Engagement Pathways

CIRTL at UIC provides flexible professional development to support your teaching

We welcome UIC community members from all disciplines, teaching development needs, and past instructional experiences, to engage in our professional development opportunities and work towards our three different levels of CIRTL at UIC certification: Associate, Practitioner, and Scholar. Each level has unique learning outcomes and we describe different pathways to achieve each level below. Sign up to submit evidence for completion and track your progress through the CIRTL Certification Tracking Blackboard course.

We strive to make our curriculum flexible with the ability to be tailored to meet the needs, interests, and time available to different participants. If there are teaching courses, workshops, or course material development projects that you complete that are not included in the pathways below, but you think may align with the CIRTL core ideas, please reach out to us at cirtl@uic.edu.

Sign Up to Track Your Certification Progress

CIRTL at UIC Associate Certification Heading link

Completing a CIRTL at UIC Associate certification requires completion of a foundational course, two additional requirements, and submission of a teaching statement.

Choose ONE of the following courses:

Choose TWO additional selections from the following:

  • CIRTL Network online courses including: Diversity in the College Classroom, Teaching with Technology, Advancing Learning through Evidence-Based STEM Teaching (MOOC), Basics of Online Learning and Teaching, and Transforming Your Research Into Teaching.
  • Courses from the Foundations of College Instruction Series:
    • GC 592: Foundations of College Instruction
    • GC 593: Developing Scholarly Approaches to Teaching
    • GC 594: Principles and Practices in College Course Design
  • Departmental teaching courses from this list.
  • Attend 6 (six) of CIRTL Network, CIRTL at UIC, or CATE workshops or events including seminars and reading group meetings.
    • Write an individual Certification Reflection for each workshop or event you attend.
  • If there are teaching courses, workshops, or course material development projects that you complete that are not included in the options above, but you think may align with the CIRTL learning outcomes, please reach out to us at cirtl@uic.edu.

Write and submit a draft of your teaching statement

CIRTL at UIC and the CIRTL network offer online workshops such as Writing an Effective Teaching Philosophy Statement to help participants get started by exploring the basic elements of effective teaching statements and learning how to provide evidence of teaching experience tailored for different academic jobs.

For more information and examples, visit this page on teaching statements developed by the Vanderbilt Teaching Center.

CIRTL at UIC Practitioner Certification Heading link

Completing a Practitioner certification requires a completed Associate level certification, completion of the design, implementation, and analysis of a teaching-as-research (TAR) project, plus the submission of a TAR project report with the results. Participants may work concurrently on their Associate and Practitioner level certification once they have completed the CIRTL Associate foundational course requirement.

You are encourage to enroll in and complete ONE of the following courses, during which you will design a Teaching as Research (TAR) Project:

As part of your course, you will:

  • Design and present your TAR project proposal for feedback and revision.
  • Identify your TAR project mentor (i.e. someone affiliated with the course in which you will implement the project).

Implement TAR Project

Implement your TAR project in an authentic instructional context (e.g., a class you are teaching as a TA or an instructor, a guest lecture for a course taught by your TAR project mentor)

  • Prior to implementing your TAR project, reach out to the CIRTL at UIC Program director at cirtl@uic.edu to set up an initial online or in-person consultation to share your implementation plan and learn about opportunities to connect with other Practitioners.

Submit TAR Project Report

Upon completion of the TAR project implementation:

  • Analyze and evaluate TAR project results.
  • Update and submit the TAR project proposal with summary of TAR project results.

CIRTL at UIC Scholar Certification Heading link

Having met the requirements for CIRTL Practitioner, completing a Scholar certification requires  a formal presentation of TAR project outcomes as a contribution to broader educational community at UIC and the CIRTL network, plus submission of an updated teaching statement.

Recommended: Participate in career development workshops either on campus or online via the CIRTL network.

Resubmit your Teaching Statement

Revise and resubmit your teaching statement.

Present TAR Project

Present your TAR project findings at a local learning community meeting, regional/national conference, or online CIRTL network forum or publish your project findings in an scholarly journal (as approved in advance by the CIRTL at UIC Program Director).