GSAS PhD students who would like to demonstrate their commitment to developing as teachers in higher education may pursue one of the Bok Center’s Teaching Certificates. Our Certificates provide an opportunity for PhD students to structure their teaching development over time, in community with peers. Click on the tiles below to view the details of each certificate:
Teaching Certificates
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"Tools and Techniques for Leading Classroom Discussions invigorated my teaching, and I was able to learn more about how to construct effective lesson plans and how to better foster a generative and inquisitive classroom space."
- Jewel Pereyra, American Studies, Teaching Certificate Recipient 2021–22
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"I believe I have become a more self-reflective, flexible and sensitive teacher, better equipped to address the needs of my students, and more confident in my ability to adapt to those needs as they necessarily will change over time."
- Elaine Fitz Gibbon, Music, Teaching Certificate Recipient 2022-23
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"I learned practical skills, heard from experts in the field, got exposed to the literature in teaching, and refined my own techniques in terms of interacting with students and bringing them the best educational experience possible."
-Charles Law, Astronomy, Teaching Certificate Recipient 2021–22
The Bok Teaching Certificate
GSAS PhD students may pursue a Bok Teaching Certificate through a variety of different avenues, depending on the pedagogical training offered in their respective departments and their own interests. Participants can join the Certificate program at any time, but we recommend that you begin early in your teaching, so that you have a chance to reflect on your progress over time.
To complete the Certificate, participants must fulfill requirements in three areas:
Please plan ahead to make the most of each component of the Certificate. Completing the Bok Teaching Certificate typically takes at least 2 semesters and requires you to record a section while you are teaching at Harvard. Requirements may be completed in any order, and there is no deadline for completion. Certificates are awarded on a rolling basis.
Learn
Take three seminars that cover a range of topics in pedagogy and classroom practice:
1. One seminar must cover core principles in pedagogy and classroom practice. This may be satisfied by either:
- A department's or program's pedagogy course (view a current list); or
- At least one Bok Seminar tagged as CORE. Seminars that fulfill this requirement will be marked as *CORE on the Bok Seminars page.
2. Take ANY two additional Bok Seminars.
Bok Seminars are organized into categories based on target audience and topic: Foundations, Methods & Classroom Practice, Equity & Inclusion, Communication & Language, and Professional Development (for experienced TFs). Candidates should be intentional in assembling meaningful electives that will allow them to tell a coherent story about their progress through the Certificate.
Practice
Complete a classroom video consultation. For this requirement, you will record a section or class you are teaching at Harvard and meet with a consultant from the Bok Center to reflect on and discuss the recording. Use the form on our website to request a video consultation. Some departmental pedagogy courses (e.g. History, Music, Government) require participants to record their section and have a consultation with their Pedagogy Fellow, which fulfills this requirement. See the FAQ below for additional information. Please plan ahead to ensure you can meet this requirement.
The video consultation allows you to intentionally plan a class and have the experience of reflecting on it and discussing it with a consultant. What do you notice about your class when you take on the role of student or observer? What are other ways of approaching the course material or strategies to engage students? Use these questions in conjunction with your teaching goals to guide your conversation with your consultant.
Reflect
Create three products that capture your critical reflections on teaching and learning:
- A teaching statement similar to one which might be included in a Teaching Portfolio.
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An original syllabus for a course you might propose to teach, whether at Harvard or at another university.
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A reflective piece of approximately 1000 words which integrates what you have learned from the experience of pursuing the teaching certificate. Candidates should write a reflective narrative on their trajectory through the certificate, incorporating any or all of the following: the connections (or disconnections) between the seminars they took, what the experience has meant to them, particularly noteworthy takeaways that they will use in their future teaching or scholarship, and ideas or suggestions to inform future iterations of the Bok Teaching Certificate.
In addition to the guidance offered by our Online Resources, several of our Bok Seminars also provide a workshop environment in which you may create and refine these materials.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is eligible to pursue the Bok Teaching Certificate?
Our certificates are limited to GSAS PhD students and others at similar career stages engaged in the teaching of Harvard College undergraduates.
2. Can I pursue the Bok Teaching Certificate if I’m a postdoctoral fellow?
Postdoctoral fellows who do not teach are not eligible for the Bok Teaching Certificate. If you are teaching undergraduates in Harvard College as a Teaching Fellow or Teaching Assistant, you may apply for the Bok Teaching Certificate. If you are teaching in Harvard College as a head instructor, preceptor, or lecturer, please refer to our resources for Harvard faculty.
3. Can I pursue both the Bok Teaching Certificate and the Bok Certificate in Teaching Language and Culture?
Participants should choose the certificate program most relevant to their disciplines and their goals for university teaching. If you would like to talk more about which program is the best fit for you and your goals, contact us at bokcenter@fas.harvard.edu.
4. Does having a microteaching lesson recorded count for the video consultation requirement?
No, the video consultation must be for a class or section you are teaching at Harvard. Some departmental pedagogy courses and Bok Seminars record participants giving a microteaching or practice lesson, which does not count toward this requirement.
5. Does attending the Fall Teaching Conference, Winter Teaching Week, or Hit the Ground Running Fundamentals Training count toward the Bok Teaching Certificate?
No, attending sessions at the Fall Teaching Conference or Winter Teaching Week or attending the Hit the Ground Running Fundamentals Training does not count toward the seminar requirement for the Bok Teaching Certificate.
Bok Teaching Certificate Recipients
2023-2024
Phil Brooks, Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Joie Szu-Chiao Chen, Religion
Ju Chulakadabba, Environmental Science and Engineering
Cammie Curtin, Human Evolutionary Biology
Neha Dhawan, Psychology
Leora Eisenberg, History
Camden Elliott, History
Haoxue Fan, Psychology
Chengyu Fu, Government
Greta Galeotti, Classics
Stanley Gill, Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Katherine Irajpanah, Government
Lucy Lai, Neuroscience
Yaowei Li, Environmental Science and Engineering
William Martin, English
Ethan Matlin, Economics
Marcia Mendes McLean, Romance Languages and Literatures
Xiang Meng, Statistics
Megan Michel, Human Evolutionary Biology
Lauren Miner, Neuroscience
Andrew Ntapalis, Classics
Shae Omonijo, History
Linda Pan, Earth and Planetary Sciences
Nicolás Parra Herrera, Harvard Law School
Martín Peña, Philosophy
Yuxin Qin, Religion
Houri Christina Tarazi, Physics
Rachel Terry, Molecular and Cellular Biology
Randa Wahbe, Anthropology
Mark Wright, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Susannah Wright, Classics
Yin Zhang, Population Health Sciences
Amy Zhou, Biostatistics
View Bok Teaching Certificate Recipients from Previous Academic Years
Graduate Student News
Teaching Matters
Hear reflections on the value of the Bok Center, and of teaching, in our Teaching Matters gallery.
We are here for PhD students!
MEET WITH US about the best ways to use our programs and resources, depending on your teaching and professional development goals.
Hit the Ground Running
Explore our Hit the Ground Running resource site, which includes self-study modules on the fundamentals of teaching, engaged communication, equitable and inclusive teaching, and more.