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Theory and Inquiry Certificate of Completion

The goals of the Theory and Inquiry Certificate of Completion are to introduce educators to a range of teaching and learning topics across the areas of instructional skills, digital pedagogies and research on teaching and learning, and to support educators in deepening their knowledge in these areas.

The Teaching and Learning Certificate of Completion is comprised of zero-unit* graduate level courses approved through the School of Graduate Studies and offered through the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching.

*All of the courses are zero-unit with the exception of EDUCATN 750/751, which can be as a three-unit course (via the EDUCATN 750 course code) or a zero-unit course (via the EDUCATN 751 course code). Graduate students should ask their department/school whether they have permission to take the three-unit version of the course, and if so, whether the course will count towards their degree requirements. 

Certificate of Completion Requirements

The Theory and Inquiry Certificate of Completion requires the completion of two courses:

  • EDUCATN 640; and
  • one of EDUCATN 740, EDUCATN 750/751, EDUCATN 760 or EDUCATN 770.

These combinations result in four possible pathways to complete the Theory and Inquiry Certificate of Completion:

  1. Experimentation Path: EDUCATN 640 + EDUCATN 740 OR
  2. Theory Path: EDUCATN 640 + EDUCATN 750/751 OR
  3. Scholarly Teaching Path: EDUCATN 640 +EDUCATN 760 OR
  4. Digital Pedagogy Path: EDUCATN 640 + EDUCATN 770

The courses may be taken as stand-alone offerings – individuals do not need to be working towards earning a Certificate of Completion.  

Enrolment

The Teaching and Learning Certificate of Completion is open to all educators at McMaster and a selection of EDUCATN courses are offered each term. 

Graduate students enrol in the courses that comprise the Teaching and Learning Certificate of Completion through Mosaic. 

All other educators (e.g., postdoctoral fellows, sessional instructors, McMaster Continuing Education instructors, faculty, and staff) enroll by emailing Emily Hynes (hynese@mcmaster.ca). 

Registration is first come, first served. Space is limited, and the courses tend to fill quickly. 

Upon completing the required courses the Certificate of Completion will automatically be issued (via email) by the MacPherson Institute. Please allow a few weeks for processing the Certificate of Completion at the end of each term.