Innovations in Undergraduate Multicultural Teaching and Learning Post Baccalaureate Certificate Program (15 credit hours)
The mission of PsTL graduate programs is to serve current and future faculty and staff at undergraduate institutions that are interested in developing innovative teaching and learning strategies with an emphasis on access and success for traditionally under-served students. A broad understanding of multiculturalism is employed that includes race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, and religion, so as to acknowledge that personal identity is complex and various.
The Certificate program seeks to contribute long-term, systemic, and comprehensive solutions for improving the quality of teaching and learning for all undergraduates, particularly those who have traditionally been underserved in higher education. Our program responds to critical developments in contemporary undergraduate education which result in a pressing need for innovative programs in teaching and learning:
- The increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and United States.
- The widening academic disparities between students who are white and underrepresented students of color, between the affluent and the urban and rural poor, and between first-generation college students and children of college-educated parents
- The expanding number of students who are academically under-prepared for the level, intensity, expectations, and culture of higher education.
- The pressing need for advanced study of contemporary multicultural learning environments, preparation of new faculty, and skill enhancement of experienced faculty and administrators.
The certificate program experience includes the following design features:
1. Participant learning community reflection time. Participants engage in reflective conversations that make connections among innovative ideas and experiences gained, practicum learning experiences, personal reflections leading to new choices, and action research in teaching and learning.
2. Practicum experience. Participants engage in activities, which may include curriculum design, instructional delivery, and outcome assessment. Students select a learning environment venue for employing new behaviors and receiving feedback.
Graduates of the Certificate in Innovations in Undergraduate Multicultural Teaching and Learning will be leaders of learning assistance programs, outreach and summer bridge programs, and innovators in undergraduate classrooms.
For more information, please contact the PsTL Director of Graduate Studies at pstlgrad@umn.edu
How to Apply to Certificate Program
What if I only want to take a course or two?
Graduate courses offered in PSTL