- 2024-2025 Cohorts
- Program Learning Outcomes
- Program Requirements
- Additional Information
- Register for PTT
The Preparing to Teach (PTT) certificate is a 10-week, fully in-person program designed to help PhD candidates prepare for the teaching components of a career in academia. It consists of weekly synchronous, in-person classes in which participants will learn about and gain hands-on experience with a range of teaching and assessment methods. Participants will learn teaching techniques for managing large and small classes and will explore approaches to address teaching and learning issues particular to their disciplines.
Although informed by theory, the focus will be on teaching practice. Participants will develop new course materials and try out various teaching approaches within a supportive peer cohort.
Please note: Participation in the certificate is ineligible for FGPA paid pedagogical training for TAs.
2024-2025 Cohorts
This year, TLS is offering one cohort of the program, in the Winter 2025 term. The schedule for that cohort is Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m., January 22 – April 2.
Registration for the 2024-2025 cohort is now open, and will close on Dec. 6, 2024.
*NOTE: registration in PTT requires a $50 cash deposit, which is returned in full upon successful completion of the program.
Program Learning Outcomes
By the end of this program, you will be able to:
- Design a syllabus for a course in your discipline that exemplifies the principles of constructive alignment
- Construct a lesson plan and deliver a teaching demonstration (microteach) that implements learner-centred approaches
- Articulate a personal philosophy of teaching that adheres to the features characteristic of a “teaching philosophy statement” and which is informed by educational theory
Program Requirements
To earn the certificate, participants are expected to:
- Actively participate in all* sessions
- Provide constructive feedback to peers
- Complete the required readings and other assigned media sources between sessions
- Prepare and submit three assignments by the indicated due dates
- Assignment 1: Annotated Course Syllabus
- Assignment 2: Lesson Plan, Microteaching Demonstration & Microteaching Reflection
- Assignment 3: Teaching Philosophy Statement
*Please note: This program is based on a high degree of interactive learning; absences from class meetings or failures to complete the online learning modules will affect your ability to contribute to forthcoming sessions. For this reason, only one absence during the 10-week period is allowed. If for any reason you are absent from two sessions, you may be removed from the program.
Additional Information
If you are looking for additional resources to help you develop as a teacher and/or to prepare your teaching dossier, check out the following:
- Structuring Your Teaching Philosophy Statement
- Dalhousie University’s Teaching Dossier Template
- The University of Toronto’s Teaching Dossier Guide
- The University of Calgary’s Teaching Philosophies and Dossiers webpage
And if you’re looking for resources that introduce you to similar content as the PTT program, check out the following links:
For additional training opportunities, please visit our TA Training webpage.
Register for PTT
Registration for the Winter 2025 cohort is open from November 4 until December 6, 2024.
Register for PTT. Note that you will need to login via Carleton’s single-sign-on (SSO) using your MyCarletonOne (MC1) login credentials.
If you are having difficulties accessing the TLS Support Portal, you may need to clear your browser cache or access the portal using the Private (Incognito) mode on your web browser. If you are still unable to access the portal, contact us at tlssupport@cunet.carleton.ca.
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: level of study (Masters, PhD, Postdoctoral), stage of progress in the degree, workload for the term (academic or otherwise), availability, access to other training opportunities better suited to interests, proximity to graduation, and proximity to first teaching assignment.