PFF Certificate Requirements (updated Summer 2017)

To earn the PFF Certificate a student must

1) complete one semester-long, mentored teaching-related experience, and

2) attend at least five academic career related events, three of which must be PFF sponsored events.

** Please note that general lectures or talks hosted by the University do not fulfill the second requirement.

The mentored teaching-related experience must be a mentored experience lasting a minimum of one semester during which the student works with a faculty member to focus on teaching issues and processes.

The requirement may be met in the following ways:

  • Serving as a Teaching Assistant or Course Instructor (teaching a course or serving as a TA for a lecture, discussion group, or lab class).
    A written description of the teaching activities completed and signed by the mentor should be provided to document this experience.
  • Working under a teaching mentor for one semester (giving guest lectures, visiting classrooms at ODU and other institutions, and reading teaching-related literature).
    A written description of the activities completed and signed by the mentor should be provided to document this experience.
  • Completing a course on teaching in your discipline. The course should be related specifically to the process of teaching and not to specific content in the discipline. Pre-approval to count a course towards the PFF certificate should be obtained from the PFF Steering Committee Chair. A copy of your transcript indicating successful completion of the course should be provided to document this experience.

The PFF Steering Committee is aware that not all graduate students serve as GTAs involved in teaching. Students who want to complete the PFF certificate should identify a teaching mentor in their department who would be willing to work with them to complete the PFF certificate requirement. The PFF Steering Committee Chair may assist students in arranging a mentored teaching experience.

The required attendance at five academic career-related events can be fulfilled by the following:

Required: Attend at least three PFF-sponsored events. Two PFF-sponsored events are offered each semester. You may use more than three PFF events to fulfill the requirement of five events.

The remaining two events may be any of the following non-PFF workshops or activities:

  • Attend the ODU Graduate Teaching Assistant Institute (open primarily to funded GTAs).
  • Complete the Certificate on College Teaching offered by the Virginia Tidewater Consortium for Higher Education.
  • Attend two of the “Provost’s Conversations on Teaching and Learning” or “Connect with Colleagues” events. Attendance at two of these events will count as one non-PFF related event for the PFF Certificate.
  • Attend workshops offered by the Office of Research (such as Grant Proposal Development, PIVOT, etc.)
  • Attend Faculty Development workshops offered by the Center for Learning and Teaching (CLT). Acceptable CLT workshops include: Turning Point Clickers in the Classroom; IPad series; Using Prezi For Your Courses; Leveraging Social Media to Enhance Your Courses; Designing and Implementing Assessment in Your Course; Foundational Strategies for Effective On-line Teaching; Project-Based Learning.
  • Attend a professional workshop related to teaching in your discipline offered at professional conference or at ODU. Pre-approval to count an event towards the PFF certificate should be obtained from the PFF Steering Committee Chair.
  • Serve as a student representative on a departmental, college, or University committee. Pre-approval to count an event towards the PFF certificate should be obtained from the PFF Steering Committee Chair.
  • Complete GRAD700: Professional Development or equivalent faculty development course offered by ODU’s PFF program (or an equivalent course offered by an accredited doctoral institution). Pre-approval to count a non-ODU faculty development course should be obtained from the PFF Steering Committee Chair. Completion of GRAD700 will count as two non-PFF events for the PFF certificate.

**Note: Completion of these events must be documented by obtaining the signature of the speaker or director of the event.

NEW! Completing the PFF Certificate via an Alternative, Asynchronous Format

PFF events are offered as ‘live’ events on campus, synchronously on the web, and as recordings that can be viewed asynchronously. You may complete the PFF Certificate’s academic career-related events requirements asynchronously by viewing recorded events and completing the on-line reflection form.

Those who complete the PFF Certificate using ONLY the asynchronous option must attend at least one asynchronous community-building event hosted by the PFF program. This in-person event does NOT count towards the 5 academic career-related events required for the Certificate.

Some non-PFF events are available as asynchronous options. In some cases, two of these events will count as one event toward the PFF Certificate requirement. Contact Dr. Yusuf for more information.