Oregon State University

Graduate Certificate in College and University Teaching

Preliminary Draft of the Category 1 proposal

CPS tracking #: To Be Determined

March 2012

  1. Certificate Program Overview
  1. Brief overview including description and rationale:
  1. The proposed certificate is an outgrowth of several years of conversations involving numerous faculty members and administrators who are interested in improving the quality of undergraduate learning and in enhancing graduate students’ professional development in the area of teaching. These conversations revealed widespread interest in and support for the development of a centralized educational opportunity for OSU graduate students. To move this general interest forward to action, in the fall of 2008, the Dean of the Graduate School invited a committee to develop a curriculum proposal leading to the establishment of a graduate certificate in teaching and learning. The committee members at that time included: Gary DeLander, Toni Doolen, Robert Duncan, Larry Enochs, Cary Green, Jeff Hale, Ed Jensen, Bob Mason, Peter Saunders, Greg Thompson, Sue Tornquist, Janine Trempy, and Jessica White. Considerable progress was made toward envisioning a graduate certificate program in college and university teaching. In the summer of 2011, Brenda McComb, Dean of the Graduate School, reconvened many members of the original work group to continue work. Members of that second committee included Gary DeLander, Toni Doolen, Robert Duncan, Larry Enochs, Cary Green, Mark Hoffman, Ed Jensen, Robert Mason, Brenda McComb, Susan Shaw, Greg Thompson, Janine Trempy, and Jessica White.

The proposed certificate has three primary goals:

1)To elevate the quality of instruction provided to OSU undergraduate students by Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) by offering graduate students training and development opportunities related to pedagogy and engagement.

2)To create a cadre of highly skilled graduate teaching assistants at OSU. Not only will these GTAs provide valuable instruction to OSU undergraduates, they may eventually assist in the training of less experienced graduate students. We anticipate that this program, and the possibility ofserving in an advanced mentorship role, will be attractive enough that it will help recruit highly capable graduate students to OSU.

3)To enhance the initial employability, preparedness, and early career development of graduate students who have completed this graduate certificate at OSU.

The proposed 18-credit graduate certificate in College and University Teaching is designed to provide advanced coursework and experiential learning opportunities to current graduate students who plan to pursue careers in teaching and instruction in higher education settings or who plan to pursue careers that require similar skill sets in facilitation.The general structure of the certificate is

  • core coursework (8 credits)
  • specialized coursework and experiences (4 credits)
  • supervised teaching internship (3 credits)
  • capstone teaching portfolio (3 credits)

The core courses will focus on educational/learning theory and instructional strategies for working with adult learners.The specialized coursework will include student-selected coursework, workshops, and/or other approvedexperiences appropriate to the student’s field of study.The supervised teaching internship will allow students to engage in supervised field experiences to practice and refine instructional skills. The capstone teaching portfolio will provide a culminating professional development experience for students.

Graduate students completing thisGraduate Certificate program will receive aformal, transcript-visible credential and will be better prepared to compete in the national and international marketplace for highly sought afterfaculty positions in colleges and universities. In the past fifteen years, more than 45 leading doctoral degree granting universities have launched Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) programs (see with goals similar to those associated with the proposed certificate. OSU graduate students who receive the graduate certificate in College and University Teaching will be better positioned to compete for jobs with those students who have participated in Preparing Future Faculty and similar programs and will have opportunities to develop competencies related to teaching.

The certificate in College and University Teaching will be granted through the Graduate School. There are currently five interdisciplinary and multi-departmental graduate programs housed in the Graduate School. Because this certificate has a strong interdisciplinary emphasis, in that it intends to attract students from all colleges on campus, and because the Graduate School has traditionally been the administrative home for interdisciplinary graduate programs, this organizational structure is critical to the successful creation and deployment of the certificate at OSU. Furthermore, housing this programin the Graduate School reinforces the campus wide reach of the program while leveraging scarce resources and fostering a cross and multi-disciplinary structure. Core coursework for the certificate will be offered in partnership with the College of Education. Other colleges and units will provide the remainingcoursework and experiential opportunities.

Table 1. Summary of Proposed New Program

  1. When will the program be operational, if approved?

Fall, 2012, or as soon as feasible.

  1. Course of Study
  1. Briefly describe the proposed curriculum.

The certificate curriculum was developed by the campus wide committee described in 1.b. The 18-credit graduate certificate in College and University Teaching is designed to provide advanced coursework and experiential learning opportunities to current OSU graduate students who plan to pursue careers in teaching and instruction in higher education settings or who plan to pursue careers that require similar skill sets in facilitation. Once this program is in place and it has been assessed and should there be market demand, the certificate may be made available via Ecampus for students beyond the OSU campus.

