Teaching and Learning Certificate

Quick Info
  • Months to Completion: 6 Months
  • Credit and Non-Credit Options Available
Next Session Start Date
June 3, 2013
Admissions Deadline
May 3, 2013

A Stepping Stone to Teaching or Training

Norwich University’s Teaching and Learning Certificate program is designed to equip professionals who already have subject matter expertise within their academic discipline with the knowledge, skills, and credentials to teach at the post-secondary level or train in a corporate setting.  Maybe this is why it is so popular with our alumni. Throughout the course of the program, you will  examine the roles and responsibilities of teachers and students and acquire skills for effective teaching in both online and in-person settings. Key curriculum objectives include learning how to craft educational experiences for diverse learners, create effective assignments and classroom materials, and develop and sustain a vibrant learning community.

The Norwich Advantage

  • Our curriculum combines relevant theory with real-world application, allowing you to take what you learn in class and immediately apply it to your teaching or training.
  • Our skilled faculty members bring a wealth of teaching experience to the virtual classroom and also provide personalized support and guidance. 
  • Our program structure of two 11-week courses means that you can earn your certificate in as little as six months.
  • During the program, you will develop a coursework portfolio that will help showcase your skills to future employers.
  • Through our flexible online platform, you can access program content and contribute to class discussions on your own schedule and at your own pace each week.
  • Four start dates per year (March, June, September, and December) allow you to begin the program when it’s most convenient for you.

Career Preparation

Norwich’s Teaching and Learning Certificate can provide you with the foundation to teach at a two- or four-year university or in a military or corporate educational setting - in online, hybrid, and face-to-face environments. The skills you gain through this program will also be useful in a wide range of professional positions within and outside the field of education.

How to Get Started

With so much to learn and do, it’s easy to lose track of how to get started. Don’t worry: Norwich works hard to make it easy for you. We can guide you through the application process, give you tips on how to get the most out of your Norwich experience, and assist you in getting the required course materials for the Teaching and Learning Certificate program.

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Teaching and Learning Certificate Curriculum

The Teaching and Learning Certificate program is a 12-credit program comprised of two 11-week courses of six credits each. You have the option of taking the courses on a non-credit basis. During your coursework, you will:

  • Develop your personal philosophy of teaching and learning
  • Present a learning experience
  • Create a course syllabus
  • Assemble a portfolio to help aid in your job search that includes a sample letter to a future employer, philosophy statement, and learning experience document

Weekly Topics

ED570 Teaching and Learning I
Week 1:    What Makes a Good Teacher?
Week 2:    The Face of the 21st-Century Classroom
Week 3:    How Do People Learn?
Week 4:    Building a Positive Learning Environment
Week 5:    Choosing Content
Week 6:    Identifying Learning Outcomes and Assessing Learning
Week 7:    Learning about Learning Strategies - I
Week 8:    Learning about Learning Strategies - II
Week 9:    Choosing and Using Media to Enhance Learning
Week 10:  Designing and Presenting a Learning Experience
Week 11:   Your Philosophy of Teaching and Learning

ED571 Teaching and Learning II
Week 1:    What Makes a Good Course - Design and Framing Factors to Consider
Week 2:    Designing for Student Motivation
Week 3:    The Components of an Effective Syllabus
Week 4:    Developing a Course Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessments
Week 5:    Choosing Effective Learning Strategies
Week 6:    Selecting Readings, Tools and Websites
Week 7:    The Importance of Policy (FERPA, grades, plagiarism, class participation, lateness, ADA)
Week 8:    The Ever-Changing Technology Landscape
Week 9:    Putting it Together - Your Course Syllabus
Week 10:  The Importance of Reflective Practice
Week 11:  Completing Your Portfolio

 

Interim Program Director/Associate Dean of Academics

Harold Kearsley, PhD

Welcome to the Norwich University’s Teaching and Learning Certificate Program

This graduate certificate program is designed for new teachers, for those who have some experience yet want to deepen their knowledge and hone their skills, and finally for those who want to begin a career in this vital profession.  The two seminars that comprise this certificate address crucial knowledge and skills needed to be more effective while teaching in face-to-face (F2F), hybrid, and online environments.

