Graduate students in any program can participate in it and, upon completion, have it recognized on their transcript. We're still in a bit of a trial and error stage. Academic employment criteria are very stringent, even for junior faculty positions. Prior to the Certificate, not all UW graduate students had an opportunity to learn about teaching, leaving them at a disadvantage. Rowe explained that at a university with neither a faculty of graduate studies nor an education department, the GSO is normally responsible for giving credibility to multi-disciplinary programs like the Certificate.
Students also seem to be pleased.
Shannon has wanted to be a university instructor for years. As part of the certificate requirements, Shannon has already attended several workshops and submitted response papers, and she has also undergone two observations of her teaching. She had some trepidation about the observations at first. Shannon added that she enjoys the Certificate because its subject matter is very different from her research. There is no extra cost or official registration procedure for the Certificate for students registered in any UW graduate program, and students can begin the program at any time.