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Teaching Certificate I Program:
The Sheridan Teaching Seminar

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR 2012-13

Program Description:

In Certificate I, members of the Brown teaching community develop and reflect on their teaching practice.  Participants are introduced to the fundamental components of reflective teaching:  careful planning and continuous refinement of one’s practice; establishing learning goals and gauging your students learning; engaging learners and acknowledging one’s audience.  Finally, using a rhetorical lens, participants will refine the persuasive communication skills that are fundamental to every academic career.

The program is organized into 5 modules, each of which contains a lecture and a hands-on workshop, and a teaching observation. 

  • Module 1: Reflections on Teaching and Learning
  • Module 2: Developing Student Learning Goals: the Syllabus & Course Design
  • Module 3: How Students Learn
  • Module 4: Grading and Evaluation: Measuring Your Students Learning
  • Module 5*: Rhetorical Practice: Teaching as Persuasive Communication

*Module 5 contains a micro-teaching opportunity for participants to present a five-minute introduction to a topic of their choice and receive feedback on their communication practices.

  • The Teaching Observation allows participants to reflect on their students’ learning experience and to gain constructive feedback from the Sheridan Center trained Teaching Consultants on achieving their individual teaching goals.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completing the Certificate I program, participants will be able to:

  • Reflect on their teaching;
  • Articulate learning goals, and describe how they can be used in course & syllabus planning;
  • Apply what we know about how people learn in their teaching and assessment strategies;
  • Recognize a variety of assessment approaches and their alignment with course learning goals;
  • Reflect on the rhetorical choices they make as a teacher.

Program Requirements for Certificate I:

  1. Completion of all 5 Modules.  Each Module includes:
    1. background readings
    2. a lecture
    3. an assignment
    4. a workshop
    5. a feedback form
  2. Participation in a Teaching Observation
  3. Submission of a Final Program Evaluation at the year’s end

Program Policies & Procedures:

Modules:

  • All Modules must be completed within a single academic year.
  • Absences:  Under extenuating circumstances only one lecture and only one workshop may be missed provided they are not from the same module.  A missed lecture or a missed workshop must be made up to receive the certificate.
  • Making up a lecture: Because each follow-up workshop builds upon themes raised in the Module lecture, you must view the lecture before attending the workshop. You cannot receive credit for a workshop without attending or making up the lecture beforehand.  
    • After viewing the lecture, send a brief lecture reflection to sheridan_center@brown.edu (subject heading: CERT. I LECTURE MAKE-UP) BEFORE the Module workshop.  No lecture-makeup will be accepted after the Module’s workshop. 
    • A lecture reflection is a brief response to the following prompts:  What in this lecture was most useful for developing your own teaching practice?  What did you find most surprising or confusing?
  • Making up a workshop: Because the workshops are an opportunity to reflect and discuss the ideas presented in the Module’s lectures, you also complete a lecture reflection to make up missed workshops. 
    • If you miss workshop #1 - #4, send a brief lecture reflection to sheridan_center@brown.edu (subject heading: CERT. I WORKSHOP MAKE-UP) within 1 week of the workshop.
    • A lecture reflection is a brief response to the following prompts:  What in this lecture was most useful for developing your own teaching practice?  What did you find most surprising or confusing?
    • If the workshop you miss is #5, you may make it up by attending the workshop in the following academic year. 
  • Assignment: Assignments are submitted online through Canvas.  All assignments must be completed to earn a program Certificate; there are no make-ups for missed assignments. Even if you have missed a workshop or a lecture, the module assignment must be turned in online through Canvas.
  • All module components must be received within one week of the workshop.  No credit can be applied after this time and you will no longer be eligible for a Certificate.

Teaching Observations:

  • During a Teaching Observation, the Sheridan Center’s trained Teaching Consultants observe and videotape your presentation (e.g. a lecture, lab, discussion section, recitation, etc.).  You arrange for your Teaching Observation by filling out an online request form at least two weeks prior to the observed session.  After your Teaching Observation, you will have an opportunity to view the video, and then meet with the Teaching Consultants to discuss their feedback on your teaching methods and techniques. The final component of a Teaching observation is the Follow-up Questionnaire.
  • If no teaching opportunity can be found during the current academic year, the teaching observation may be completed in the following academic year. 

Please Note there can be NO EXCEPTIONS to these rules.


teaching observation

In a Teaching Observation, trained consultants observe and videotape your lecture, discussion section, lab, recitation, etc., and then provide feedback on your teaching methods and style. The instructor (observee) arranges for an Individual Teaching Observation by filling in an online request form at least two weeks prior to the observed session. In the form, the observee informs the teaching consultants of the goals he/she has set for the specific class they will observe. During the observation, the consultants then assess how well the instructor meets those goals and other aspects of the lesson, such as the kind of learning environment that the instructor creates, how he or she interacts with students, and the pace and volume of the instructor's delivery. After the class, the consultants meet with the observee and provide him or her with a confidential written report of their observations and comments. The observee may keep the videotape for personal reference. For further information, see the Teaching Observation procedures.

final program evaluation

Because the Sheridan Center believes that the implementation of feedback mechanisms is imperative for success in teaching, each Teaching Certificate I candidate evaluates the Sheridan Teaching Seminar program at the end of the academic year. Filling out the evaluation form which will be sent to you at the completion of the program, is the final requirement for a Teaching Certificate I.