College Teaching Certificate
Colleges and universities are expecting potential and future faculty hires to be equally skilled in the practice of research and teaching. Since 2001, the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource has offered a College Teaching Certificate Program for masters and doctoral level graduate students across the university who are interested in learning about the scholarship of teaching and learning, and documenting these professional development efforts for potential employers. What can the certificate do for students?:
- Colleges and universities are looking for faculty skilled in teaching. Even research universities want developed teaching skills so new faculty can focus on their research.
- Documenting teaching and other professional development efforts for potential employers can make candidates more competitive.
- A survey of junior faculty published in the Chronicle of Higher Education revealed that documentation (e.g., experience teaching and/or e-portfolio) was indeed helpful in the job talk process.
- Student’s ability and confidence to provide engaging classroom experiences for all students is enhanced.
Course Requirements
The certificate requires nine credit hours and a three-hour internship experience, for a total of 12 credit hours. Upon completion of the four-course requirements, students must request the certificate to be processed by completing the request form below and submitting it to the EAHR Graduate Advising Office in 563 HarringtonTower.
Required Courses:
Required courses (9 credit hours):
- EDAD 601 College Teaching
Choose two courses from the following:
- EDAD 602 Community College
- EDAD 603 Advanced Student Development Theory
- EDAD 650 Professional Development in Higher Education
- EDAD 669 The College Student
- EHRD 616 Methods of Teaching Adults
- EHRD 630 Adult Learning
Equivalent courses might be taken in place of listed courses, but must be approved by the certificate coordinator prior to registering for the course.
Internship (3 credit hours):
- EDAD 684 Internship*
* The internship (EDAD 684) should be taken as the last course. All students are required to have their internships approved by the Certificate Coordinator before registering for classes.
Please note, because this is not an approved distance education program, students are limited to taking no more than one online course to count towards the certificate.
After completing all courses, students must email the EAHR Advising Office at eahradvisor@tamu.edu.
Internship
In their internship, students have the opportunity to apply the course readings, lectures, and assignments in real world experiences. Each internship is a unique learning experience tailored to move that students to the next level as a scholar. Towards that goal, this course has two main components: effective college teaching internship experiences and student self-reflection on their college teaching.
Internship possibilities include:
- Co-teach an undergraduate or graduate class with a qualified supervisor.
- Observe and consult with at least five Teaching Award Winning Faculty in the college classroom.
- Work or co-teach with a faculty mentor that is a Teaching Award Winning Faculty in community colleges and universities in the surrounding area.
- Work with faculty development professionals in the Texas A&M University Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) in different areas.
- Conduct research in the area of faculty development and/or college teaching issues in higher education.
- Work with professionals to learn more about faculty and TA development issues in higher education.
- The Center for Teaching Excellence provides graduate students with opportunities to broaden their teaching experiences through internships. Students accepted for internships are mentored by Instructional Consultants as they engage in areas of teaching and learning.
- New and creative ideas relating to teaching and learning are welcomed.
Students who have co-taught a course ideally are involved in course planning, syllabus development, course delivery, and student assessment. The experience should be more than just observation. Students are encouraged to find a supervisor/co-teacher in their subject area of expertise.
Students who have completed their internship with the CTE, for example...
- Developed web-based modules for the Texas A&M Faculty Teaching and Learning Portal (http://learning.tamu.edu).
- Coordinated the university’s Teaching Assistant Training program
- Designed and facilitated workshops and learning communities supporting graduate student professional development in teaching. Design and facilitation of learning communities emphasizing innovative approaches to teaching such as inquiry-learning and Backward Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).
- Developed projects related to the Faculty Peer Review of Teaching Initiative
- Organized teaching and learning projects related to the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP): Aggies Commit to Learning for a Lifetime
- Worked with/shadowed a university program faculty in the process of curriculum revision or program review.
Students applying for an internship in the CTE are encouraged to state their areas of interest, please contact cte@tamu.edu for further information.
After completing all courses, student must email the EAHR Graduate Advising Office at eahradvisor@tamu.edu.
Admission
Current Texas A&M University students who are in good academic standing can begin taking certificate courses any semester. To be eligible for the certificate, students must complete the current student application prior to starting course work.
Interested applicants who are not current Texas A&M University students will apply through the ApplyTexas application. The major to select is “College Teaching, Certificate”. Application fee: a non-refundable $65 application fee for domestic applicants and $90 application fee for international applicants. Official transcripts from all colleges or universities attended are required to be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office. More details can be found at http://admissions.tamu.edu/graduate/apply
Applicants will be assigned a University Identification Number (UIN) 24-48 hours after submitting the application. This UIN will be needed to access the Applicant Information System (AIS) to complete the remaining application requirements.
Application deadlines:
Fall: July 1
Spring: October 1
Advisors
In the event that the main program advisor is not available, contact eahradvisor@tamu.edu with any questions.
Kerri Smith
Director of Academic Advising
Melissa Kuhlmann
Academic Advisor II
Christine Stanley
Professor
Glenda Musoba
Associate Professor
Luis Ponjuan
Associate Professor
Vicente Lechuga
Associate Professor
