Reflective and Effective Teaching (RET)

Reflective & Effective Teaching (RET) is a certificate program that offers a unique cohort-based learning community for graduate students and postdocs from any discipline who aspire to improve student learning.

Participants, known as RET teacher-scholars, who complete three quarters of the RET program receive a Certificate of Completion, a Completion Letter, and, if eligible, a TGS transcript notation. Teacher-scholars engage in seminars and special-topic workshops and complete artifacts that align with their goals and stage of teaching.

Overview

Reflective & Effective Teaching, a certificate program, offers a unique cohort-based learning community for graduate students and postdocs from any discipline who aspire to improve student learning. RET teacher-scholars participate in a three-quarter sequence of seminars and special-topics workshops or engage on a quarterly basis, selecting seminars and the development of artifacts that align with their stage of teaching, availability, and goals. In either approach to participation, teacher-scholars are supported by both peer and faculty mentoring. Graduate student participants in the program on a quarterly basis can opt to receive a Completion Letter and a zero-credit course notation on their transcript upon completion of the requirements for each quarter they enroll through TGS. Graduate students who complete the full-year program, earn a Certificate of Completion in addition to the Program Completion Letter and zero-credit course notations on their transcript.

In the first quarter of the program, teacher-scholars will reflect on different pedagogical frameworks and what it means to create an inclusive, learner-centered course design and learning environment. In the following quarter, they will examine the components of an effective course design and teaching plan. Teacher-scholars will also discuss the everyday practices employed in their classrooms by exploring the learning process and how to facilitate it using various methods of teaching. Finally, they will focus on developing meaningful and manageable assessments to gauge student learning and motivate students' engagement with course material.

Throughout the program, teacher-scholars will read and discuss literature on learning and teaching, meet in small disciplinarily aligned project groups led by a Reflective Teaching Guide, meet with their chosen faculty mentor, attend workshops focused on specific aspects of learning and teaching, and participate in seminars to guide the development of their authentic artifacts (e.g., teaching statement). By the end of each quarter, participants will have developed and received feedback on their artifacts associated with the quarterly themes, which models the practice of “authentic assessment” developed by educational reformer Grant Wiggins. These implementable artifacts will demonstrate emerging understanding of approaches to learning and teaching. Participants will have the opportunity to develop an e-portfolio that showcases their approaches and philosophies regarding learning and teaching.

Graduate students or postdoctoral fellows from any program may apply. Participants will derive the most benefits when they eengage in a substantive teaching experience at some point during or soon after the program OR have a potential teaching context (e.g., course you might teach someday) they could focus on during Reflective & Effective Teaching.

Registration

Registration for the 2024–25 academic year is now closed.

Registration for 2025–26 will open in spring 2025.

Objectives

As a result of participating in program seminars, workshops, and small group meetings, teacher-scholars will be able to:

Articulate their pedagogical choices (e.g., teaching methods, assessment approaches, grading schemes) by drawing upon evidence from literature on learning and teaching
Synthesize feedback from peers, their Reflective Teaching Guide, and their faculty mentor to enhance your pedagogical approach and/or course design
Explicitly integrate equitable and inclusive approaches that reflect a desire to promote learning for all students
Critically reflect upon their experiences, others’ perspectives, and scholarship to promote their ongoing development as an effective and inclusive educator
Build community among colleagues in service of improving student learning

Participant Expectations

You should expect to devote 25 hours (on the low end) and 40 hours (on the high end) to Reflective & Effective Teaching activities. These time commitments are based on how deeply you want to delve into the content and serve as suggestions.

Orientation (1.5 hours)
Pre-Seminar Readings (4 hours)
Interactive Seminars (4 hours)
Project Group Meetings (4 hours)
‘Authentic’ Artifact Development (4 hours)
Faculty Mentor Meeting (1 hour)
Quarterly Reflections and Program Survey (1 hour)
Searle Teaching & Learning Workshop or Searle Event (1.5 hours)

Those completing ePortfolios will devote additional time to developing and curating.

*Seminars & Authentic Artifacts Quarterly Schedule*
Seminars & Authentic Artifacts by Quarter
Themes	Focus of the Interactive Seminars	Authentic Artifacts	Quarters
Pedagogical Foundations & Inclusive Learning	Seminar A: Considering How We Teach and How We Learn Seminar B: Developing Inclusive Teaching Practices	Preliminary Narrative of Teaching Statement Course Objectives and Course Description	Fall
Course Design & Assessment	Seminar A: Understanding Course Design and Planning Teaching Seminar B: Planning for Assessments	High Impact Teaching Practices Reflection Assessment Plan & Sample Assessment	Winter
Learning Facilitation and Evaluation	Seminar A: Facilitating Learning Seminar B: Reflecting on and Evaluating Your Teaching	Lesson Plan with Assessment Sample Evaluation	Spring

Faculty Mentors

Mentoring is an important aspect of Reflective & Effective Teaching. Participants are required to work with a faculty mentor throughout the quarter to discuss issues related to learning and teaching in their disciplines.

About Faculty Mentors

Participants are responsible for choosing their faculty mentors, arranging meetings, and setting agendas. The specifics of this relationship are to be negotiated individually.

A faculty mentor is:

Usually not the participant's research advisor, to provide a different perspective.
Usually from the same discipline as the mentee, but they can be from any department.
At any stage of their career as long as they have a demonstrated interest in learning and teaching.

Mentors can be faculty from Northwestern University, a partner school such as Lake Forest College, Oakton Community College, Northeastern Illinois University, or another local institution, with approval from Searle Center staff.

Faculty Mentor Requirements

Meet with the mentee at least once a quarter to discuss issues of learning and teaching.
Provide feedback on the mentee's authentic artifact.
Invite the mentee to observe your teaching (if applicable).
Conduct a teaching observation of the mentee.
If requested, provide a letter for the mentee's teaching portfolio.

RET ePortfolio Spotlight

An ePortfolio is a “living” electronic portfolio, or collection of teaching-related materials in which you document and illustrate how you have reflected on and evolved in your teaching philosophies, values, practices over time. RET participants who complete e-portfolio's often express pride and satisfaction upon completion of the ePtortfolio.

Headshot of Gayathri Subramanian "The ePortfolio is an excellent space to portray all of your ideas and supporting documents in one place. For job applications or anywhere I need to present myself as an instructor and my ideas to be reflective and effective, presenting my ePortfolio seems to be a coherent way to do so. Moreover, I loved creating it because it made me really think about what my central pedagogical ideas were and what I have done or written to support that. It helped me consolidate the themes that emerge out of my authentic artifacts and helped me rope everything together in a fun and creative way."

—Gayathri Subramanian, Department of Psychology

See Gayathri's ePortfolio.

"My ePortfolio has served as an excellent host for the artifacts I've created in RET. I plan to use it in the future to store my teaching materials so they can be easily showcased to future employers."

—Elijah Taylor, Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Graduate Program

See Elijah's ePortfolio.

Contact Us

Josh Watson, Assistant Director of Engaged Learning
joshua.watson@northwestern.edu