People come into this program with different levels of teaching experience as well as many years learning from a variety of backgrounds. Given this wealth of experience, you will quickly realize the importance of learning from each other as well as understanding the materials presented in the classroom. This underscores the point that we are all lifelong learners with an aspiration of sharing that learning with others. When you engage actively with your instructors and each other it creates a dynamic learning environment in which you will grow in your profession. In short, this is an outstanding way to create or advance your teaching skills.

Read Bio

Harold (Hal) Kearsley is the Associate Dean of Academic Programs at Norwich University's College of Graduate and Continuing Studies. He earned his BA in International Studies from the University of South Carolina, his MA in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and his PhD in Political Science from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Hal was an officer in the US Navy prior to entering academics. He has taught and/or held administrative posts at a number of institutions including Schiller International University, Aberdeen University, Southeastern Louisiana University, and Troy University before joining the Norwich University team in 2002. He was the program director for the Master of Arts in Diplomacy program from that time until 2011 and has been the Associate Dean since 2008. He is also a professor of political science in Norwich University's Department of History and Political Science.

Associate Program Director

Alec Adams, MEd, MBA

Alec Adams oversees the administrative and operational needs of online degree completion programs, teaches in the Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis program, and has worked at Norwich University since 2004. Prior to his current role at Norwich, he worked with numerous programs and helped launch the MEd and Master of Science in Organizational Leadership programs. Before joining Norwich he spent seven years teaching, followed by a position as the Head of School where he developed and launched a “traveling” high school called the Academy for Global Exploration. There he oversaw the delivery of secondary education in non-traditional settings (e.g., the jungles of Costa Rica and the islands of Greece). His diverse background includes 12 years in the hospitality industry. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire, a Master in Education with a focus in higher education from Vermont College, and a Master in Business Administration from Norwich University.

Senior Student Services Advisor

Carol Spaulding, MBA

Carol Spaulding has been working at Norwich University for 11 years. Formerly an assistant director for the MBA program, she currently serves as both the senior student services advisor and the admissions advisor for the two online graduate certificate programs at Norwich. Carol is also the student services advisor for the Master of Science in Nursing program. She enjoys helping graduate students so they can have a great experience while in school. Carol has a BA in early childhood education and a Master of Business Administration degree, both from Norwich University. She has been married for 33 years and has two grown children.

Featured Faculty for Teaching and Learning Certificate

Paula Bigatel, PhD
Paula Bigatel began her professional career teaching English as a second language to French-speaking military personnel at a military base in St. Jean, Quebec. While there, she earned her Teaching English as a Second Language certificate and was responsible for revising the military base’s curriculum and developing new teaching materials. After two decades of working in the corporate world, she returned to the education field as an instructor in Penn State University’s teacher education program.In addition to teaching in Norwich’s Certificate in Teaching and Learning program, Dr. Bigatel currently teaches courses for Penn State’s Master in Education program and Technology Certificate program as well as a course in pedagogy for the College of Engineering. She is also a program manager and course developer for a Penn State curriculum development project for the state of Pennsylvania. She earned her BA in psychology and English from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, and her MEd and PhD degrees from Penn State.
Randall H. Miller, MA
Randy Miller teaches in both the Bachelor of Science in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis program as well as the Teaching and Learning Certificate program. He graduated as a member of the Norwich Corps of Cadets in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and then served on active duty in the U.S. Army’s 2nd Infantry Division and 82nd Airborne Division.He worked in the pharmaceutical and high-tech sectors for several years before becoming an educator, and has taught online, face-to-face, and hybrid courses at various levels, including six years in the Dominican Republic. He returned to Norwich as a student and earned a master’s degree in diplomacy in 2007 and a Teaching and Learning Certificate in 2009. He is an active alumnus and has written two books about Norwich history, Norwich Matters and Norwich Heroes. 
Robert Wuagneux, EdD
Robert Wuagneux has taught for many years at the high school and college level. In addition to his teaching duties at Norwich, he teaches in the communication department at Castleton State College. Previously he was the director of campus training and development at the former National School of Technology, where he helped oversee academic advising, curriculum development, and administrative training and evaluation. An accomplished musician and singer/songwriter, he is fluent in Italian, French, and Spanish and qualified as a professional interpreter. He holds a BA in education and psychology from Norwich University, an MA in Spanish from Middlebury College, and a PhD in education/leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Admissions Process

Our admissions process involves a clear set of requirements. First and foremost, your application packet must be complete in order for us to fairly evaluate it. Among the documents you need to submit for the Teaching and Learning Certificate program are an online application form; an essay that addresses why you wish to teach, official transcripts from any post-secondary institutions from which a degree has been awarded, and a resume. Full admissions requirements can be found at the Teaching and Learning Certificate Admissions.

Find Out More

About Teaching and Learning admissions requirements.

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Next Start Date
June 3, 2013
Application Deadline
May 3, 2013

Admissions Department Hours
Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST
Extended hours available by appointment
 

Phone: 1-866-684-7237

Tuition

The Teaching and Learning Certificate program is an investment in your future that we can help you manage from a financial perspective. There are many ways to get financial assistance and many strategies that can help you achieve your goals. Whatever your individual situation, we can guide you through the financial planning process.

Tuition Overview

Tuition: $2,950

Cost is the same whether taken for credit or not for credit.

See the Tuition and Fee Schedule »

Answers to Your Questions

Our admissions advisors are ready to help you plan your education at Norwich University.

Admissions Department Hours 

Mon-Fri: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST

Phone: 1-866-684-7237
Email: certificates@online.norwich.edu

Mastering the Skills to Be a Teacher

With two Norwich programs under his belt (first the Master of Arts in Diplomacy, which was quickly followed up with the Teaching and Learning Certificate), Luke Medvegy has found a place to put his education into practice. Now an instructor and doctrine writer for the Army Logistics University's Ordinance Basic Officer Leader's Course, Medvegy says his Norwich education "increased both my depth and breadth of knowledge of world events. This is what I used on a daily basis in the classroom environment." It is not uncommon for many of Norwich’s graduate alumni to also pursue the Teaching and Learning Certificate, especially so soon after completing their master’s program. Like Medvegy and Norwich alumni before him, they often seek to apply their master’s degree and professional skills in teaching positions at various levels. For Medvegy, his Norwich journey took him from student to teacher while juggling his time and duties in the United States Army.

Learning to teach

Medvegy first learned about Norwich University in 2003 when he was commissioned into the Army. There, he served with several members of the Norwich community, and when the time came to return to school for his master’s degree, he says he knew without a doubt that his "educational needs would be met by Norwich University." Stationed at the Army Logistics University at Fort Lee in Virginia, he had the time to begin studying; knowing that he would be headed to Saudi Arabia for his next posting, he enrolled in Norwich’s Master of Arts in Diplomacy program.

"I walked away with a sense of achievement and mission accomplishment," Medvegy says, recalling his experience with the diplomacy program. "It was tremendously rewarding." While attending the capstone residency experience as part of the diplomacy program, he was able to meet and network with his classmates and program faculty. Those interactions led Medvegy to pursue the Norwich Teaching and Learning Certificate. "I knew that I wanted to return to ALU (Army Logistics University) to teach lieutenants in the Basic Officer Leader Course,” he says. “The Teaching and Learning Certificate program provided me the opportunity to link diplomacy in the classroom in an effort to teach young lieutenants of today."

Joining the ranks of teacher

As an instructor at the Army Logistics University, Medvegy now administers professional leader development programs in logistics management and supervisory skills to Basic Officer Leader Course students. He is responsible for planning, developing, scheduling, and conducting tactical / multifunctional logistics training for many units including international officers, Department of the Army civilians, and National Guard personnel. He says the skills he developed from the Teaching and Learning Certificate program have equipped him for this multifaceted role.

“The  program prepared me on how to write lesson plans, facilitate/teach them, and how to evaluate students using Bloom's Taxonomy for higher learning in adult education,” Medvegy says. He also believes that the tools taught in the program can be applicable for teachers in a variety of fields, adding, “I would recommend this to any upcoming teacher looking to perfect their craft.”

As he moves forward in his career, Medvegy looks back at his time at Norwich, saying, “Norwich provided me the tools for my success. Now, the rest is up to me.”

Editor's Note: The Teaching and Learning Certificate is open to anyone who is interested in teaching at the post-secondary level or being a trainer in a corporate/community setting. Many alumni of Norwich's master's programs pursue this certificate for these very reasons.