REQUIREMENTS
The specific requirements vary for each of our program focal areas, however, the general requirements follow the Certification in College Teaching Program outlined by the MSU Graduate School
Students may also explore our Roadmap Infographic to see the general structure of the program. This infographic gives an overview of the structure and identifies the main components needed to complete the program.
COURSE WORK
Coursework requirements vary by focal area, but each of the areas requires one credit-bearing course focused on teaching, in addition to identifying other coursework to give the student an academic background to the areas covered in the certificate program.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Following the Graduate School’s requirement for a professional development component, each of our certificates requires students to attend professional development sessions during their enrollment in the certificate program. Each session must be followed by a critical reflection paper that students include in their portfolio (see below) and the sessions must cover the following areas:
- Adult Students as Learners/Creating Learning Environments
- discipline-related Teaching Strategies
- Assessment of Learning
- Technology in the Classroom
- Professional Development/Understanding the University
MENTORED RESEARCH
A centerpiece of the Certification in College Teaching is the completion of a mentored teaching project. A mentored teaching project involves you asking a teaching and learning question, developing an instrument to collect the data to answer that question, collect the data in the context of a course at MSU (most people do not collect data in their own classrooms), and write up what you learned.
The recipient has identified a problem to study, proposed an intervention or solution to the problem, and tested the solution. A short research paper discussing the problem, possible solution, methods used and outcomes have been submitted. This project should follow the guidelines outlined by the Graduate School.
MENTORED TEACHING
Students participating in the graduate certification in college teaching are also required to complete a mentored teaching experience. This component of the certification asks students to document their teaching and brings students together with a faculty mentor to engage in active and critical discussion about their teaching and learning practices. More than simply a mentored experience, the student will be required to critically reflect on this experience and produce a reflection on their teaching during this period, discussions they had with their mentor teacher, and any outcomes from their work.
DIGITAL PRESENCE
This is expected to be an electronic portfolio that shows how you have developed as a teacher. This portfolio will be a comprehensive collection of your work through the certification program including reflection papers, coursework, and your mentored research project. This portfolio will be reviewed by the College and by the Graduate School as the capstone to your participation in this program.