teaching Excellence. The AGTC focuses on seven competencies important to teaching. Each applicant must fulfill all seven Tier 1 requirements and two of the Tier 2 requirements. Tier 2 competencies are areas of teaching specialization chosen by the TA. Evaluation of competencies is in the section titled Teaching Effectiveness Measures.

AGTC Prerequisites

Before starting the AGTC, the teaching assistant should complete all requirements for the Graduate Teacher Certificate (GTC). The GTC provides an opportunity to document participation in basic instructional development activities, such as instructional orientations and workshops, and self reflection on classroom videotaping and student feedback. All GTC requirements count toward completion of the AGTC. For details on the GTC, please refer to GTC Teaching Reports 1-5.

Teaching Experience

Tier 1: Teach a minimum of two semesters at UIUC beyond the GTC requirement for a total of four semesters of teaching. Teaching four classes over two semesters cannot substitute for this requirement. Teaching a class is defined as having university-scheduled teaching duties with students on a daily, weekly, or bi-weekly basis in a classroom, studio, or lab. Face-to-face, distance education, and on-line courses all apply. The intent is to document formal teaching experience where the TA is responsible for leading learning activities with a given group of students over an extended time. Therefore, responsibilities consisting of only writing tests, grading, holding actual or virtual office hours, or proctoring tests do not fulfill this requirement. Refer to AGTC Teaching Report 1 for documentation.

Tier 2: Teach a class as the primary instructor, with responsibilities such as creating a syllabus, selecting reading materials, designing student assessments, and developing innovative instructional methods. 

Continuing Education

Tier 1: Attend a minimum of 6 hours of approved workshops or seminars on college teaching beyond the 6 hours of GTC continuing education hours. Example workshop topics may include syllabus design, instructional technology, classroom ethics, and motivating students. Completing a UIUC course on college teaching such as EOL 490TC, graduate seminar courses on college teaching offered within a department, and conference sessions on teaching also apply. Refer to AGTC Teaching Report 2 for documentation.

Tier 2: Attend a minimum of 8 hours of continuing education beyond the tier 1 requirements for continuing education.

Teaching Other TAs

Tier 1: Support good teaching both on campus and in the teaching assistant’s department for a minimum of 10 hours. Options include working as a head TA, supervising other TAs for a minimum of one semester, facilitating at a UIUC TA, ITA or department orientation, or teaching instructional seminars for TAs. The 10 hours must include at least one activity teaching other instructors inside and one activity outside the teaching assistant’s own department. Write a 1-2 page essay reflecting on this experience. Refer to AGTC Teaching Report 3 for documentation.

Tier 2: Facilitate and teach sessions for other TAs on instructional techniques and issues for 10 hours beyond the tier 1 requirements for teaching other TAs.

Mentoring

Tier 1: There are two components to this requirement: being mentored and being a mentor.

Being mentored includes meeting with a faculty member on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for a minimum of one semester to discuss issues related to teaching. Academic units or CTE can assist teaching assistants in identifying mentors. Write a 1-2 page essay reflecting on this experience. Refer to AGTC Teaching Report 4.1 for documentation.

Being a mentor includes meeting one-on-one on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for a minimum of one semester with one junior TA to discuss issues related to teaching. Write a 1-2 page essay reflecting on this experience. Refer to AGTC Teaching Report 4.2 for documentation.

Tier 2: Meet with a faculty mentor and mentor one junior TA for one semester beyond tier 1 requirements.

Service

Tier 1: Provide a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer, discipline-based service on campus or in the community. Examples are accountancy majors helping others in the community with tax returns, kinesiology majors coaching youth teams, English majors tutoring in literacy programs, agriculture majors assisting with 4-H programs. TAs from all majors may choose to serve on department, college, university, or professional committees. [This competency cannot be satisfied by facilitating at the TA orientations or microteaching sessions.] Write a 1-2 page essay reflecting on this experience. Refer to AGTC Teaching Report 5 for documentation.

Tier 2: Provide 10 hours of discipline-specific service beyond the tier 1 requirements.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Tier 1:Research an area related to teaching and learning and present it in a non-refereed setting, such as a graduate seminar, colloquium, or workshop on campus. One example is to compare two different teaching methods used with different sections of a course and analyze the results. A literature review does not fulfill this requirement. Developing an innovative teaching method does not meet the research requirement, unless you collect data and analyze the effect of the innovative method on learning. Write a 1-2 page essay reflecting on how this research impacted your teaching philosophy and practice. Refer to AGTC Teaching Report 6 for documentation.