Recipients of the certificate will effectively facilitate undergraduate student learning at the college and university level and possess experience and skills needed to support successful career paths in higher education or other related settings. Graduate students who envision careers beyond university instruction in fields such as business or engineering will also benefit from this certificate, as the proposed curriculum will focus on how to facilitate adult learning, whether that be through instructing students in the classroom, designing and delivering corporate training sessions, or leading design teams in industry. Additionally,the intentionally flexible curriculum will allow students to create learning opportunities that are most applicable to their circumstances and needs.

The graduate certificate curriculum will be extremely valuable to OSU Graduate Teaching Assistantswho engage in the broad range of instructional assignments, including developing and teaching their own classes, leading labs and recitations,or engaging in other responsibilities meant to provide support to faculty members. It is anticipated that this foundational knowledge of teaching and learning will improve the quality of the student experience for those undergraduates who are enrolled in courses that utilize OSU GTAs for instructional and support activities.

The certificate curriculum is comprised of

  • Core coursework, required by all students seeking the certificate (8 credits)
  • AHE 547: Instructional Strategies for Adult Learners (4 credits)
  • AHE 553: Adult Learning and Development (4 credits)
  • Specialized coursework and experiences, specific selection of which will be determined by students and the program(s) for which they teach (4 credits)
  • Discipline-specific courses approved by the Graduate Teaching Certificate Committee. These courses may include any of the following and may include others as disciplines deliver additional for-credit experiences:
  • AED 553: Applied Instructional Strategies (3 credits)
  • AHE 507: Seminarin GTA Training and Development (1 credit)
  • MB 699: Special Topics/Student Success in the Classroom (2 credits)
  • SED 596: Methods of College Teaching in Mathematics and Science (3 credits)
  • SED 599: Communicating Ocean Sciences to Informal Audiences (3 credits)
  • WR 520: Studies in Writing (4 credits)
  • WS 535: Feminist Teaching and Learning (3 credits)
  • ECAMPUS COURSE ON ONLINE LEARNING (under development) (3 credits)

OR

  • Workshops offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and Teaching Across the Curriculum (TAC). Similar to the academic courses, one credit shall be equivalent to ten hours of workshop attendance, two credits shall be equivalent to 20 hours of workshop attendance, three credits shall be equivalent to 30 hours of workshop attendance, and four credits shall be equivalent to 40 hours or workshop attendance. To receive credit for CTLor TAC workshops attended, students must register in advance and attend the entire workshop.Attendance sheets managed by the CTLand TAC will provide documentation of registration and attendance. Students will register for academic credits associated with their level of workshop attendance. Students must maintain a reflective journal for all workshops attended and then submit a reflectivepaper after all workshops are completed that analyzes and synthesizes ideas from the various workshop topics and addresses how they applied what they learned from the workshops to an actual teaching/learning situation. Credits will be assigned to an IST 599 course based on number of workshops successfully completed.
  • IST 610: Supervised teaching internship (3credits) [Category II proposal under consideration]
  • The internship will be supervised by a faculty member affiliated with the certificate program who will maintain regular contact with students and site supervisors, guide interns in activities designed to maximize learning and skill development, and assign final grades. An internship could include activities associated with a traditional GTA assignment on the OSU campus, an experience at another college, university, community college, or anotherapproved experience.
  • IST 607: Capstone teaching portfolio (3 credits) [Category II proposal under consideration]
  • The culminating experience will be the development of an individual teaching portfolio which may contain elements such as a statement of teaching philosophy, curriculum vitae, a video recording and analysis of the student’s teaching, samples of graded student work, student, peer, or supervisor evaluations of teaching, video sample course materials such as course syllabi, learning activities, assessment tools, and uses of technology to support learning.The capstone teaching portfolio will be guided and instructed by the Director of the certificate program as part of a graded for-credit course.

The core courses will focus on adult learning theory and on instructional strategies for adult learners. The intent of the core coursework is to provide a solid theoretical and pedagogical foundation for working with adult learners. The specialized coursework comprises practitioner specific skill development, workshops, and/or other sessions appropriate to students’ fields of study. The intent of the specialized coursework/experiences is for students to identify and participate in other opportunities that address learning specific to their discipline or a particular area in which they require further training. The supervised teaching internship is intended to support students in their “hands-on” instructional experiences where they are encouraged to hone their skills and reflect upon the experiences in thoughtful and purposeful ways with a university faculty member. The capstone teaching portfolio is meant to provide a culminating experience for students whereby they demonstrate and articulate their knowledge and skills in the area of teaching and learning.

Based on a recent survey of OSU graduate students (see Section 4: Evidence of Need for Additional Details), it is expected that there also will be a strong demand among some graduate students for taking some of the coursework without completing the entire certificate. For some graduate students, their schedules may prohibit them from completing the full 18 credits, or they may already possess some prior skills or training.Students actively pursuing the certificate will be offered priority registration for the two core class (AHE 547 and AHE 553), the supervised teaching internship (IST 610), and the capstone teaching portfolio (IST 607) after which graduate students at large will be permitted to enroll.

