Program Description

In the Sheridan Teaching Seminar (formerly called Certificate I), participants engage in an interdisciplinary community of teachers at Brown with the goal of improving their skills as instructors and their students’ learning. Centered around inclusive and evidence-based teaching, the Sheridan Teaching Seminar covers foundational concepts in pedagogy, including establishing inclusive environments, principles of learning design, methods of evaluating learning, methods of student engagement, and classroom communication skills. Newer teachers benefit from the program’s introductions to these materials; participants with previous pedagogical training and classroom experience benefit from spending time in an interdisciplinary community and continuing focused development of their teaching practice.

The seminar is offered during the fall semester and is organized as a hybrid course consisting of four modules. Each module contains an asynchronous online component consisting of readings, videos, guided activities, small assignments, and discussion boards, followed by a synchronous workshop. These synchronous workshops are offered both virtually and in-person, and participants are asked to indicate their preferred modality on the registration form.

Learning Objectives

Through participating in the Sheridan Teaching Seminar, you will:

• Build a practice of critical reflection on your own teaching and learning
• Explore strategies and practices to create inclusive and equitable teaching experiences that serve diverse students
• Discuss principles of learning design and use them to develop lesson plans, assignments, and other learning experiences
• Consider methods of evaluating student learning and practice how to give effective feedback
• Describe how humans learn and facilitate engaged and active learning opportunities for diverse learners
• Examine rhetorical principles and techniques for effective classroom communication and how they relate to who you are as a teacher
• Participate in an interdisciplinary learning community centered around pedagogical conversation

Requirements

To receive a certificate upon completing the program, you must fulfill all of the following requirements:

• Participation in all assigned workshop sections. This is a learning community-based program, which means individuals will learn and work with the same small group of participants in each synchronous workshop. For this reason, regular attendance in assigned workshop groups is required.
• Completion of all seminar modules within a single semester, which entails completing all online components and assignments according to their due dates and participating in all assigned workshop sessions.
• Submission of responses to both the Pre- and Post-Feedback surveys in a timely manner.

If you are a graduate student, successful completion of the Teaching Seminar will appear on your Brown University transcript. All of these requirements must be met in order to allow us to include the program in official records and transcripts.

Synchronous Online Workshop Dates

Virtual Program Orientation: September 13 from 6 – 7 pm
Workshop 1: September 25
Workshop 2: October 16
Workshop 3: November 13
Workshop 4: December 4

Please see the registration form for details on workshop time slots and to rank your preferences.

This Certificate is a learning community-based program, which means individuals will learn and work with the same small group of participants in each synchronous workshop. For this reason, regular attendance in assigned workshop groups is required. Participants may only miss one synchronous workshop provided they attend the corresponding make-up workshop, generally held on the Wednesday after the session. Make-up workshop dates will be listed on the syllabus. Participants may not attend multiple make-up workshops in lieu of attending their assigned workshop with their cohort, nor may they attend a workshop other than their assigned workshop. 

Graduate students who are unable to attend all of the synchronous workshops are encouraged to participate in the Sheridan Center's other programs, including Teaching Essentials for Graduate TAs. We also invite you to sign up for the Sheridan Center’s Newsletter to stay up-to-date on other relevant programs, including round-tables and workshops.

Registration

In order to register for the Sheridan Teaching Seminar, please fill out this registration form. Individuals will be registered for the program as space allows. Participants will be notified of their registration status in August 2023. 

Please note: This program is designed for graduate students and junior faculty (including postdoctoral scholars), and they are given priority in registration. Staff are welcome to sign-up, and we will take as many as we can within our space constraints.