Teaching and Learning Certificate Program

The Teaching and Learning Certificate program is unique in that it:

• Offers live, interactive workshops presented by nationally known faculty and preceptors.
• Focuses on clinical education in both the didactic and experiential setting.
• Provides a systematic/foundational core of educational principles and practices.
• Incorporates opportunities for self-assessment. peer assessment, and feedback from a mentor.
• Develops an online formative portfolio that enhances and documents each participant's progress during the program.
• Provides a convenient and cost-efficient delivery of program courses by offering them during ACCP's spring and fall meetings on a recurring basis.
• Allows participants to elect additional areas of study that are tailored to their specific instructional needs.
• Awards a Certificate of Completion and official ACCP recognition once the participant completes the program requirements.

The Academy curriculum consists of 18 hours of required modules and 10 hours of curricular track elective modules. Required modules are 1) a day-long basic training workshop, and 2) three 4-hour academic symposia that focus on a) planning for effective teaching, b) implementing teaching and learning strategies, and c) assessing student learning. To complete the 10 hours of curricular track electives, participants can choose modules that examine in more detail such topics as case-writing, group discussions, syllabus preparation, exam construction, and professionalism. All of these interactive sessions are conducted at the spring and fall ACCP meetings. Throughout the curriculum, participants will develop and receive feedback on the teaching portfolios they develop. It is anticipated that most individuals will complete the curriculum in 2–3 years.

Requirements

Course Work

Prerequisite Module: Basic Training
This introductory workshop is designed to introduce new clinical faculty and preceptors to the basic "essentials" of teaching. "Basic" here refers not to elementary materials and methods but to foundational principles that undergird teaching in classroom and clinical settings. The program begins with an investigation of the professional nature of teaching and an overview of teaching and learning paradigms; these serve as a rationale for the rest of the program. Participants will be engaged in creating learning outcomes, designing teaching strategies to achieve the outcomes, and employing criteria-referenced, evidence-based assessment feedback to improve student mastery of outcomes. Teaching and learning strategies will focus on both classroom instruction and clinical precepting. In these workshop activities, participants will integrate concepts of critical thinking, active learning, ability-based education, and assessment-as-learning. At the end of the session, participants will be encouraged to explore their own philosophies of teaching and to use teaching portfolios as a method for directing their growth as clinical pharmacy educators.

Outcomes:

• Describe basic concepts related to current pedagogical theory and practice as they pertain to pharmacy education and practice.
• Develop basic strategies for planning, implementing, and assessing educational experiences structured to achieve clearly defined student outcomes within didactic and clinical settings.
• Clarify one's one own purposes, goals, and philosophy for teaching, and identify strategies for continued self-learning.

The basic training module is a prerequisite for the three required academic modules described below. Basic training will be offered annually each fall on the day prior to the ACCP Annual Meeting.

Required Modules

The required modules are opportunities for participants to achieve more in-depth learning of the topics presented in the basic training module. Offered on a rotating basis in the spring and fall, these half-day sessions are interactive, and participants will be encouraged to share ideas as a part of the learning experience. The focus of each module is described below.

Required Module No. 1: Planning for Effective Teaching

Outcomes:

• Develop learning objectives/outcomes for didactic and clinical settings.
• Create learning activities to achieve objectives/outcomes.
• Develop strategies that promote higher and more sustained levels of learning.

Required Module No. 2: Implementing Teaching and Learning Strategies

Outcomes:

• Implement active learning in both the classroom and clinic.
• Conduct discussions that achieve objectives/outcomes.
• Present interactive lectures.
• Employ precepting skills that motivate students toward life long learning.

Required Module No. 3: Assessing Student Learning

Outcomes:

• Develop assessment-as-learning strategies to enhance student learning in didactic and clinical settings.
• Design a course formulated on ability-based educational principles and strategies.

Elective Modules
The purpose of the elective modules is to allow participants to address specific teaching issues and challenges, and to apply them to their own educational environments. Examples are: How to lead discussions; How to create a portfolio assessment system; How to provide feedback in a clinical setting; How to develop complex cases; How to create and use criteria for assessment; How to handle disruptive students; How to motivate students for self-learning; How to develop professional attitudes in students; How to create and use grading templates. The Teaching and Learning Certificate Program requires completion of 10 hours of elective modules.

Outcomes:

• To address instructional needs associated with specific teaching environments.
• To develop teaching skills and strategies that can be incorporated directly into particular experiential or didactic instructional settings.

Portfolio

In addition to completing the 18 hours of required modules and 10 hours of elective modules, each participant must assemble a formative portfolio containing teaching philosophy, teaching products, self-assessments, and peer or mentor assessments. Beginning this fall, portfolio development will be initiated following completion of the basic training module. Each of the three academic symposia will help participants further develop future teaching materials for the portfolio.

Participants are encouraged to recruit a mentor from their own institutions to provide guidance and feedback for the portfolio. Each participant will maintain the portfolio via an online system developed and maintained by ACCP.

ACCP Academy
Teaching and Learning Certificate Program
2006-2009 Curricular Schedule

Notes

1. The prerequisite basic training module will be offered every fall on the day before the ACCP Annual Meeting.
2. One required 4-hour academic symposium will be offered every fall, embedded in regular meeting programming.
3. Two required 4-hour academic symposia will be offered every spring: one on the day before the Spring Forum, and one embedded in regular programming.
4. Curricular track electives (2 offerings, each 2 hours in length) will be offered every spring and fall, embedded in regular meeting programming.

Enrollment and Program Costs
The program application form can be downloaded as a PDF file from the ACCP Web site at Academy Program Application Other than the regular meeting registration fees for the ACCP spring/fall meetings or selected premeeting symposia, there are no added costs for obtaining the program's required or elective modules. A one-time application fee of $100 (to offset expenses for online portfolio maintenance) will be charged upon enrollment in the certificate program. Note that those who have attended prior 2005 and 2006 ACCP Teaching and Learning Programming can receive "advanced placement" credit in the certificate program.

Questions? Visit the FAQs page or contact Wendi Sirna.