The Center for Teaching & Learning’s Principles of College Teaching (PCT) micro-credential offers  graduate student instructors, postdoctoral scholars, faculty and staff the opportunity to enhance their teaching skills at the post-secondary level. Participants are required to complete the following requirements: attend 20 hours of CTL training; complete three reflections designed to address the pedagogical theory of three to five of these workshops; submit a teaching portfolio for review at the end of the program and complete an exit interview with a CTL staff member to discuss their process and goals for the future. This badge is no cost for participants at CU Boulder.

After completing this micro-credential, participants will be able to: 

Learners will benefit from the micro-credential in many ways. First, participants will have a representation of their level of proficiency in the college classroom to show to potential hiring committees at all levels of institutions across the country and world. Second, job seekers can demonstrate their levels of communication, project management as they balance their teaching, scholarship and outside responsibilities, team work if they were part of a teaching assistant cohort, relationship building with students, fellow teachers and faculty, and skill development to potential recruiters outside of higher education. 

Finally, not all students get the opportunity to teach while on campus. Many are the beneficiaries of research assistantships, or in the case of postdoctoral fellows, appointments. Therefore, this microcredential program provides recognition for the work that the participants have done towards demonstrating proficiency rather than penalizing them for not being in the physical classroom. If participants are faculty or staff, they will benefit from the additional training they receive for future promotion.

Self-enroll in the Canvas Course

Tasks to Completion

  1. Register for Workshop, Discipline Specific Hours and Observation Tracking: Go to gtpfeedback.colorado.eduLinks to an external site. and register as a user.
  2. Participating in Center for Teaching & Learning approved workshops/trainings (20): Any CTL offering may count towards one hour of the 20 required. When registering and attending events, participants will be given credit. All CTL offerings are listed on the Events PageLinks to an external site. As of summer 2023, all participants should download the Personal Attendance Tracking form and log each workshop/event attended. When all 20 are completed, please send to ctl@colorado.edu for filing.
  3. Submission of three Teacher Reflections based on themes and ideas from at least three workshops attended: Submitted via Canvas under Assignments or directly to the CTL.
  4. Submission of a Teaching Portfolio to the Center for Teaching & Learning: Portfolios are submitted only after all other requirements are met. They are read and approved by the CTL Director before an exit survey is sent and the micro credential awarded. This may be submitted directly to the CTL or uploaded here in Canvas. Teaching Portfolio Artifact GuideLinks to an external site.
  5. Exit survey administered and Badge awarded: An exit survey will be sent to the participant after all other tasks are completed.