Teaching the teachers

Teaching can be both a challenging and exciting experience. While teaching assistants and faculty are educated as discipline experts and are enthusiastic about sharing their subject with their students, they are rarely formally prepared to be teachers in higher education.  Learning how to teach by trial and error can be discouraging for both students and teachers.

The Certificate in University Teaching and Learning, launched in September 2005 by the Centre for Learning and Teaching in partnership with the Faculty of Graduate Studies, will provide graduate students with the opportunity to learn how to enhance the learning experiences of their students. The Certificate program will also assist in promoting a cross-campus teaching community, providing opportunities for all graduate students on campus to share ideas about teaching with one another, within and beyond their own departments.

Developing teaching potential

Just as graduate students learn to gain confidence and understanding in their chosen field of study through reading, research, reflection, writing, and discussion with others, so the Certificate program will provide them with similar opportunities to discover what kind of teacher they want to be and assist them in achieving their teaching and learning goals. 

It will also establish a habit of continuing professional development of teaching - the ability to assess, develop, and share approaches to teaching and learning - that they will carry with them throughout their career. It will also enable graduate students to document their teaching development in both formal and informal ways. 

To complete the Certificate Program, participants must complete four components:

Theory: Students can complete a graduate-level course 'Learning and Teaching in Higher Education' (CNLT 5000) which will appear on the university transcript or an independent Learning and Teaching Project designed to introduce participants to engage in an in-depth study and presentation of a teaching issue of particular interest to them.

Practice: They gain opportunities to plan, practice and reflect on teaching and receive feedback from peers and faculty members.

Professional development: Students participate in 20 hours of development by attending workshops, discussion groups, and/or conference presentations related to learning and teaching.

Teaching Dossier: They create a teaching dossier for job searches and career advancement.

Program benefits

Upon completion of the Certificate program, participants will receive formal recognition of their work towards the professional development of their teaching by an official notation on their transcript and a certificate of completion.  

Such an accomplishment is looked on favourably by faculty search committees and thus will enhance Dalhousie graduate students' job prospects after graduation. Participants in the program are more likely to experience a smooth transition from graduate student life to positions as new faculty members as they will be aware of and prepared to take on expected teaching responsibilities with confidence.

In the first year of the program, graduate students' initial response has been very positive - over 100 students are currently registered and five students have already completed the program. These numbers demonstrate Dalhousie graduate students' deep commitment to teaching and learning and their desire to be prepared for academic life beyond graduate school. 

If you are a doctoral candidate and would like to learn more about the Certificate program, please visit the Centre for Learning and Teaching's website at http://learningandteaching.dal.ca or contact Suzanne Le-May Sheffield at suzannes@dal.ca or 494-1894.