Description | Requirements | Contact | Application Info | Comments
Program Description
The Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching (CoAT) program offers graduate students a chance to demonstrate their commitment to teaching excellence. The purpose of this program is to provide support and recognition for graduate students who teach courses at North Carolina State University. Participants may choose to complete the program in one year (2 semesters) or two years (4 semesters).
The CoAT program enables graduate students to:
- Receive ongoing assistance with teaching strategies and professional development
- Attend workshops dedicated to teaching and learning in the university classroom
- Prepare a professional teaching portfolio or project
- Receive an official letter of recommendation
- Receive a Certificate of Accomplishment in Teaching
- Receive a transcript notation for successful completion of the Accomplishment in Teaching program
Overview of Program Requirements
- Attend an orientation session during your first semester in the CoAT program.
- Attend and complete reflection assignments for six CoAT approved workshops. All participants are required to complete the CoAT Core workshop.
- Complete two semesters of teaching experience. In your first teaching experience, you must provide at least 15 contact hours (clock hours) of instruction during a semester. In your second teaching experience, you must provide at least 30 contact hours (clock hours) of instruction during a semester.
- Complete one classroom observation for each teaching experience. Classroom observations should be completed by your advisor, a faculty member in your discipline, or a member of the CoAT staff.
- Create a teaching portfolio, web site, or final project according to guidelines provided by the CoAT program.
Contact Information
For more information, contact: Dr. Barbi Honeycutt, Director of Graduate Teaching Programs, Email: barbi_honeycutt@ncsu.edu
Application Information - Fall 2008 applications are due by 5:00p.m. on September 5, 2008.
To apply: Download the application form (PDF).
You may either email your form to barbi_honeycutt@ncsu.edu or you can print the form and mail it to: Dr. Barbi Honeycutt, Campus Box 7102, NC State University. Forms may also be faxed: 919-515-2873.
Comments from CoAT Graduates
“I think this is a wonderful program that every graduate student with teaching career aspirations should sign up for. It definitely helped me get a broader perspective on my teaching methods and philosophy. It also enabled me to interact with graduate students from other departments and backgrounds and have very interesting discussions about education and teaching. Additionally, it was wonderful to get assistance and feedback on my teaching portfolio and feel a huge support and encouragement from the entire staff.”
-Itnuit Janovitz Freireich, 2007
“The CoAT program may seem like more work but in the long run it makes things easier for a beginning teacher in the classroom - well worth the effort! The teaching portfolio and reflections are valuable tools to help you archive and become much more confident, creative and organized in general and for specific classes. I thought I would hate the CoAT observation of my teaching but it ended up being one of my favorite and most beneficial exercises. I was given confidence by the praise but was also shown places for improvement that I never would have realized otherwise - just a really great experience. I will recommend to any new teacher I meet at State that he or she enroll in the CoAT program. Thank you for everything!”
-Kelly Norris, 2007
“Some of my thoughts about the program: The workshops are a fun way to focus on topics that interest you individually. I didn’t even know a teaching portfolio even existed, before. As a graduate student, who decided that she wanted to be a professor, I was thrilled to find out that I needed a portfolio. I would have been lost without the help of CoAT. I am proud to have a record of my teaching efforts, so by completing the CoAT program, I can show that I am committed to teaching and learning in my discipline. The reflection assignments for the workshops and teaching requirements are full of thought provoking questions that have allowed me to learn more about myself as a teacher.”
-Kristin Wilson, 2007