Description and Overview
 |
 |
The U-M Graduate Teacher Certificate is coordinated by the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies and the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) at the University of Michigan. This program offers U-M graduate students in Ann Arbor an opportunity to develop and refine teaching skills required for success as a faculty member, obtain feedback on their teaching and teaching philosophy statement, receive recognition for their pedagogical training and experience as college-level instructors, and increase their preparation for the academic job search.
Specifically, the Certificate documents professional development in five areas: (1) attending at least 8 hours of campus-wide or departmental orientation to college teaching and student learning, including sessions on classroom climate and practice teaching; (2) exposure to new teaching strategies through seminars and/or courses on teaching and learning; (3) experience as a Graduate Student Instructor for at least 2 semesters in a classroom setting at the University of Michigan and receipt of a consultation on classroom teaching from an instructional consultant; (4) mentorship on teaching from a faculty member on projects such as preparing, delivering, and receiving feedback on a guest lecture or developing a syllabus for a new course; and (5) preparation of a teaching philosophy statement, including receiving feedback from a CRLT instructional consultant.
Certificate requirements are determined by an advisory committee which includes associate deans from three University of Michigan schools and colleges, instructional consultants from CRLT, and senior graduate students. CRLT staff review and evaluate all documentation submitted by graduate students to satisfy Certificate requirements. This program is free and open to all University of Michigan graduate students at the Ann Arbor campus. Participants who complete the program receive a U-M Graduate Teacher Certificate. The Certificate does not appear on official University of Michigan transcripts. A U-M Graduate Teacher Certificate is not a teaching license or credential for K-12 instruction from the State of Michigan.