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 participan
