What is HETC and what are the benefits of participating in the program?
HETC is a graduate program offering designed to both enhance your teaching effectiveness while at UD and prepare you comprehensively for your future position as a faculty member. Its focus is on the application of learning principles and best practices to your disciplinary context, reflection, awareness of the higher education context, and preparation of job application materials. The program is designed to offer graduate students a comprehensive preparation for their careers as future faculty. The certification will appear on your transcript.
How common are preparing future faculty programs in higher education?
Will the certification allow me to teach at the high school level?
HETC does not provide certification for teaching at the secondary level. You would need to contact the School of Education for programs that certify you to teach at the high school level.
Who is eligible to apply?
Full time graduate students at the University of Delaware, postdoctoral candidates at UD who completed their graduate studies at UD.
Is the HETC program open to postdocs?
Yes, if the applicant holds a doctorate degree from the University of Delaware.
When should I enroll?
The program is offered on an ongoing basis and you may apply to the program any time. We recommend starting the program in the spring semester, UNIV-600 - Learning, as the course is designed to help you apply best practice to your actual teaching. You need to be teaching at the same time as you're taking this seminar.
What do I need to submit to apply to HETC program?
To apply to the HETC program, complete the online program application: http://cte.udel.edu/programs/hetc/higher-education-teaching-certification.html
In addition, you need to submit a statement of intent and faculty statement of support - both described in the program application form - and obtain advisor or department chairperson signatures on both application and course registration form. Then, submit the entire set of materials to Gabriele Bauer at 212 Gore Hall and we will review your application packet.
Should I obtain the letter of support from my advisor or from the faculty member who I have worked with as a TA?
Obtain the letter of support from the faculty member who knows about your academic career aspirations and can speak to the perceived value of your program participation in relation to your academic degree program and career goals.
Where should I drop off the application materials?
212 Gore Hall, phone: 302-831-2027
When are seminars offered and in what sequence should I take them?
I noticed the deadline for fall is June 15. I will be away for some of September conducting research for my dissertation. Is it possible to apply to the program later in the academic year and start during winter session?
You may apply to the program at any time independent of your intended start date for the seminars. You're welcome to apply to the program during the summer and start taking seminars in winter session.
How will I know that I have been accepted into the program?
You will be contacted via email by the program director.
Can I audit HETC seminars? What are the guidelines?
You may apply to audit, space permitting. As an auditor, you set your own learning goals and determine what you’d like to gain from the seminar. The students who are formally enrolled in the HETC program get priority in receiving feedback on their assignments. Time permitting, the instructor will give you feedback on materials that you develop in the course. Given your status as auditor neither a letter of recommendation from a faculty member in your discipline nor your advisor’s signature on the application and enrollment forms are required. If you're planning to enroll as audit, please complete the program registration form only and submit to our office (212 Gore Hall).
I learned that most of the seminars are offered in hybrid format, online (Sakai) and face-to-face on-campus seminars. I will go back to China for a visit this winter, can I still take the seminar without being on campus?
You do need to be on campus at the time that you're enrolled in the different program seminars. The program is offered in a hybrid environment (combination of online and face-to-face instruction); it is not a distance learning environment.
Am I required to teach in order to enroll in HETC seminars?
You need to hold a TA or teaching appointment at the time that you are enrolled in the pedagogy track of the HETC program, i.e., UNIV 600 – Learning (offered spring) and UNIV 601 – pedagogy (offered fall) so that you can immediately apply what you are learning in the seminar to their own teaching. The assignments are designed to help you apply principles learned in the courses to reflect on their effectiveness. You need to be actually working with students to be able to apply teaching practices to a "real" setting and practice implementing them.
The website states that graduate students must be teaching at the time they are taking the pedagogy seminars. Does "teaching" include leading problem-solving sessions?
"Teaching" refers to you having instructional interactions with students on a regular basis, either in your role as a graduate TA or as an autonomous instructor. Leading problem-solving sessions does qualify as "teaching." TA appointments as “graders, “office hours facilitators,” and “review session facilitators,” do not qualify as “teaching” as TAs do not have ongoing instructional contact with students.
Is it possible to take the pedagogy seminars without a concurrent teaching appointment or is it mandatory to teach?
As the pedagogy seminars are applied in nature, ideally you will be teaching while taking the seminars. If a formal teaching appointment is not part of your remaining academic program, you may ask faculty to guest lecture in a course during these semesters and draw on your prior teaching experience to be able to apply theory to practice.
A required graduate seminar in my department covers pedagogy and learning. Could this course substitute for the HETC pedagogy courses?
As the program is designed to complement and build upon departmental instructional development efforts, your departmental course may substitute for a portion of the HETC program. To help determine what areas may be applicable to the HETC program curriculum, you need to submit the course syllabus to Gabriele Bauer for review.
Does it matter in what order I take the seminars?
UNIV 600 and 601, pedagogy track seminars, are designed to be taken early on as they coincide with TA appointments to enhance your teaching effectiveness while at UD. You may apply to the program any time regardless of when you're planning to enroll in your first seminar.
When can I complete the faculty observation and portfolio?
Teaching Observation and Feedback by Faculty is completed independent of any particular seminar. The observation must be completed while enrolled in the seminars. The portfolio is completed independent of any particular seminar. The portfolio must be completed within 2 semesters after completing all course work. Specific sessions on portfolio completion are offered every semester. Throughout your seminars you will develop materials that you will include in your portfolio.
You have access to Faculty Observation and Portfolio resources in Sakai.
Would it be wise to do the academic job search last or should I start with the job search?
It depends on your projected graduation date and when you're planning to go on the job market. If you're planning to graduate within the next 2 years, I suggest you enroll in the winter seminar this winter term so that you give yourself enough time to get your academic job application materials prepared.
What if I am scheduled to graduate before completing all of the required course work? Can I still obtain the certification?
Because of your graduation date you will not be able to complete the entire program. Therefore, you will not receive a statement of certification on your official transcript. All the seminars that you completed will be recorded on your official transcript.
I am interested in joining the HETC program during winter session, but I have some doubts. I want to spend most of my winter session working on my research project. How much time does the seminar take?
Given that the HETC seminars are a graduate program offering, you need to be able to dedicate time specifically for the courses (about 6 hours/week - many students spend more time). In addition, the winter and summer courses are offered over a 5-week period and so your time would be spent over a shorter period of time (as is the case with all winter / summer session courses).
I am interested in taking the winter session seminar on the Academic Job Search. However, I will be out of town the last two weeks of January and will miss the last two seminars. Can I still enroll?
The winter seminar is part of an entire professional development program for graduate students pursuing faculty positions. If you will miss a major portion of the program, you will not be able to enroll.
What does the faculty letter of support need to provide?
The letter is intended as a faculty statement of support for program participation based on your academic career aspirations in the discipline and your current instructional role in the program. The anticipated length is about 2-3 paragraphs.
I'm lining up documents for academic job applications. How can I provide the strongest possible documentation of my completion of HETC to burnish my teaching credentials in a substantial way?
As a result of your participation in the HETC program, you have produced those documents that tend to be asked for, especially in applications to teaching-intensive institutions, such as cover letter, CV, teaching statement, course syllabus, assessment tool, summary of student rating data, example of formative student feedback, and ability to engage in classroom-based research to help address instructional issues. These documents constitute the strongest evidence of your teaching effectiveness and thoughtful approach to teaching in the discipline. Having authored these documents will have enhance your ability to effectively present yourself during the interview process. You may address your successful HETC completion in the cover letter (in addition to inclusion on your CV) to highlight your current knowledge of pedagogical practice and assessment to support student learning as well as commitment to continued professional development in teaching. Department faculty who have observed your teaching and serve as a teaching reference, may describe how your teaching in the discipline has changed as a result of your HETC participation.
Successful HETC completion is noted on your official transcript.
Abby Grabitz is currently working on her Ph.D. in Biochemistry and, simultaneously, an MBA degree. She enjoys her work and in the future, hopes to help spark a passion for science in her students.
