Teaching Certificate Mentoring

Mentoring is an important aspect of the Certificate Program. Participants are required to work with a faculty teaching mentor throughout the year to discuss issues related to teaching and learning in their discipline. The specifics of the mentor-participant relationship are negotiated individually. Participants are responsible for choosing the mentor, setting up meetings, as well as setting meeting agendas, unless other arrangements are made.

Choosing a Mentor
Certificate Program participants are responsible for choosing their own faculty teaching mentor. A mentor:

• Is ideally not the program participant's research advisor, to provide a different perspective
• Is usually from the same discipline as the program participant, but they can be from any department
• Can be at any stage of their faculty career as long as they have a demonstrated interest in teaching and learning issues

Mentors can be faculty from Northwestern University; a partner school such as Lake Forest College, Oakton Community College, or Northeastern Illinois University; or another local institution with approval from Certificate Program staff.

Faculty Teaching Mentor Requirements:

• Meet with the program participant at least once a quarter to discuss issues of teaching and learning
• Provide feedback on the program participant's Course Design Project, usually the design of a new course or the re-design of an existing one
• Invite the program participant to observe your teaching
• Observe the program participant teach & provide feedback
• If requested, provide a letter for the program participant's teaching portfolio