Certificate of Excellence
Awarded to only four graduate students and postdoctoral scholars each spring, the Certificate of Excellence in Reflective & Effective Teaching (RET) recognizes teacher‑scholars whose engagement, pedagogical growth, and leadership in the RET learning community far exceed program expectations. It celebrates exceptional teacher‑scholars who embody the highest standards of reflective, evidence‑informed pedagogy.
2025–2026 Recipients
Our inaugural cohort of recipients will be announced June 2026!
Distinction Criteria
Recipients demonstrate excellence that exceeds the expectations of program completion. They model engagement, growth, and leadership.
Engagement across the RET Program
Recipients demonstrate sustained, meaningful engagement across all three quarters of RET by:
- Acting with intention and embracing opportunities at each state of the learning journey
- Engaging consistently and thoughtfully in seminars and workshops
- Participating actively and constructively in discipline‑aligned project groups
- Documenting regular, purposeful faculty mentorship meetings.
Growth in Pedagogical Development
Recipients provide clear evidence of growth and increasing mastery of learning outcomes by:
- Demonstrating evolution in their thinking and illuminating new insights and possibilities for teaching and learning in RET artifacts, including:
- A refined teaching statement grounded in the learning sciences
- Thoughtful integration of peer, mentor, and guide feedback
- Completing a capstone project that showcases intentionality and metacognition either:
- Course Design Project applying principles of backward design
- Teaching ePortfolio showcasing teaching philosophy, artifacts, and reflective practice
Leadership in the RET Learning Community
Recipients contribute meaningfully to a supportive and vibrant learning environment by:
- Catalyzing peers’ pedagogical development with their unique perspective and insights
- Modeling reflective practice throughout the program
- Demonstrating pedagogical generosity through sharing teaching strategies, challenges, or materials in ways that invite peers to build upon them.
Selection Process
Certificate recipients are selected by a panel of Reflective Teaching Guides, in consultation with RET leadership, with input from faculty mentors, following a holistic review of the distinction criteria.