Alumni of the Washington University Teaching Citation program report that completing the program helped them to learn about evidence-based pedagogies, develop specific, effective teaching strategies, practice reflective teaching, and prepare and apply for academic jobs. Students have also noted the support and stimulation of the Citation’s multidisciplinary learning community.

What do alumni say about the Teaching Citation?

It helped me to get a teaching position.

“In one job interview they asked, ‘If you could highlight just one thing on your CV to us, what would it be?’ I highlighted the Teaching Citation because it meant I went above and beyond the already high demands of my graduate program in order to better prepare myself for teaching. They loved the answer and offered me the job that very day.” –Anonymous Social Science PhD, 2012, now an assistant professor

“The Teaching Certificate prepared me to go on the market and speak about my teaching experiences in a manner that made me stand out from other applicants. I was more thoughtful, consistent, and confident because I had participated in many and various kinds of conversations and classes.” –Anonymous Humanities PhD, 2011, now an assistant professor

It helped me to become a better teacher.

“The program served as model for excellent and continued dialogue on teaching approaches, something I look forward to replicating in different settings in the future with my colleagues. I look forward to be[ing] more experimental with new approaches, [and to] trying on different models in my classroom to suit and address the needs of all my students. I’ve learned that creating an inclusive classroom requires constant revision of approaches and presentation modes to suit different students.” –Ervin Malakaj, PhD in Germanic Languages and Literatures, 2015, now Visiting Assistant Professor of German at Sam Houston State University.

“Earning the Teaching Citation exposed me to a lot of new ideas early in my career, which has helped me think about my teaching more deeply and has encouraged me to seek out others who are committed to teaching.” –Emily Ronshausen, PhD in Mathematics, 2009, ACE Instructor, UC Santa Cruz

“I found both the workshops and individual feedback extremely valuable. Through workshops such as “Designing a Course” and “Leading Discussions,” my approaches and views completely changed for the better, making me a stronger teacher. For anyone interested in teaching, or even one-on-one mentoring, I think the Teaching Citation program provides so many tools to enhance one’s ability.” –Kara Powder, PhD in Genetics, 2011, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

“The Teaching Citation Program helped me to become a better teacher and benefited my career. I think it is exciting to see a top-tier research institution like Washington University place such an emphasis on preparing doctoral students to be teachers as well as researchers.” –Andrew Butler, PhD in Psychology, 2009, Assistant Professor, The University of Texas, Austin

It helped me write a Teaching Philosophy Statement.

“One of the most practical benefits of the teaching citation was writing the first draft of my teaching philosophy statement. The teaching citation program gave me a list of positive things from my teaching experience to highlight and helped me identify areas that I needed to address (e.g. not having ever taught a large lecture course but now applying for jobs that required such an experience).” –Benedict Kolber, 2008 PhD, Assistant Professor, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh