A lot of the work you do to enhance your teaching goes unnoticed. You can expend even more energy making this work visible to showcase your achievement. Fortunately, certificates are one way to demonstrate your accomplishments in a simple, organized way.
Certificates signify and recognize an evidence-based, deep learning experience. We offer certificates for all different teaching experiences, from new teaching assistants, to experienced faculty members. Browse the current collection of certificates we offer.
Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) - Internationally recognized!
Join us for this internationally recognized certificate program that originated in Canada via the Instructional Skills Workshop Network! The ISW is an intensive, 3-day workshop where participants work collaboratively in a small group setting to further develop their teaching effectiveness as they design and lead three 10-minute lessons. Following each, participants receive reflective verbal, written, and video feedback from the other participants who have been learners.
The ISW is offered in July, August, and December every year.
Certificates in university teaching
The key features for participation include
- The requirements are delivered wholly online, so you can work flexibly at your own pace when it works for you.
- The certificates are recognized at York and beyond, so they can support your dossier as you progress in your teaching career or apply for teaching awards.
In these certificates you will:
- Navigate York University’s learning management system, eClass to experience its features and help you decide how you'd like to use eClass in your own teaching.
- Apply pedagogical principles to the practice of teaching across a variety of modalities (online, blended, in-person).
- Integrate best practices and proven strategies to enhance your teaching and your students' learning across one or more of our certificate themes:
- Assessment
- Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (DEDI)
- Student engagement
Recommended pre-/co-requisite: Course Design Intensive (offered every summer)
Completion requirements:
- Successful completion of three eligible courses (list of all courses in a tab below)
- Visit our calendar to find what's on offer now
- Capstone
- Update your statement of teaching philosophy to reflect your learning.
- If you do not yet have a statement of teaching philosophy, a module provides resources and activities to support you.
- Update your statement of teaching philosophy to reflect your learning.
- Download this checklist to plan your progress, and use it to request your certificate by emailing us when you have completed all requirements.
Time commitment:
- The certificate in university teaching essentials represents roughly 20 hours of participant time.
- It can be completed within a one-year span, and should be completed within a two-year span.
The certificate in university teaching leadership represents an additional ~15 hours of participant time, for a total of roughly 35 hours. This certificate can be completed within a two-year span, and should be completed within a four-year span.
Completion requirements (complete all of the following):
- The certificate in university teaching (essentials) (above)
- Two additional eligible Teaching Commons certificate courses (find the list below for all courses, and visit our calendar to see what's on offer now).
- Courses fall into the assessment, student engagement, and DEDI themes. Complete three courses, in total, from the same theme to receive a specialist’s badge on your certificate, or mix and match.
- Capstone
- Create and share a teaching resource in our TC website repository (e.g., syllabus statement, assignment redesign, annotated syllabus, video eClass tour). (Your capstone resource should align broadly with your chosen theme to receive the specialist’s badge).
- The submission process involves one round of feedback and revision, provided either by Teaching Commons staff or by a peer also participating in the leadership certificate.
- Community contribution
- Present or speak at a York-hosted, teaching/learning-related community of practice, showcase, hack-a-thon, panel, conference, or other event. Submit proof of participation and a brief written or oral reflection. (Your contribution should align broadly with your chosen theme to receive the specialist’s badge).
- Should such an opportunity not be available, participants may alternatively provide meaningful feedback on a leadership certificate peer’s capstone resource.
- Download this checklist to plan your progress, and use it to request your certificate by emailing us when you have completed all requirements.
The certificate in university teaching (leadership) positions you ideally to take on formal or informal leadership roles regarding teaching and learning in your departmental or unit context, and the Teaching Commons will support you in this with co-facilitation of one department-level session and prepared materials for you to adapt and use in two follow-up sessions.
The following courses all count towards these certificates. They can be taken in any order, and can also be taken as stand-alone offerings. Note that we offer three courses per year, so if a course you are interested in is not currently available, you can expect it to run in an upcoming year. Visit our calendar to see what's on offer now.
All courses are delivered entirely online and are highly participatory, with active facilitation by Teaching Commons staff. On average, each course requires roughly 6-8 hours of time - more information is available on the registration page for each course, accessible via our calendar.
Assessment-themed courses
- Assessing Learning: Grading, Evaluation, and Feedback
- Multimodal Assignments: Deep Learning through Engaging Assignments
- Reboot Your Final: Alternative Approaches to Tests and Exams
Decolonizing, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion (DEDI)-themed courses
- Access & Equity in Teaching
- Caring to Teach: Pedagogies of Care in Higher Education
- Inclusive Foundations: Universal Design for Learning Principles in Action
Student engagement-themed courses
- The Art of Conversation: Designing, Facilitating, and Teaching with Discussion
- Creative Course Content: Instructional Strategies for Learning
- Engagement Strategies for Teaching Challenges
Certificates in Artificial Intelligence (AI) pedagogies
AI is changing higher education—are you ready to lead, question, and teach with confidence?
The Certificates in AI Pedagogies are a flexible program designed for all who teach at York and are looking to build a thoughtful, informed, and balanced approach to teaching and learning in the age of generative AI. Whether you’re eager to explore new tools or cautiously considering the implications, this program provides space for both critical reflection and practical experimentation.
In these certificates, you will:
- Explore how AI is reshaping higher ed pedagogy—ethically, culturally, and technologically
- Choose your path: dive into critical conversations or experiment with practical teaching strategies (or both!)
