Teaching Certification 2018-2019 Cohort

Graduate College Teaching Certification

Teaching Certification 2019-2020 Cohort

The Graduate College Teaching Certification (GCTC) is a free, year-long professional development program that provides graduate students with the skills and knowledge necessary to teach successfully in a post-secondary classroom. Once accepted into the program, participants must complete a graduate seminar on college teaching, attend all mandatory cohort meetings, attend a minimum of 3 approved campus workshops, complete the teaching and evaluation experience, and complete the culminating experience project (i.e., teaching portfolio). The program is designed to foster intellectual discussion of effective teaching strategies, as well as to provide insight and training on best teaching practices. Benefits of the GCTC include honing one’s teaching philosophy and skills, as well as producing a teaching portfolio that can be advantageous when applying for teaching-related positions. The GCTC is a collaborative effort between the Graduate College, Office of the Executive Vice Provost and Provost, UNLV Office of Online Education, GPSA, and a number of departments that offer teaching support.

This is a medallion-qualifying program for UNLV graduate & professional students. For additional information, please see the Graduate College Medallion Program website.

Congratulations to our 2020-2021 GCTC Cohort

Meet the Cohort

Eligibility Requirements

In order to participate in the program, graduate students must:

  • have completed at least one semester of graduate studies at UNLV by program start date.
  • currently be enrolled.
  • be in good academic standing in a graduate degree program.

Application Process

Applications are only accepted once a year. We will begin accepting applications the week before the spring semester begins. There is no application fee. The application package consists of:

  1. Signed and completed GCTC Application for Admission
  2. Letter of Interest, which should discuss your teaching experience, what you hope to gain from the GCTC program, how the GCTC program will help you become a better teacher, and your career goals. Please limit the response to a single page.
  3. 2 Letters of recommendation (one from the faculty adviser and the other from a faculty member in the applicant's department or closely related field)
  4. Copies of teaching evaluations from 1 semester (if available) or evaluation of guest lecture (if available)
  5. Unofficial transcript

Eligible students must submit all application materials as a single PDF to the Graduate College Professional Development Academy at gradrebel@unlv.edu by Thursday, April 29, 2021. The subject line of the email should consist of: Your Last Name-Teaching Certificate Application.

Program Requirements

All program requirements need to be completed in full by the student in order to complete the program, receive a certificate of completion, and have the GCTC completion noted on their UNLV transcript.

  • Students must attend all cohort meetings, which include: (1) an introductory meeting in August; (2) a meeting at the end of the Fall semester; (3) a meeting at the beginning of the spring semester; and (4) a meeting at the end of the academic year. Please note that students will be put on program probation after one cohort meeting absence and the second absence may lead to program separation.
  • Students must enroll in EDH 780: Seminar in College Teaching (or an equivalent, approved class: normal tuition and fees apply). In order to determine if a class is approved for the GCTC, please email a copy of the syllabus to gradrebel@unlv.edu.
  • Students must complete the teaching observation assignment. Additional details are found below.
  • Students must attend a minimum of 3 GCTC workshops that are regularly scheduled in the fall and spring terms.
  • Students must submit the GCTC Workshop Attendance Form at the end of each semester in order to receive credit for workshops attended during the respective semester. For the fall semester, the form should be submitted by study week. For the spring semester, the form should be submitted by the final cohort meeting when the teaching portfolios are presented. This form must be submitted even if no workshops were completed during the semester.
  • Students must submit the GCTC Completion Form and the GCTC Workshop Attendance Form by the final cohort meeting when the portfolios are presented.
  • Finally, GCTC students must submit their teaching portfolios at the end of the spring semester (typically a meeting is held towards the end of April/ early May). They will provide feedback on another program participant’s portfolio. In addition, they will also receive written feedback from a program participant as well as general feedback from a Graduate College Faculty Fellow.
    • Portfolios need to be submitted by: Thursday, April 1, 2021
    • Written evaluation of another program participant needs to be submitted at the final meeting
    • Teaching Portfolio Example

Program Policies

  • Students must apply and be admitted before they can begin participating in the GCTC.
  • Once admitted, students must complete all program requirements in one academic year with their cohort.
  • All cohort meetings are mandatory.
  • If a student is not in good standing in their degree program, or if they create any problems as a participant in the GCTC, they may be removed from the program at the discretion of the graduate college dean.
  • Please note that students may only participate in 2 of the following Graduate College programs during the academic year:
    • Post-Graduate Career Pathways
    • Teaching Certification
    • Research Certification
    • Mentorship Certification/Rebel Research and Mentorship Program (RAMP)
    • Communication Certification

Workshop Policies

  • These workshops are free.
  • No campus workshops or courses taken prior to admission to the GCTC may be counted toward the program. All workshops that count towards the GCTC must be completed within one year (program duration).
  • Students may only get credit for GCTC workshops that they RSVP for at least 24 hours in advance.
  • Only workshops or courses that are successfully completed in full will count toward the program. To successfully complete a session, GCTC students must arrive on time, stay for the entire session, and be awake and engaged throughout the workshop. Any assigned work must be completed by the deadline.
  • GCTC workshops carry no academic credit and do not appear on student transcripts.

Cohort Meetings

All cohort meetings are mandatory unless you have a documented excuse that has been approved. If you miss a cohort meeting, without prior permission, you may be removed from the program.

Below are the meeting dates and times for the 2020-2021 GCTC cohort:

  • Introductory Meeting: Monday, August 17, 2020, 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m., Online
  • End of the Fall Semester Meeting: Friday, December 4, 2020, 10 a.m.–11:30 a.m., Online
  • Start of the Spring Semester Meeting: Monday, January 11, 2021, 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., Online
  • Final Cohort Meeting: Friday, April 23, 2021, 1 p.m.–2:30 p.m., Online

Spring 2021 Workshop Schedule

The below workshops will help fulfill the requirements for the Graduate College Teaching Certification. You must RSVP for all workshops at least 24 hours in advance. To RSVP, please click on the workshop below. This will send you to the calendar entry page, which has the RSVP information. A full list of the workshops offered this semester can be found on the Graduate College Student Workshop Calendar.

GCTC Events

No events found. Please check back soon.

 

Workshop Summary Options

The below workshops will help fulfill the requirements for the Graduate College Teaching Certification. To receive credit for a workshop, click on the workshop recording you would like to watch, write a 1-page summary, and submit the summary to gradrebel@unlv.edu. Please be sure to include these workshops on the Workshop Attendance Form you will submit at the end of the Fall and Spring semesters.

Tuesday Talks: Your Questions Answered

The Graduate College will be hosting Tuesday Talks: Your Questions Answered for current Leadership & Professional Development Academy program participants. Please drop by on any of the following Tuesdays, 4-5 p.m., to ask us any questions you might have or just to check your progress:

Teaching Observation Assignment

The Graduate College Teaching Certification program's Teaching Observation Assignment is designed to help participants engage in professional learning to improve their teaching and enhance students' learning through this reflective practice. All 4 components of the assignment must be submitted as a single PDF to gradrebel@unlv.edu by Friday, February 12, 2021.

Program Forms

Resources for Graduate Teaching Assistants

Past Cohorts

Participating in Multiple Programs

Students are allowed to participate in multiple programs each academic year. However, the requirements for each program must be completed in full. We will allow one workshop to overlap for multiple programs if: 1.) there is justification that the workshop makes sense for multiple programs; and 2.) the student has asked the program manager in advance.