The Certificate Program

The outcomes for the CIRTL Certificate Program permit anyone to enter the CIRTL Network learning community from a wide variety of disciplines, needs, and past experiences. The CIRTL Certificate Program provides foundational professional development in teaching higher education in your respective discipline to prepare you to become competitive for jobs in academia. Although, many of our alumni have also secured leadership positions in industry and non-profit.

The CIRTL Certificate Program comprises three different levels: Associate, Practitioner, and Scholar. Each level has different requirements. Participate up to the level of your choice! Learn more about the different requirements for each certification level below.

If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact the CIRTL@UCLA Program Director, Benjamin Hà (bha [at] ceils [dot] ucla [dot] edu).

ENROLL IN GRAD PD 496A: Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate Teaching

Fall 2025 (Sept 29 – Dec 5)
Tuesdays, 2:00 – 3:50 PM
Boelter Hall, Room 5422

Grad students: Enroll via MyUCLA
Postdocs/Early career faculty: Contact the CIRTL@UCLA Program Director

Levels of CIRTL Certification

Level 1: Associate Level 2: Practitioner Level 3: Scholar

Requirements for Associate Level

Complete an Introduction to Evidence-Based Teaching Course: You must complete one course on evidence-based teaching that aligns with the CIRTL learning outcomes. Options include, but are not limited to:
- GRAD PD 496A: Intro to Evidence-Based Undergraduate Teaching. This is a 10-week course at UCLA offered in Fall quarter only (September thru December). Visit MyUCLA for more information about the next course offering. Grad students can enroll in the course for credit. Interested postdocs and early career faculty should contact the CIRTL@UCLA Program Director
- Approved Departmental TA Training Course: LS 495, Public Health 495, Physics 495, Psych 495, Chem 495
- GRAD PD 495: Teaching Assistant Pedagogy Seminar
- More than two 495 courses through the Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy (GCWP)
- TAC Academy
- CIRTL Network: Introduction to Evidence-Based Undergraduate STEM Teaching Course (asynchronous)
Engage with the CIRTL Network by attending at least two 90-minute online events (or 180 total minutes)
- Visit the CIRTL Network website to learn about the latest upcoming events. Content type and timing of events will vary across the academic year.
Submit a Draft Teaching Statement: This does not have to be the final version for a job application, award, etc. Feel free to submit a draft of a teaching statement or one you may have used for a past application. Submit the document through the Associate Tracking Form below.
(After completing all of the above) Complete the Tracking Form: Complete the CIRTL Associate Tracking Form so we can confirm that you have completed all of the requirements. Letters of completion are sent towards the end of the following academic year.

Have you finished completing the CIRTL Associate Level requirements? Consider continuing your professional development by working on the CIRTL Practitioner and Scholar levels!

What is a Teaching-as-Research (TAR) Project?

The next steps in the CIRTL certification pathway are centered around the idea of teaching-as-research or TAR. The improvement of teaching and learning is a dynamic and ongoing process similar to how research advances any other discipline. At the core of improving teaching and learning is the need to accurately determine what students have learned as a result of teaching practices. This is a research question, to which instructors can effectively apply and practice their research skills. In so doing, instructors themselves become the agents for change in teaching and learning.

TAR involves the deliberate, systematic, and reflective use of research methods to develop and implement teaching practices that advance the learning experiences and outcomes of students and instructors. The process of completing a TAR project includes identifying a research question and designing an intervention to assess the effectiveness of that intervention. TAR projects are meant to be a relatively small capstone research study; although, some previous TAR projects have been transformed into something larger, such as developed into a discipline-based research project, integrated into a PhD dissertation, or published in peer-reviewed journals. The ultimate goal is to learn how to become a reflective instructor so that wherever you end up working, you will be able to apply these methods to assess your own teaching.

Visit the CIRTL Network’s YouTube channel for some examples of past TAR projects.

Requirements for Practitioner Level

Complete one of the following courses to help you develop a teaching-as-research project proposal:
1. GRAD PD 496B: Planning a Teaching-as-Research Project: This is a 10-week course at UCLA offered in Winter quarter only (January thru March). Visit MyUCLA for more information about the next course offering. Grad students can enroll in the course for credit. Interested postdocs and early career faculty should contact the CIRTL@UCLA Program Director.
2. CIRTL Network’s course: Planning Your Teaching-as-Research Project: This 6-week online “flipped” course is only offered during the summer. Visit the CIRTL Network’s upcoming events webpage for more information.
Implement your TAR Project: In order to become an official CIRTL Practitioner, you must actually implement the TAR project that you developed in a TAR course (see above). Implementation means conducting your proposed study and collecting data. The data does not need to be analyzed in order to become an official CIRTL Practitioner. Data analysis and presenting your TAR project results are the criteria to becoming an official CIRTL Scholar.
(Optional) Complete GRAD PD 496C: Learning Community for Teaching-as-Research: To follow up on completing a TAR course (e.g., GRAD PD 496B or CIRTL Network course), this specific course is offered as an optional learning community to meet any of your additional needs with developing and/or implementing your TAR project. The purpose of this course is meant to guide aspiring CIRTL Practitioners during various stages of their TAR projects, such as continuing to develop your project proposal, pivoting into a different project proposal, seeking feedback on your proposal or implementation, needing help with data analysis and visualization, or having accountability for following through with your project. Consider enrolling in this course to further guarantee your success!
(After completing all of the above) Complete the Tracking Form: Complete the CIRTL Practitioner Tracking Form so we can confirm that you have completed all of the requirements. Letters of completion are sent towards the end of the following academic year.

Have you finished completing the CIRTL Practitioner Level requirements? Consider analyzing and presenting your TAR project to become a CIRTL Scholar!

Becoming a CIRTL Scholar requires analyzing and presenting a teaching-as-research or TAR project that was developed and implemented during the CIRTL Practitioner level. Visit the CIRTL@UCLA Practitioner level to learn more about the components and motivation for conducting a TAR project.

Requirements for Scholar Level

Analyze and Present your TAR Project Results: Analyze your TAR project data and present your findings as a poster or an oral presentation in an approved scholarly setting. Options include, but are not limited to:
- CIRTL Network TAR Presentation Day (timing varies each year, but typically occurs towards the end of the academic year)
- CEILS Journal Club or EdTalk (timing varies each year)
- Master’s thesis or PhD dissertation defense
- Symposium
- Local or national conference. Consider exploring the following:
- Other ideas? Contact the CIRTL@UCLA Program Director
Submit a Final Teaching Statement: You are welcome to submit a final teaching statement you would use for a job application, award, etc.; however, this is not expected. Feel free to submit a working draft of a teaching statement or one you may have used for a past application. Submit the document through the Scholar Tracking Form below.
Subscribe to the Alumni Networks: Stay in touch with the local CIRTL@UCLA Community by joining our LinkedIn group and with the international program by joining the CIRTL Alumni Network.
(After completing all of the above) Complete the Tracking Form: Complete the CIRTL Scholar Tracking Form by submitting a .PDF file of your final poster or presentation so we can confirm that you have completed all of the requirements.