Teaching Certificate Programs

Why Earn a Sheridan Center Teaching Certificate?

In today's increasingly competitive academic job market, more emphasis is being put on teaching. When graduate students and postdoctoral fellows apply for academic jobs, they are asked to present not only their research credentials, but also evidence of their commitment to teaching. Earning a Sheridan Center Teaching Certificate is a tangible way to demonstrate that commitment. The Center's four Teaching Certificate programs are designed to help graduate students and postdoctoral fellows develop a reflective teaching practice. A reflective teaching practice has four fundamental components: an understanding that effective teaching requires careful planning; knowledge of one's audience and the ability to engage different learning styles; a recognition of the importance of establishing learning goals (and means to determine if such goals have been achieved); and a willingness to be innovative.

The Sheridan Center's Teaching Certificate I program, established in 1987, introduces participants to the basic elements of a reflective teaching practice. The Center has awarded Certificate I to nearly 1,000 Brown graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and more than 300 participants from the Rhode Island School of Design. Many Certificate I recipients have secured teaching positions at universities and colleges in the United States and abroad. Completion of Certificate I is a prerequisite for the Center’s three advanced certificate programs (II, III, IV). Please note that the three advanced programs do not have to be completed sequentially. The Teaching Certificate II program explores effective pedagogical strategies and builds upon the foundation laid in the Certificate I Program. The Teaching Certificate III program for advanced doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows at Brown is organized around the concept of the teaching portfolio and its component parts, and is designed to help participants prepare for the academic job market. There are separate sessions for the humanities and social sciences and for the life and physical sciences. The Teaching Certificate IV Program, open only to Brown graduate students, provides professional training in the development and application of peer observation and feedback skills, and in the development of leadership and discussion facilitation skills. All Teaching Certificates (I, II, III & IV) are awarded at the annual Awards Ceremony.