- Apply what you learn by creating or revising teaching materials for your own context
- Connect with a growing community of colleagues at York navigating AI in education
Choose between the Essentials and the Leadership certificates (below). Visit this list of events from our website calendar to find current offerings that can count towards the certificates.
Questions? Email Robin Sutherland-Harris.
The Certificate in AI Pedagogies (Essentials) represents roughly 20 hours of participant time. It can be completed within a one-year span, and should be completed within a two-year span.
Completion requirements:
- Two core components:
- AI & Education Course (offered in Fall Semester)
- AI Intensive (offered in Winter Semester)
- Three workshops from our AI workshop series (listed in a tab below)
- Workshops fall into the Critical Lens theme and Practical Pedagogies theme. Take all three workshops from the same theme to receive a Specialist’s Badge on your certificate, or mix and match.
- Capstone
- Update your Statement of Teaching Philosophy to address the role of AI in education.
- Community Engagement
- Attend a York-hosted, AI-related showcase, hack-a-thon, panel, conference, or other event and submit proof of registration and a brief written or oral reflection.
- Download this checklist to plan your progress, and use it to request your certificate by emailing us when you have completed all requirements.
The Certificate in AI Pedagogies (Leadership) represents an additional 15 hours of participant time, for a total of roughly 35 hours. This certificate can be completed within a one-year span, and should be completed within a four-year span.
Completion requirements:
- The Certificate in AI Pedagogies (Essentials) (details above)
- Three additional workshops from our AI workshop series (listed in a tab below)
- Workshops fall into the Critical Lens theme and Practical Pedagogies themes. Take five out of six workshops, in total, from the same theme to receive a Specialist’s Badge on your certificate, or mix and match.
- Capstone
- Create and share a teaching resource in our TC website repository (e.g., syllabus statement, assignment redesign, AI course policy) (Your Capstone resource should align broadly with either the Critical Lens theme or the Practical Pedagogies theme to receive the Specialist’s Badge).
- The submission process involves one round of feedback and revision, provided either by Teaching Commons staff or by a peer also participating in the Leadership Certificate.
- Community Contribution
- Present or speak at the AI Institute, the GenAI Pedagogies Community of Practice, or at a York-hosted, AI-related showcase, hack-a-thon, panel, conference, or other event. Submit proof of participation and a brief written or oral reflection. (Your contribution should align broadly with either the Critical Lens theme or the Practical Pedagogies theme to receive the Specialist’s Badge).
- Should such an opportunity not be available, participants may alternatively provide meaningful feedback on a Leadership Certificate peer’s Capstone resource.
- Download this checklist to plan your progress, and use it to request your certificate by emailing us when you have completed all requirements.
The Certificate in AI Pedagogies (Leadership) positions you ideally to take on formal or informal leadership roles regarding AI in your departmental or unit context, and the Teaching Commons will support you in this with co-facilitation of one department-level session and prepared materials for you to adapt and use in two follow-up sessions.
The following workshops all count towards these certificates. They can be taken in any order, and can also be taken as stand-alone offerings. Note that we offer a subcollection of workshops per year, so if a workshop you are interested in is not currently available, you can expect it to run in an upcoming year. Visit our calendar to see what's on offer now and find more information.
Critical Lens Workshops
- Surveillance Pedagogies? AI, Integrity, & Trust
- Who’s At the Table? Bias, Positionality, and Pedagogical Power
- Not Just a Tool: AI, Access, and the Ownership of Student Work
- What’s Ours to Keep: Reimagining Teaching Roles in the Age of AI
- Hidden Costs: AI’s Environmental and Infrastructural Impact on Education
Practical Pedagogies Workshops
- Building AI Literacy: Helping Students Use Tools Thoughtfully and Transparently
- Course Workflows: Streamlining Teaching with AI Support
- The AI-Enhanced Writer: Supporting Process, Product, and Academic Integrity
- Assessment Futures: Creating Assignments That Withstand and Integrate AI
- Learning, Not Shortcuts: Centring Growth in AI-Supported Classrooms
Certificates for Teaching Assistants (TAs)
Record of completion certificate
Preparing to teach as a Teaching Assistant for the first time, or in a new place, can be overwhelming. Being fully supported with directions and resources focused on teaching preparation, as well as financial support, makes a difference. The record of completion certificate offers resources and intentional activities to prepare for your role.
The CUPE 3903 Unit 1 (union for TAs) collective agreement indicates on page 70 how you can be paid 5 hours at the marker/grader rate for completing the record of completion certificate.
Requirements
- Complete any five (5) online modules by the Teaching Commons in one academic year (September - August)
- For new TAs, Teaching Assistant Course Orientation (TACO) is recommended.
- For experienced TAs, choose any 5 modules from the following collections:
- We will record your completion and email you an electronic copy of your certificate. Certificates are emailed in October and February each academic year.
There is nothing specific you need to do to enrol in this certificate program, but if you think you've earned a certificate, but don't receive notification by the end of October or February, email teaching@yorku.ca
Teaching Assistant Certificate in Teaching (TACT)
This certificate consists of a one-semester course offered every winter with five 2-hour interactive sessions and online learning and preparation between sessions, for a total time commitment of approximately 20 hours.
During the course, you will:
- Connect and learn collaboratively with a community of individuals committed to professional development in teaching and learning.
- Investigate the ways in which teaching strategies are used intentionally.
- Express and practice different teaching and learning strategies to design and teach a 10-minute BOPPPS lesson giving and receiving feedback based on EDDIA and research evidence.
Find upcoming offerings (or current and past)
For future offering(s) of this course, please add your name to our waitlist, and we'll reach out when new offerings are available.