The Certificate Program

The CIRTL@UCLA certification pathway (Associate, Practitioner, Scholar) will give you quality training in teaching and professional development that will prepare you in whatever field you are going into, making you more competitive for faculty and industry positions.

There are three levels of certification for the CIRTL program: CIRTL Associate, CIRTL Practitioner, and CIRTL Scholar. Each level has unique learning outcomes:

Associate level: recognizes the role of the CIRTL core ideas in effective teaching and learning
Practitioner level: addresses scholarly teaching using the CIRTL core ideas to demonstrably improve learning of students by completing a teaching-as-research (TAR) project
Scholar level: advances teaching and learning, and makes the results from TAR project public.

CIRTL program outcomes conceived in this way permit anyone to enter the CIRTL Network learning community from a wide variety of disciplines, needs, and past experiences, and to achieve success as a teacher at a wide variety of engagement. One way to achieve CIRTL Scholar level is to participate in the STAR program (discussed below) but this is not the only way, and requirements can be discussed with the Program Director, Katie Dixie (kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu), on an individual basis.

Levels of CIRTL Certification

Level 1: Community Level 2: Associate Level 3: Practitioner Level 4: Scholar

There are many ways to engage with the CIRTL community. If you participate in any courses or events associated with either the national CIRTL network or local CIRTL@UCLA program, sign-up on the CIRTL network, and sign-up for our newsletter, you are automatically considered part of the CIRTL Community! Welcome!

Engage with CIRTL@UCLA: There are many ways to get involved in the CIRTL program at UCLA. Courses and workshops are designed for the advancement and professionalization of graduate students and faculty. Many of our CIRTL courses are outlined under the “Associate Level” banner. We also have information sessions and other events, so complete the steps below to learn more about our offerings!
Join the CIRTL Network: To join the CIRTL online network, take 1 minute to register here. It’s easy and it’s free!
Join the CIRTL@UCLA Collaboration Site:
- Contact Katie Ingraham Dixie at kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu for assistance.

Sign-up for the Newsletter: In addition to our online community, there are many courses and workshops designed for the advancement and professionalization of graduate students, postdocs, and faculty. Sign-up for our monthly newsletter for more upcoming offerings! Subscribe Here

Requirements for Associate Level

Evidence-Based Teaching Course: You must complete one course on Evidence-Based Teaching (EBT) that aligns with the CIRTL learning outcomes. Options include but are not limited to:
- In fall quarter, CIRTL@UCLA offers Grad PD 496A. Learn more here.
- TAC summer academy
- TA training courses: LS495, CH495, or Psych 495 + 495
Additional Professional Development: In addition, you must complete 20-25 hours of an additional course or workshop related to EBT or Professional Development. At least one of these hours must be completed on the CIRTL Network. Examples of courses and events that qualify are:
CIRTL online courses and workshops (posted on our home page and on the CIRTL website)
- Career Readiness Inside and Outside the Academy.
- Graduate Certificate in Writing Pedagogy
- Community Engaged Teaching (Grad PD 495CE)
- Entering Mentoring Training program
- EPIC and CAT workshops, including TA conference and TA workshops
- If there are courses you have taken that are not on these lists and you think may align with the CIRTL learning outcomes, please contact Katie Ingraham Dixie at kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu.
Teaching Statement: Submit a draft of a teaching statement through the tracking form below.
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Tracking Form: Complete the CIRTL Associate Tracking Form so we can confirm that you have completed all of the requirements.

If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact Katie Ingraham Dixie (kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu).

Teaching-as-Research (TAR): The next steps in the CIRTL certification process are centered around the idea of “Teaching as Research”. The improvement of teaching and learning is a dynamic and ongoing process, just as is research in any 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 problem, to which instructors can effectively apply their research skills and ways of knowing. In so doing, instructors themselves become the agents for change in teaching and learning. Learn more: What is Teaching as Research?

Teaching-as-Research 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 teachers. The process of completing a TAR project includes identifying a research question and designing an intervention to assess the effectiveness of your teaching. However, a TAR project is not necessarily a Discipline Based Research Project, in the sense that it is meant to be a relatively small intervention, and not a publishable research study (although some TAR students design projects with the intent to publish). The goal is to learn how to become a reflective teacher so that wherever you end up working, you will be able to apply these methods to assess your own teaching.

For examples of TAR projects, visit our TAR Scholars page.

Requirements for Practitioner Level

Complete the CIRTL@UCLA TAR Course Series: You must complete two courses designed to help you plan and implement your TAR project, Grad PD 496B: “Teaching as Research” (offered in Winter) and Grad PD 496C “Implementing a Teaching as Research Project” (offered in Spring). Learn more about these courses here.
Implement Your TAR Project: In order to become an official CIRTL Practitioner, you must actually implement the TAR project that you plan. This means completing your project and collecting data. The data does not need to be analyzed in order to qualify, however, as that is the requirement to become a Scholar.
Tracking Form: Complete the CIRTL Practitioner Tracking Form so we can confirm that you have completed all of the requirements.

If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact Katie Ingraham Dixie (kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu).