Tier 2: Present a research study on teaching and learning at a refereed conference or in a scholarly journal.

Instructional Technology

Tier 1: Utilize technology to enhance the learning environment. Possible uses of technology for instruction are communicating regularly with students through e-mail, listservs, or conferencing software. Refer to AGTC Teaching Report 7 for documentation.

Tier 2: Adapt, develop, or implement innovative uses of technology for instruction such as interactive computer testing, a significant course home page, or videoconferencing and distance learning.

Teaching Effectiveness Measures

TAs who fulfill AGTC requirements and demonstrate excellence in teaching are eligible for the AGTC award. The application will be reviewed by an AGTC committee composed of a faculty member from the TA's academic unit, and a representative from both CTE and the Graduate College. Teaching effectiveness will be determined through assessment of a teaching portfolio, a videotape of classroom teaching, a written teaching observation report, and ICES scores. A consensus from the committee is required for certification.

1.      Teaching portfolio

There are two components to this requirement:

Learn about teaching portfolios by attending a portfolio workshop.

Construct a teaching portfolio that includes a personal teaching philosophy, samples of lessons, tests, feedback to students, a sample syllabus, etc. The TA should explain how the evidence placed in their teaching portfolio relates to their teaching philosophy. The entire portfolio should be well documented, coherent and easy to read by others. The contents of the Teaching Portfolio will be rated by the AGTC committee on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory scale. For assessment criteria see AGTC Teaching Portfolio Guidelines.

2.   Videotaped classroom teaching: The TA should provide a teaching videotape with a short written description of the context of that class.

3.   Teaching observation report: A written teaching observation report by the TA’s supervisor must be included in the portfolio. See AGTC Teaching Observation Form.

4.   ICES scores:  The TA’s two highest ICES scores for item 1, Rate the instructor’s overall teaching effectiveness, will be averaged. A minimum mean of 4.0 is required for certification. These should be included in the teaching portfolio.

Graduate Teaching Celebration

The University awards the AGTC to exceptional TAs who have enhanced the learning environment on campus by engaging in a formal program which prepares them as future faculty and professionals. Graduate Teacher Certificates and Advanced Graduate Teacher Certificates are presented at an annual spring Graduate Teaching Ceremony.

AGTC Application

Application to begin the AGTC program can be made through CTE by calling (217) 333-3370, stopping by 249 Armory Building, or e-mailing GTC-AGTC@uiuc.edu. TAs must work on the AGTC in cooperation with a faculty member or CTE consultant who will assist graduate students in individualizing the AGTC program and provide guidance through the process. The Graduate Teacher Certificate (GTC) must be completed prior to completing the AGTC. (Please see the companion brochure on the GTC.) TAs interested in the AGTC are encouraged to begin working on it at the start of their teaching assistantships. Completed AGTC materials must be submitted to CTE on or before March 24.  

Some thoughts on the AGTC from AGTC Alumni:

• "While at my interview, a faculty member happened to mention that my teaching abilities were head and shoulders above the other candidates’, and I attribute that to the AGTC and activities related to it."

• "There is no substitute for seeing yourself documented on videotape; it is very revealing of a TA’s strengths and weaknesses and I found my self-assessment to be invaluable in improving my classroom delivery."

• "I have documented proof (records) of my effort, influence and value to [the department’s] program. In my case, the title 'TA' is extremely limiting because I had faculty-type responsibilities. The AGTC verifies this (extensive teaching experience)."

• "Preparing to meet the AGTC requirements helped me to focus on particular areas that were important for me to develop as a teacher, before any of those issues became problems in my classroom."

• "The AGTC is an excellent program, and [my CTE consultant] was extremely helpful in getting me through it. Some of the most valuable parts of the program for me came from being mentored by two faculty members and from the Preparing Future Professors seminar that I participated in as part of my continuing education requirement."

• "My teaching portfolio helped me secure [my current faculty position]. I also think that [the] AGTC taught me a lot about what is required of university faculty. This allowed me to speak about my graduate teaching, research, and service in a way that showed I was ready for a faculty position."

• "If [the AGTC requirements] are not rigorous the AGTC loses its meaning and it will not be as helpful in finding a job. People are impressed when they see all that I have done in order to learn my craft and obtain such a certification."

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