Certificate of Practice

The Certificate of Practice in University Teaching is designed to assist participants in their evolution as instructors by providing a framework for their professional development. Only current Caltech graduate students are eligible to participate (Caltech postdocs should instead join our 5P program).

The Certificate of Practice program seeks to achieve three major outcomes for participants:

1. synthesis and application of effective methods for teaching and learning
2. assessment and implementation of a teaching philosophy
3. refinement of pedagogy through feedback and self-evaluation

Participants in this program progress through several phases as outlined below:

• Plan a program to develop your teaching skills.
• Learn about approaches to teaching and factors influencing student outcomes by participation in a class on pedagogy.
• Apply your knowledge in a teaching environment with feedback from CTLO and/or CPET.
• Reflect on and Refine your teaching through evaluation, feedback, and mentoring by an experienced educator.
• Record the development of your teaching pedagogy and practice through a teaching portfolio, incorporating a teaching philosophy and representative documents from teaching. 

To enroll in the Certificate of Practice program, complete the Plan Certificate Form and email it to ctlo@caltech.edu. The CTLO Associate Director will schedule a meeting with you to discuss your Plan and enroll you in the Certificate of Practice Canvas site.

More details about this program as well as templates for each phase of the program are available in the links below. If you have questions, please contact ctlo@caltech.edu.

Please note that the portfolio must be completed and returned for review by May 16th in order to receive a transcript notation before commencement.

A complete description of the CPET Certificate of Practice in University Teaching is available here: [pdf]

To give you an idea of what to expect, the following forms are completed during and after the various phases of the Certificate of Practice.

Plan Certificate Form - A written record of your plan for the Certificate, to be submitted before the initial meeting with the CTLO Associate Director. [docx]

Learning Experience Form - Reflection on your learning experience (ex. E110, etc.). Due two weeks after the course ends. [docx]

Teaching Experience Form - Description of and plan for your teaching experience. Must be completed for each teaching experience. Due before your teaching experience start date. [docx]

Teaching Reflection Form - Reflection on your chosen teaching experience. Must be completed for each teaching experience. Due 2 weeks after your teaching experience end date. [docx]

Feedback Reflection Form - Reflection on feedback collected during your teaching experience (ex. Student survey, classroom observation by CTLO). Due two weeks after you receive feedback results. [docx]

The following guidelines and resources can be used to develop your Teaching Portfolio (Phase 5 of the Certificate of Practice).

CoP Teaching Portfolio Guidelines - A resource to help you prepare your teaching portfolio. [pdf]

Teaching Statement Resources - Helpful links with information on writing a Teaching Statement and examples of Teaching Statements. [pdf]