Certificate in College and University Teaching (CCUT)

University of California - Santa Barbara

The Certificate in College and University Teaching (CCUT) is designed for doctoral students who wish to demonstrate superior competence and experience in preparation for teaching at the university or college level. Official CCUT certificates are issued by the Office of the Registrar and are noted on the student's transcript. The Certificate is awarded in conjunction with a Ph.D. or MFA degree upon completion.

CCUT Competencies

The awarding of the Certificate in College and University Teaching signifies that the applicant has demonstrated the following five competencies:

• The ability to successfully plan and conduct discussion or lab sections, to use a variety of instructional strategies to promote student learning, and to evaluate student performance in section or on exams;
• The ability to apply appropriate research, theory, models, and/or principles of student learning to his or her teaching;
• The ability to appropriately use instructional technologies through an instructional design aimed to meet a specific learning goal, or to challenge the efficacy of instructional technology for a specific learning goal within an academic discipline;
• The ability to effectively and independently instruct a class as the Instructor of Record by developing a new syllabus or analyzing an existing one, providing feedback to enhance student learning, and appropriately evaluating student performance;
• The ability to cogently discuss and demonstrate both the theory and practice of his or her own teaching.

CCUT Requirements

Candidates must complete five requirements:

• Participate in all required TA Training programs and events
• Enroll in and complete a CCUT approved course that encompasses college-level pedagogy
• Complete an activity aimed at improving instruction with technology (a classroom project, research-based discussion, or research paper)
• Teach a course as the Instructor of Record
• Prepare and submit a teaching portfolio that describes and reflects on all five requirements. The portfolio is reviewed by a Faculty Advisory Board, who must approve the portfolio in order for the CCUT Certificate to be awarded.