What draws you to teaching? Did Boy Meets World’s Mr. Feeney inspire you to become a teacher? Is it the thrill of inspiring the next generation of scholars? Is it the opportunity to share your scholarly passions with a room full of people who eagerly want to learn? Or, is it the elation you feel when you facilitate and witness a student’s “a-ha” moment?

[Image Description: Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World dancing with his students.]

Pictured: You inspiring the next generation of scholars!

There are many exciting aspects of teaching, and that is great because it is one of our essential duties at UCR! While for some of you, your first teaching assignment couldn’t get here quickly enough, others may have learned to love teaching along the way.

[Image Description: Skeeter from Doug saying, “Hey, man, you gotta teach me how to do that.”]

Pictured: All the enthusiasm and excitement about teaching!

No matter what draws you to teaching, the University Teaching Certificate Program (UTC) is here to help you hone your skills. The University Teaching Certificate Program is a competitive, for-credit program that is designed for folks who wish to hone their university teaching skills. The program covers various topics, including (but not limited to): the psychology of teaching, diversity, inclusion, and trauma-informed pedagogy, student motivation, and effective discussions.

[Image Description: A book with the words “the more you know” appearing one-by-one on the page]

Pictured: All the awesome things you’ll learn in the UTC program!

But, wait a minute? Is this one of those meta teaching-about-teaching things? In short, yes and no. The University Teaching Certificate Program is far more than a series of teaching lectures, though. The first quarter of the program is a graduate seminar on advanced pedagogy. Each week, you complete a series of (relatively) short readings on topics related to advanced pedagogy and share your ideas about them and experiences teaching. We even get cool weekly faculty guest speakers to participate! In the second quarter of the program, we craft and workshop a teaching portfolio. The teaching portfolio consists of a polished teaching statement, course syllabus, statement of your strengths and weaknesses as an instructor, and another teaching-based assignment that you’ll select.

[Image Description: Amy Squirrel from Bad Teacher saying, “Shut the front door.”]

Pictured: Your enthusiasm about all the amazing things the UTC program has to offer

After you complete the program, you will receive a signed certificate of completion from the Dean of Graduate Students. You will also receive a personalized letter of recommendation on your teaching from the Director of GradSuccess, Dr. Hillary Jenks. This letter is a big helper for the teaching job market! 

Don’t just take it from me, just one faceless GradSuccess blogger. Here’s what a few past participants have to say about the program:

• “The UTC program was not just very helpful in compiling a portfolio containing a syllabus, teaching statement, among other documents, but also helped me develop a large number of strategies and evidence-based practices specifically for teaching college students.”
• “UTC is great! Having come in with prior teaching experience, the UTC program helped define what it means to be a great teacher. The program offers insightful and updated practices for educators invaluable for today's multifaceted learning environments, be it online or face-to-face. For those seeking to teach in post-secondary education, UTC provides excellent training, and I'm glad that I was part of this year's cohort!”
• “I highly recommend this program to those who want to pursue a teaching-focused position. By participating in the program, I become more confident in my teaching and motivated to make changes in my class. Also, I met amazing fellow graduate students in the program. I learned a lot from them.”

See? Not only does the UTC program help sharpen your teaching skills, but it will also sharpen your confidence and communication skills -- all of which extend far beyond the classroom. After all, conveying information clearly, effectively, and confidently is a helpful life skill for every career. Apply for the next cycle of the UTC program today, or at least before November 29th at 9:00 am.

Questions about applying? Please email Brittany at utc@ucr.edu.

[Image Description: Apply now logo with a blinking red, pink, yellow, and blue border]

Pictured: Apply now!