The University of California, Riverside Graduate Division's University Teaching Certificate (UTC) Program is a two-quarter instructional training and certification program for graduate students. This highly competitive program is designed to assist graduate students interested in careers as university-level instructors to develop teaching and lecturing strategies, design a teaching philosophy, and become members of the professional teaching community. The goal of the UTC program is to equip graduate students with the necessary skills so that they can be regarded as both outstanding scholars and teachers in their continued work in academia.

By the end of the 2-quarter certificate program, students are able to:

1. Apply knowledge of how people learn and how to teach consistent with these principles of learning, using a variety of techniques appropriate for the discipline, level, and learning context

2. Identify pedagogical strategies to attend to many forms of diversity, including physical ability and neurodiversity, and the inclusion of multiple perspectives, so that every student has the opportunity to learn

3. Build competency in assessing student learning responsibly, equitably, and in alignment with learning goals, and using the results to enhance student learning 

4. Adopt inquiry-based practices to assess and improve their own teaching, as informed by a community of scholarly teachers

5. Create a teaching portfolio that highlights strengths as an instructor

Assignments Students Complete in Course

• Present to students on a selected topic that utilizes a student engagement technique of their choice

• Research and present on a topic of their choice related to teaching and learning

• Create a teaching portfolio that includes: a revised teaching philosophy statement, revised draft of a syllabus, reflection of their strengths and area of growth as an instructor, and evidence of their excellence in teaching.