Certificate in University Teaching

About CUT

Open to faculty members, contract instructors, lab coordinators, or anyone working in an instructionally focused position with a recent, current or upcoming teaching assignment at Carleton (i.e., within the next year), the program will give you an opportunity to:

• Explore traditional and innovative forms of instructional delivery
• Develop a framework to help design class lectures and activities
• Identify ways to enhance student engagement in your classes
• Receive feedback from course facilitators and participants
• Benefit from in-depth conversations with fellow colleagues
• Arrange for individual consultations throughout the year with facilitators
• Create a deliverable you can use in your course(s) and/or teaching dossier

Each of the sessions will include discussions and learning activities that reflect a particular theme. Specific themes for the program will include:

• Planning effective course design and instruction
• Exploring teaching methodologies
• Building effective assessment practices (including designing analytic rubrics)
• Managing classroom dynamics
• Establishing a sense of community and effective communications
• Addressing issues of student diversity
• Writing a teaching philosophy statement

The goal of the program is to provide participants with a safe and supportive environment to enhance their appreciation of sound pedagogy, strengthen their teaching skills and explore new approaches to instruction. Together these three areas will contribute to helping you become more efficient, effective and confident in enhancing the learning environment for your students.

Current and Future Cohorts

Current (in progress): Summer 2026 

• *NEW* Compressed summer cohort (six weeks)
• Schedule:
  • Week 1: Tuesday, May 19, 1 – 4 p.m., and Thursday, May 21, 1 – 3 p.m. 
  • Week 2: Tuesday, May 26, 1 – 3 p.m., and Thursday, May 28, 1 – 3 p.m. 
  • Week 3: Tuesday, June 2, 1 – 3 p.m., and Thursday, June 4, 1 – 3 p.m. 
  • Week 4: Tuesday, June 9, 1 – 3 p.m., and Thursday, June 11, 1 – 3 p.m. 
  • Week 5 (microteaching): week of June 15 (day/time TBD) 
  • Week 6: Tuesday, June 23, 1 – 4 p.m. 

• Modality: In-person (~1 hr pre-class activities plus 2 or 3 hr in-person class meetings)
• Applications open: April 15, 2026 
• Applications close: May 14, 2026 
• Decisions communicated no later than: May 15, 2026 
• Brightspace page and communications launch for the program: May 15, 2026 

Upcoming: Fall 2026 / Winter 2027

• Information regarding cohort(s) for the 2026-27 academic year will be made available on this webpage in summer 2026.

Program Learning Outcomes

By the end of this program, you will be able to: 

• Assess teaching materials/demonstrations using a series of fundamental educational concepts (e.g., constructive alignment, Bloom’s taxonomy, universal design for learning, formative and summative assessment, and so on)
• Plan and deliver a teaching demonstration (microteach) that implements learner-centred approaches
• Reflect on your teaching practices, explaining what you have learned from created materials, peer exchanges, and readings, and how this learning has informed changes to your teaching 

Program Requirements

To earn the certificate, participants are expected to: 

• Arrive on time 
• Actively participate in all* sessions, both synchronous and asynchronous 
• Complete all pre-class readings, modules, and homework 
• Provide constructive feedback to peers 
• Complete the required readings 
• Prepare and submit two assignments by the indicated due dates 
  • Assignment 1: Microteaching Demonstration and Microteaching Reflection 
  • Assignment 2: Self-Study E-Portfolio 

*Please note: This program is based on a high degree of interactive learning; absences from class meetings or failures to complete pre-class tasks will affect your ability to contribute to forthcoming sessions. If you miss one session, you must contact the facilitator immediately so that an alternative assignment/activity can be negotiated. If for any reason you are absent from two sessions or fall behind on pre-class work on multiple occasions, you will be removed from the program.

Apply for CUT

Registration for the summer 2026 cohort closed on May 15. Registration for future cohorts in 2026-27 will open on this webpage in the coming months (August and/or October).

Note: All applications are vetted carefully to ensure suitability for the program. In particular, candidates should expect to have their applications evaluated on the basis of the following criteria: teaching status for the term in question, availability and other workload commitments, access to other training opportunities better suited to interests, and the stage of career at Carleton.