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CIRTL Certificate Program

CIRTL at Northwestern efforts support future faculty such as STEM and social science graduate students and postdocs. Participation in STEM-based programming offered through the Searle Center and the CIRTL Online Network is eligible for and recognized by a CIRTL Certificate.

PROGRAM DETAILS

Location
In-Person & Online

Audience
Graduate students and Postdoctoral Trainees

Overview

The CIRTL Network vision is to transform higher education through implementing innovative, culturally responsive pedagogy that benefits all learners. At Searle, we recognize three-levels of engagement and achievement of learning outcomes by offering a CIRTL Certificate that is in alignment with the CIRTL Network core ideas. We offer a flexible, three-tiered certificate program for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees who partake in local and online programming.

Associate Outcomes

Participants should make progress toward:

  • Recognizing the value of participation in learning communities that center teaching and learning.
  • Describing the scope of diversity in learning environments of all learners, including students and instructors.
  • Demonstrating knowledge of and staying current with evidence-informed and inclusive teaching practices.

Practitioner Outcomes

Participants should make progress toward:
  • Communicating pedagogical values and decisions around evidence-informed inclusive teaching.
  • Integrating and implementing one or more evidence-based teaching strategies into a responsive teaching plan that centers students’ backgrounds, to accomplish their learning goals.
  • Critically reflecting upon experiences, others’ perspectives, and scholarship to promote ongoing development as an effective and inclusive educator.

Scholar Outcomes

Participants should make progress toward:
  • Demonstrating understanding of the Teaching-as-Research (TAR) process and its relation to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL).
  • Applying knowledge of the TAR and SoTL processes to current or future teaching.
  • Contributing to community knowledge about teaching and learning through the co-creation of a teaching and learning guide.

Offerings

To achieve learning outcomes at this level, complete the Practitioner Level Programming, plus:  

  • One Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Gathering* 
  • The Searle Teaching-as-Research (STAR) Program, which includes the creation of a teaching and learning guide with a Searle Educational Developer* 

*Forthcoming

Tracking

We recognize that participants may move through this program in a non-linear fashion. To earn the certificate at each level, participants should complete this form. Participants will be asked to submit:

  • One-page reflection(s) demonstrating achievement of the learning outcomes upon the completion of each level
  • Accompanying program artifacts further demonstrating achievement of learning outcomes
Participants may be asked to provide additional materials supporting the program learning outcomes.

Contact Us

Erika Nadile, Assistant Director of STEM Education

erika.nadile@northwestern.edu