Certificate Program FAQ

Questions regarding REGISTRATION in the Certificate Program

Do I have to be in graduate school to register for a certificate program?
Do I need to be a student at the University of Toronto to enrol in a certificate program (or attend a TATP workshop)?
Must I register for a certificate program to receive a certificate?
Must I register for the certificate program in order to attend the Workshop Series?
Can I register for both Certificates at once?
Can I switch between the Teaching Fundamentals and Advanced University Teaching Preparation certificates?
What if I’ve already completed the Fundamentals Certificate and then I want to try for the Advanced Certificate?
I plan to graduate within the academic year. Can I enrol in AUTP?

Questions regarding WORKSHOPS for the Certificate Programs
Can workshops for one certificate count for the other?
Can I use workshops from previous years to count towards a current certificate?
Do I keep track of the workshops I’ve attended, or does the TATP office?
What if I haven’t attended the four required workshops for AUTP?

Questions surrounding the PRACTICUM for the AUTP Certificate Program
What is the deadline for submitting my teaching dossier?
When is my Written Reflection due?
What is a teaching reflection and what form should the Written Reflection take?
Who can enroll in Microteaching?

Questions regarding REGISTRATION in the Certificate Program

Do I have to be in graduate school to register for the Certificate Program?

FUNDAMENTALS CERTIFICATE: No. This certificate is open to undergraduate students who are working as teaching assistants at U of T, as well as all graduate students.

ADVANCED UNIVERSITY TEACHING PREPARATION (AUTP) CERTIFICATE: Yes. This certificate is only open to graduate students who are preparing to complete their graduate programs and embark on academic teaching careers. It is not a preparation for teaching at the secondary level (high school) nor can it prepare a student for admission to an education faculty, such as the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. It is designed only for graduate students intending to become teaching faculty at a postsecondary institution.

PLEASE NOTE: in order to enrol in either certificate program, you must be a currently registered student at the University of Toronto.

Do I need to be a student at the University of Toronto to enrol in a certificate program (or attend a TATP workshop)?

Yes. You must be presently enrolled in the University of Toronto to attend any TATP workshop or participate in a certificate program.

Must I register for the Certificate Program to receive a certificate?

Yes. We need to track how many people are enrolled in the Certificate Program at any given time. While it is possible to attend a series of workshops and discover suddenly you have enough to qualify for the Fundamentals Certificate, you must still register for the Fundamentals Certificate in order to receive it.  All participants in the AUTP program must be registered in the program.

Must I register for the Certificate Program in order to attend the Workshop Series?

No. While the Workshop Series plays a role in helping students to complete the Certificate Program, the Workshop Series is not exclusive to the Certificate Program. Students are welcome to participate in as many workshops as they like with no obligation to enrol in the Certificate Program. Students enrolled in the Certificate Program (either the Fundamentals level or the AUTP) must still register for individual workshops in the Workshop Series.

Can I register for both Certificates at once?

No.  You need to make a decision about which program you are going to start off in and not “hedge your bets”.

Can I switch between the Teaching Fundamentals and Advanced University Teaching Preparation certificates?

Yes. In order to do so, you must notify the TATP Programs Assistant at services.ta@utoronto.ca. You will only be allowed to do so once.

What if I’ve already completed the Fundamentals Certificate and then I want to try for the Advanced Certificate?

There are two possibilities:

1. You can hand in your Fundamentals Certificate to the TATP office and the 6 workshops you’ve attended so far will be transferred to the Advanced Certificate program and will count towards that certificate.  Your AUTP registration date will be the date you registered for the Fundamentals Certificate.
2. You can hold on to your Fundamentals Certificate, but this means that you will have to attend 10 new workshops (meeting the AUTP requirements) in order to complete the AUTP Certificate. The 6 workshops you attended in order to complete the Fundamentals Certificate cannot be applied to the AUTP Certificate if you keep the Fundamentals Certificate.

I plan to graduate within the academic year. Can I enrol in the AUTP?

No. AUTP is a two-year program. We do not permit students to complete in less than one year. In your final year of graduate study, you may complete the Teaching Fundamentals certificate.

Questions about WORKSHOPS for the Certificate Program

Can workshops for one certificate count for the other?

Only if you are switching from one certificate program to the other. You cannot receive a Teaching Fundamentals then receive an Advanced University Teaching Preparation certificate using the same workshops. You must start over and attend 10 new workshops. If you are registered in the TF program and decide to switch to the AUTP, your completed workshops will transfer to the AUTP certificate.

Can I use workshops from previous years to count towards a current certificate?

FUNDAMENTALS CERTIFICATE: No. This certificate can only be completed within one year (12-month). TATP offers workshops year-round, in the Fall, Winter and Summer, providing more opportunities for students to fulfill the minimum requirement of attendance at 6 TATP-sponsored workshops.

AUTP CERTIFICATE: Only after you’ve registered for the AUTP Certificate. As the Advanced Certificate takes 2 years to complete, it is possible to spread out the workshops over this period of time.

Do I keep track of the workshops I’ve attended, or does the TATP office?

Both. The CTSI/TATP registration system maintains a database (based on your user profile) that keeps a record of all TATP workshops attended. You will be able to log into the registration system and see a list of workshops you have attended. However, you should also track the workshops you’ve attended – keeping a list of the TITLES and DATES of the workshops.

What if I haven’t attended the four required workshops for AUTP?

Please contact the CTSI/TATP Program Assistant to review your options.

Questions surrounding the PRACTICUM for the AUTP Certificate Program

What is the deadline for submitting my teaching dossier?

Your teaching dossier is due a minimum of one month before the end of your 2-year registration period in the AUTP Certificate Program.

When is my Written Reflection due?

Your written reflection is due within one month of the end of your 2-year registration period in the AUTP Certificate Program. Only submit your written reflection AFTER you have completed all other AUTP Certificate components.

What is a teaching reflection and what format should the Written Reflection take?

The purpose of writing a reflection on your participation in the AUTP Certificate Program is to document what you have learned through the TATP workshops and practicum.  Questions you should ask yourself and seek to answer through the Written Reflection include:

• what have I learned about myself as a teacher that I didn’t know before?
• what have I learned about students and how they learn that I didn’t know before?
• what strategies have I learned that I’ve tried to incorporate into my own teaching?
• what strategies or techniques have I not yet been able to try out in the classroom but would like to try the next time that I teach?
• what feedback from the in-class observation or the Microteaching workshop have I found most useful and why?
• what feedback did not seem to be helpful and why?
• what areas of my teaching still need improvement?
• what are my goals for working on these areas in order to improve?
• how did preparing a teaching dossier help me understand my own approach to teaching?

Through responding to these questions, you will be able to talk about your teaching in a critical, coherent and thoughtful manner. This will come in very handy when you start interviewing for academic positions and preparing job applications that request a teaching philosophy statement.

Who can enrol in Microteaching?
Only students enrolled in the AUTP program may register for Microteaching sessions.