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Requirements for the Certificate IV Program
[must be completed within one (1) academic year]

Further Details:

The Certificate IV Program trains participants to provide constructive feedback in the peer review of pedagogical strategies and presentation skills.  Because a core emphasis of the Program centers on the development of, and active participation in the Teaching Consultant Community, these requirements must be completed within a single academic year to ensure continuity and to foster collegiality and sharing of pedagogical experiences and perspectives.  Additional information can be found in the FAQ section (V).

Conducting and providing feedback for the ITC, in which faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate teaching assistants are provided with the opportunity to review the learning experience of their students in the classroom. During an ITC, two (2) Teaching Consultants observe (and usually videotape) a class or presentation and provide feedback to the instructor based on their observations. Consultants are trained to evaluate how effectively an observee meets her/his pedagogical goals within the context of the specific class, as well as in relation to the course as a whole. Consultants are also trained to effectively articulate their observations and feedback in writing and through a face-to-face meeting, in which they discuss the ITC Final Report with the observee.  Through the ITC process, Consultants have the opportunity to review pedagogical performance across the disciplines.  As a result, they are exposed to a broad variety of pedagogical styles which, in turn, informs their own teaching practice.

Conducting and providing feedback for the PC, in which a faculty member, postdoctoral fellow, graduate or undergraduate student has the opportunity to practice an oral presentation before appearing in public.  Presentation Consultations are conducted for the following types of presentations:

    • conference talks and poster sessions
    • departmental colloquia presentations
    • dissertation defenses
    • presentations of research outside a classroom setting
    • job talks
    • interviews

Consultants are trained to evaluate the observee’s communication skills, rhetorical skills, responsiveness to the audience, presentation manner, as well as the organization and flow of the presentation.  Feedback is provided to the observee immediately following the PC.

Observing and providing feedback in departmental micro-teaching sessions, in which the person being observed (observee) gives a five-minute mock teaching lesson on a chosen subject and receives feedback on her/his teaching and communication style.  Teaching consultants are trained to provide “non-expert” feedback to allow observees to see how others perceive their teaching style, to observe and evaluate a variety of teaching approaches, and to learn how to share their observations constructively with others.

  • Discussion Facilitation skills:

Developing effective discussion group facilitation skills. Teaching consultants learn the underlying core features of group dynamics, and strategies for employing inclusive and engaging discussion facilitation practices. Because teaching consultants have the opportunity to serve as Discussion Leaders for the five workshops of the Sheridan Teaching Seminar Certificate I Program , this component of the program provides key training for facilitating these discussions. The skills learned in this training session are also applicable for teaching seminars and leading discussions in courses.

  • Two TC Community Training Session Meetings:
  • December mid-year training session meeting on guidelines for designing, observing, and providing feedback for effective presentations.
  • May final training session and program review meeting on implementation strategies and assessing effectiveness of new teaching innovations.

All Teaching Consultants must complete a minimum of five (5) ITCs. 

Teaching Consultants have the option to become a Discussion Leader for the Sheridan Teaching Seminar - Cert I Program. Those who choose to become Discussion Leaders must commit to leading all 5 workshops of Cert I.  Because they will be working with the same group of Cert I participants throughout the year, leading a discussion group is comparable to teaching a section and the consultants will be instrumental in building a collaborative and interactive community of participants.