Overview
Based on a model at Boise State University and DU’s University College, this program provides a pathway for DU’s adjunct faculty to demonstrate their teaching skills, develop and reflect on their practice, and earn a certification of their teaching excellence. This expands DUs commitment to investing in the professional development of our adjunct series faculty who play a significant role in the student experience and in the classroom.
Part-time faculty offer their subject-matter expertise, pedagogical skills, and support for DU’s students, advancing our mission to be a private university devoted to the public good. We cannot sustain transformative education without recognizing and developing our adjunct faculty members. Often in R1 institutions the perception of the adjunct professorial series an as institutional outsiders increased as research TT are valued more. DU has a committed pool of adjuncts necessary to the teaching enterprise and to our overall workforce. Investing in their success is important to retaining a high-quality adjunct faculty pool and engaging experts and professionals in the learning experience to help train the next generation of practitioners.
The Adjunct Faculty Teaching Excellence program, designed by the Office of Teaching and Learning and the Office of Faculty Affairs, emerges from our commitment to investing in the professional development of our adjunct series faculty. This program promotes growth as a scholarly and reflective teacher and offers opportunities for community building and integrative reflection.
Participation
The program provides both synchronous and asynchronous options in seven competency areas:
Universal Design for Learning & Accessibility
Teaching with Technology
Teaching with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Facilitation
Inclusive Teaching Practices
Designing for Learning
Professional Identity
This curated set of professional development opportunities is selected for part-time instructors. Faculty participants must complete five of these competences and will receive a Teaching Excellence Certificate upon completion of the program.
If you already signed up, you should see the Adjunct Teaching Excellence Course appear in Canvas. If you have questions about how to access the Canvas course, please reach out to the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) at otl@du.edu.
Program Details
The certificate program is accessed through a Canvas course, which articulates the goals, learning outcomes, and requirements.
Program
The program entails completing coursework in 5 competencies, each of which corresponds to a module in Canvas.
Synchronous/Asynchronous Offering
Each competency will have both synchronous and asynchronous offerings.
Choice
Faculty choose from the menu of (at least) 2 offerings per competency.
Time
We expect each offering to take 1 – 2 hours to complete. Anticipated total time commitment: 5-10 hours.
Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) Courses
OTL offers more intensive courses that have larger time commitments (and are optional) but that also will meet the Teaching Excellence Certificate requirements.
Certificate
Faculty who complete the course will receive $250 and a Teaching Excellence Certificate.
Celebration
The DU Community will gather each Spring Quarter to celebrate the faculty who completed the program.
ATEP Certificate Earners
Özlü Aran
Jessica Benson-Yang
Kayla Bettis-Weber
Amy Bishop
Lori Blinderman
Lora Louise Broady
Diane Butler
Francisco Chacon
Lauren Collins
Silvia Comuzzi-Sexton
Evony Cooper
Latricia Davis
Hewaida Elbadry
Matthew Fegan
Michael Furry
Colleen Gibley-Reed
Victoria Giles-Vazquez
Keely Gohl
Elise Goss-Alexander
Rene Guerette
Abigail Hansen
Christopher Heckert
Marji Karish
Ann Koerner
Michael Laminack
Alexandria Leach
Evans Mensah
Petra Meyer-Frazier
Geoffrey Miller
Joselyn Nesson
Divinity O’Connor DeLosRios
James O’Donnell
Sophia Olán
Carrie Olson
Johanna Robb
Jennifer Sayre
Sid Simonson
Michele Smith
David Tasker
Laurel Tawresey
Nathanael Taylor
Kristopher Tetzlaff
Julie Thornton
Vicki Tomlin
Jason Turret
Keiko Yoneyama-Sims
Sarah Zinn
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have additional questions, please email the Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) at otl@du.edu.
If you are teaching a course at DU as an adjunct faculty member, you can sign up for the course by completing the ATEP pre-survey. At the end of the pre-survey, you will receive a link to self-enroll into the Canvas course.
You will receive your certificate at the annual Spring Celebration which will be in-person at DU.
Your certificate will be sent digitally and via regular mail.
Complete a series of curated professional development opportunities offered by the Office of Teaching and Learning and Faculty Affairs, including asynchronous opportunities and activities tailored for part-time instructors.
Yes. Without completing the post-survey, you cannot complete the course, and therefore will not get a certificate.
The post-survey is only accessible when you have completed five of the modules.
Five modules must be completed to complete the course.
No, you don’t. You get to choose which five modules are best suited to your teaching.
Your progress is tracked in the program through the gradebook within the ATEP Canvas course. Check there to see which modules you have completed and their status.
Every module has an asynchronous option available for them. If it is easier or fits better for your schedule to complete the asynchronous option, feel free to do so.
No. Although some options may fulfill the requirements for multiple competencies, participants must choose a distinct option for each competency.
