Stanford Certificate Program
The Stanford CTL + CIRTL Certificate Program, supported by CTL's participation in the national Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL), provides an opportunity for participants at various stages (graduate students, postdocs, and lecturers/academic teaching staff) to engage in professional development around teaching to ultimately improve student learning in their current and future courses.
Engagement in the program will allow participants to work toward certificates that can be listed on resumes and CVs and provide the opportunity for development of teaching-related materials that are critical for job applications.
While professional development opportunities like these have not been shown to increase a student's time to degree, higher levels of involvement with teaching development were shown to be associated with gaining tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty positions (Connolly, 2016). In addition to being more effective in the classroom, participants will build a foundation that may help them be more competitive in the job market and in obtaining research funding.
Register now to get working on your certificate!
Program levels
The program has been designed to accommodate participants from a variety of disciplines and roles. Choose from a list of options to build an experience that fits your needs and schedule. These opportunities are independent of any department or program requirements.
More details about the requirements for each of the levels can be found below.
Register here first to start working toward a certificate
Questions?
Feel free to contact us at cirtl_stanford@stanford.edu
Associate level requirements
Participants will be able to describe and recognize the value of the CIRTL core ideas in effective teaching and learning through their engagement in campus and network offerings.
| Explore and Develop | Engage and Practice | Reflect and Assess |
|---|---|---|
Build a foundation in the following areas (complete one per area): 1) Evidence-based teaching in a local learning community 2) IDEAL/Learning through diversity 3) CIRTL network community engagement | Choose from a variety of options to engage with or impact teaching practices | Draft a teaching portfolio Complete associate level survey |
Full lists of requirement options can be found below or on this pdf (must be logged into Stanford to view). See example paths for grad students, postdocs, and lecturers/academic teaching staff. If you would like additional guidance to help you choose opportunities to engage with, please feel free to contact us at cirtl_stanford[@]stanford.edu. Please submit your requirements to the system as you complete them—no need to wait!
Step 1: Explore and develop (three requirements, complete one from each of three areas)
Evidence-based teaching in a local learning community (complete one)
- Grad Course Design Institute (grad students and postdocs)
- Course Design Institute (faculty and instructors)
- CTL280: Learning and Teaching of Science
- CTL312: Science and Engineering Course Design
- CTL341: Learning and Teaching in the Humanities
- Introduction to evidence-based undergraduate STEM teaching (CIRTL network course) with participation in a local learning community (Fall and Summer cohorts)
- Scientific Teaching Summer Institute (OPA)
IDEAL/Learning through diversity
- IDEAL pedagogy STARS course: enroll with this link. (If you have started the previous version of this course in Canvas, please note that everything will need to be complete by December 1, 2024 or you will be referred to the new STARS course.)
CIRTL network community engagement (complete one)
- Choose a workshop or course of interest to you. See upcoming CIRTL workshop and course options.
Step 2: Engage and practice (complete one)
- Course observation and consultation of own teaching
- Teaching Observation program (small group observations of Stanford teaching)
- Our next cohort will start observing in Winter of 2026
- Facilitator of a local learning community for CIRTL MOOC
- Postdoc pedagogy journal club (six sessions, leading at least one)
- Preparing Future Professors program
When you are close to completing steps 1 and 2, we will contact you with resources to help you construct your teaching portfolio and provide detailed instructions for how to submit it for step 3. Please ensure you are submitting completed requirements as you go to the form above!
Step 3: Reflect and assess (complete both)
- Portfolio draft
- Cover letter that describes and provides context for items in portfolio
- Statement of teaching philosophy
- Course related artifact (i.e., syllabus or annotated lesson plan)
- Annotated student feedback
- Associate level completion survey
Practitioner level
Participants will engage in the process of utilizing CIRTL core ideas to improve the learning of students through the design and execution of a scholarly teaching project.
| Explore and Develop | Engage and Practice | Reflect and Assess |
|---|---|---|
Completion of Associate level SGSI course: Scholarly Teaching: Leverage Your Skills as a Scholar to Improve Your Teaching or approved CIRTL network TAR course
| Execute project in a learning environment, mentored by a CTL/CIRTL team member | Project report and presentation Complete survey |
Step 1: Explore and develop
- Completion of Associate level
- SGSI course: Scholarly Teaching: Leverage Your Skills as a Scholar to Improve Your Teaching or approved CIRTL network TAR course
Step 2: Engage and practice
- Execute project in a learning environment (mentored by a CTL/CIRTL staff member)
Step 3: Reflect and assess (complete both)
- Project report (must include details of project design, implementation, methods, analysis, and outcomes)
- Complete survey
Scholar level
Participants will advance knowledge on teaching and learning through scholarship, through publication or conference presentation of their scholarly teaching project.
Scholars complete all the requirements of the Associate and Practitioner levels and present their scholarly teaching project at a national or international conference or symposium and/or publish their work in a scholarly journal. They will be asked to share details with the Stanford CTL + CIRTL program to achieve a certificate at this level.
Join the Stanford CTL + CIRTL community
Interested in learning about upcoming events and opportunities?
Questions?
See answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Contact us at cirtl_stanford@stanford.edu
Program contacts
Visit our program contacts page for additional contact information.