The CTCB requirements are designed to be flexible enough to accommodate the demands of Duke's graduate curriculum while ensuring that you are formally trained in biological pedagogy. As a candidate in the certificate program, you are expected to complete work in four core areas: courses and workshops on pedagogy, faculty mentorship, practical teaching experience, and evaluation of teaching. Below are descriptions of each area, including examples of how you could gain experience in them.

1. Courses and workshops on pedagogy

Here are some examples of opportunities for you to receive pedagogical training:

· The Bio 025L Mentor Training Program
· Seminar in Teaching Biology (Bio 390)
· The Center for Instructional Technology's Instructional Uses of Technology workshop series (GS301)
· The Graduate School's Introduction to College Teaching workshop series (GS302)

2. Faculty mentorship

You are required to participate in a one semester long mentorship with a faculty member that is not your thesis advisor. You are encouraged to establish a mentoring relationship with faculty at one of our partner institutions to gain exposure to and insight about a different learning environment. However, a mentoring relationship with Duke faculty is acceptable. Several possible mentorship activities are listed below.

· Develop and present a lecture or laboratory
· Design and implement an exercise for use in a course
· Introduce undergraduate students from the mentor's institution to current research
· "Shadow" the faculty mentor for a day
· Sit in on a faculty meeting at the mentor's institution
· Discuss specific teaching and faculty life issues with the faculty mentor

See the Mentorship page for more ideas

3. Practical teaching experience

Actual teaching experience is, of course, necessary for anyone seeking a certificate in teaching. Service as a course teaching assistant (TA) is the most common way to gain such experience. If you are unable to secure a TA position, you may find other acceptable avenues to practice your teaching. For example, you might volunteer to give a series of guest lectures for a faculty member at Duke or at one of our partner institutions.

4. Evaluation of teaching

You are expected to receive some form of feedback about your teaching. Several mechanisms for receiving such feedback are listed below.

· Written evaluations by students
· Peer review
· Faculty mentor review
· Videotape of teaching with feedback from a faculty mentor

See the Evaluation page for more ideas

The Teaching Portfolio

Sometime prior to graduation from the university, you should submit a teaching portfolio to the CTCB executive committee. Your teaching portfolio should contain the following items:

1. A curriculum vitae
2. A reflective commentary concerning the contents of the portfolio and including a description of the activities completed in each of the four areas described above
3. A statement of teaching philosophy
4. Samples of curriculum materials (e.g., lectures, case studies, labs or other learning materials that the candidate has designed or been integral in designing)
5. Samples of course syllabi that you have either taught or are prepared to teach
6. A videotape showing you teaching
7. A set of teaching evaluations (e.g., summary of student evaluations, comments from peer or faculty mentor review, reflective comments from viewing your classroom videotape)

See Teaching Portfolio Instructions for more detailed information.

Note that you will most likely have the opportunity to generate and/or collect items 2-6 of the teaching portfolio by successfully completing work in each of the four core areas. Upon evaluation and approval of your teaching portfolio, you will be awarded the Certificate in Teaching College Biology. This recognition will appear on your transcript.

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