It is also expected that some students may wish to be admitted to the certificate program after completing some of the required or specialized coursework. Petitions to be admitted under these circumstances and transfer existing work to meet the requirements of the certificate will be considered on a case by case basis.

  1. Describe new courses; include proposed course numbers, titles, credit hours, and course descriptions.

No new courses are proposed in conjunction with this certificate. Coursework and experiences will be offered in partnership with the College of Education and other colleges and units as deemed appropriate.

c. Provide a discussion of any non-traditional learning modes to be utilized in the new courses, including, but not limited to: 1) the role of technology, 2) the use of career development activities such as internships.

Technology, primarily via Blackboard, will be used to support ongoing communication with on-campus students pursuing the certificate and to maintaina virtual community during experiences such as the internship and the capstone experience.

This program will offer a blend of theoretical and practical learning approaches. The supervised internship and capstone portfolio experiences are critical to the overall design of the graduate certificate and will solidify learning by contextualizing pedagogical training and promoting professional development. Because this certificate program will attract graduate students from a wide range of degree programs across campus at OSU, it will have an added benefit of providing a cross-disciplinary learning experience for graduate student participants.

  1. What specific learning outcomes will be achieved by students who complete this course of study?

Students who successfully complete all experiences associated with the graduate certificate willhave the skills and knowledge to:

  • Describe and discuss key theories, orientations, models, and principles of learning and development in adulthood
  • As measured by the successful completion of AHE 553 and all related assignments and the development of a capstone portfolio
  • Develop a college and university course, including the creation of a course syllabus with learning outcomes, a plan for assessing student learning, and related and engaging instructional activities
  • As measured by the successful completion of AHE 547 and all related assignments and the development of a capstone portfolio
  • As measured by the successful completion of AHE 507/607 and all related assignments and the development of a capstone portfolio
  • Design and deliver quality instructional activities to college and university students and make changes to instruction in response to feedback from students, peers, and colleagues
  • As measured by the successful completion of AHE 510/610 and all related assignments and the development of a capstone portfolio
  • Identify key instructional issues or trends within a specific discipline or area of professional interest
  • As measured by the successful completion of specialized coursework and/or workshops and all related assignments and the development of a capstone portfolio
  • Conduct a self-appraisal of instructional skills, identify areas of improvement, and articulate a philosophy of teaching
  • As measured by the successful completion of AHE 510/610 and all related assignments and the development of a capstone portfolio
  • As measured by the successful completion of AHE 507/607 an all related assignments and the development of a capstone portfolio
  1. Is there a maximum time allowed for a student to complete this program? If so, please explain.

The graduate certificate program is designed to be completed in two years. Though the certificate committee believes that a cohort approach would enhance students’ experience, it was recognized that students would desire the opportunity to enter the program at different times given the demanding and varied schedules of graduate students at OSU. Students will be bound by all standard Graduate School policies and timelines (e.g., completing a Master’s degree within a 7-year time period) regardless of progress toward completion of the graduate certificate.

  1. Accreditation of the Program
  1. If applicable, identify any accrediting body or professional society that has established standards in the area in which the proposed program lies.

NA

  1. If applicable, does the proposed program meet professional accreditation standards?

NA

  1. Evidence of Need
  1. What evidence does the institution have of need for the program? Please be explicit.

There is currently no centralized professional development program at OSU designed to provide advanced coursework and experiential learning opportunities to current graduate students or those beyond campus who plan to pursue careers in teaching and instruction in higher education settings or who plan to pursue careers that require similar skill sets in facilitation.

The Center for Teaching and Learning offers a campus-wide new GTA orientation, a variety of GTA-focused workshops, and a newly developed leadership opportunity for veteran GTAs called the GTA Fellows Program. This proposed certificate will collaborate with these and other existing campus efforts to increase the depth and breadth of offerings for GTAs.

Other seminarsand lectures are offered on an ad hoc or intermittent basis to students in specific degree programs. Similarly, specific courses aimed at GTA development are offered by various unitsindependently on a smaller scale. However, none of these activities hasbeen integrated to create a meaningfulor structured learning opportunity resulting in a formal certificate credential. This proposed certificate intends to create a rigorous, centralized, and efficient meansfor graduate students to acquirethe skills and knowledge needed to compete successfully for future university teaching positions.

In comparison with other colleges and universities nationally, a recent study of structured professional development opportunities for graduate and professional students (Kalish, et al, 2009) found that of the 258 institutions studied, 81 (31.4%) already had well developed certificates related to teaching and learning, with six others having a program under development. Of the very high research institutions in the study, 45 (52.9%) had graduate certificate programs. In this respect, OSU is lagging behind its peers in the delivery of structured training and development opportunities to its graduate students. Clearly, creation of this certificate does not position OSU as a leader in the preparation of future college and university faculty members. But it will contribute toward filling the gap between professional development opportunities offered at OSU and those that have been offered at peer institutions for well over a decade.