Requirements for Scholar Level

Analyze and Present Your TAR Project: In order to become a scholar, you must analyze the data you collected when implementing your TAR project and present your findings in a scholarly setting. You must then submit a copy of your presentation using the Scholar Tracking form below. You can present your project at events such as
- Local CIRTL@UCLA TAR Presentation event (typically offered in Fall or Winter)
- During the CIRTL Network TAR Presentations (offered in Spring)
- During a CEILS Journal Club or Ed Talks session
- In a departmental seminar or other local venue
- As a poster at a local or national conferenc
Submit a Teaching Statement: After completing your TAR project, you should update and complete a Teaching Statement and submit it through the Scholar Tracking Form below.
Submit a Bio and Photo (Optional): If you would like to be featured on our website or to have your accomplishments shared in our newsletter, please submit a short bio and headshot using the Scholar Tracking Form below.
Sign-Up for the Alumni Network: In order to stay in touch with CIRTL and continue to access the CIRTL network courses and events, sign-up for the CIRTL Alumni Network. You can also join the CIRTL@UCLA LinkedIn group to stay in touch with the local CIRTL@UCLA community!
Tracking Form: Complete the CIRTL Scholar Tracking Form to submit the documents mentioned above and so we can confirm that you have completed all of the requirements.

If you have any questions about these requirements, please contact Katie Ingraham Dixie (kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu). To learn more about our scholars, visit our TAR Scholars page.

CIRTL Course Offerings

Grad PD 496A, An Introduction to Evidence Based Teaching (Associate Level)

A learning community focused on Scientific Teaching, based on the CIRTL MOOC: An Introduction to Evidence Based Teaching. This is a 10-week, 2-unit course and includes instructor mini-lectures and peer-to-peer interactions in class (1.5 hours/week), selected readings and videos outside of class (2.5 hrs/week), and weekly reflective writing and responding on discussion posts (1hr/week). Additionally, there will be a culminating written assignment that will require students to apply the course’s pedagogical principles to a lesson plan they develop using backward design to sequence learning activities that represent inclusive practices. Students will get feedback from instructors and peers on these lesson plans.

This course is designed to provide students with foundational knowledge on the large body of educational research that supports effective teaching strategies. This is a fully flipped S/U class, with online videos each week and an in-person learning community comprised of graduate students and post docs who are committed to teaching inclusively. Open to ALL disciplines and you are not required to be teaching concurrently. This course also counts toward CIRTL Associate Level and is a pre-requirement for the Teaching as Research course taught in winter.

For more information or questions, contact Dr. Katie IngrahamDixie at kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu

Grad PD 496B, Planning your Teaching-as-Research Project Teaching as Research (Practitioner Level)

Planning your Teaching-as-Research Project is an is an interdisciplinary course open to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars as well as research staff interested in teaching. This is an intermediate-level 10 week course designed for students who are ready to plan a Teaching-as-Research project. Students are expected to have a working knowledge of, and experience with, evidence-based teaching methods. You should have completed a course that covers the basic knowledge of evidence based teaching practice and have achieved these CIRTL Associate-level learning outcomes:

Describe and recognize the value of realistic well-defined, achievable, measurable and student-centered learning goals.
Describe several known high-impact, evidence-based effective instructional practices and materials and recognize their alignment with particular types of learning goals.
Describe several assessment techniques and recognize their alignment with particular types of learning goals.

For more information or any questions please contact Dr. Rachel Kennison at rkennison@ceils.ucla.edu

Grad PD 496C, Implementing a Teaching as Research Project (Practitioner Level)

Offered in spring/summer. This is a learning community that provides you with support while you are iterating and implementing your project, analyzing your data and planning to present. This course should be taken directly after Grad PD 496B.

You can complete Associate Level requirements according to your own timeline, depending on where you are in your graduate degree progress. Some students may start in the fall with one of the evidence based teaching courses (required) but may not be ready or have time to do a teaching as research project. This is fine! Your can wait until the next year to take the Teaching as Research course, which is a bigger larger time commitment.

For more information or questions, contact Dr. Katie Ingraham Dixie at kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu

Optional: Mol Bio 497: Career Readiness Inside and Outside the Academy (Any Level)

Offered by CIRTL@UCLA

We know that time and structured opportunities for career focused professional development are scarce for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Co-taught by STEM and Humanities faculty, our goal is to build a community that provides you with support and guidance to explore any possible career paths, expose you to a variety of options and give you the tools to pursue them in a systematic way.

This 2-unit course is offered to Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars across all disciplines who want to be part of a community supporting individualized professional development and a systematic approach to career exploration.

-It is recommended that graduate students are advanced to candidacy

For more information or any questions please contact Dr. Katie Ingraham Dixie at kdixie@ceils.ucla.edu or Dr. JoAnn Roberts at jsroberts@ceils.ucla.edu.

Courses and Events Offered by Our Campus Partners (Associate-Level)

The Entering Mentoring Training Program seeks to develop a mentoring ethos by providing leadership, mentorship, and diversity sensitivity training to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. This course is specifically for those who directly mentor trainees working on STEM research projects. The seminar is based on a curriculum developed by the Wisconsin Program for Scientific Teaching titled “Entering Mentoring: A Seminar to Train a New Generation of Scientist”. This course is supported by the NIH Diversity Program Consortium.

Please contact the Program Director, Dr. Diana Azurdia, at dazurdia@mednet.ucla.edu for questions.

Levels of CIRTL Certification

CIRTL Course Offerings

Courses and Events Offered by Our Campus Partners (Associate-Level)

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