OSUN Teaching Development Courses and Certificate

How do I register for OSUN DTP courses and/or the Certificate? 

Please register for individual courses. No registration for the certificate is required; you will automatically receive your full program certificate after completing all certificate requirements.  

Please apply through the OSUN DTP Course application form unless you are a CEU or CIVICA doctoral student or postdoctoral fellow. If you are a CEU doctoral student, please always register via SITS. CIVICA doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows should register via the ESR Course Catalogue Finally, if your course is cross-listed with the OSUN Professional Development Program for University Administrators (e.g., courses on quality assurance or higher education policy), you will be asked to follow the professional development program’s application process. 

During the application process, you will be asked to provide basic information, such as your name and contact information, current role at an OSUN institution, and motivation for taking one or more courses. After the deadline passes, your application will be reviewed, and successful applicants will be notified of their acceptance. Please note that due to high demand, we are unable to accept all eligible applicants. Please make sure you notify the course instructor or dtp@ceu.edu if you have registered for a course but are unable to attend as planned so your spot can be potentially offered to another applicant. 

Please note that by applying for a course, you are expected to attend all courses and to complete course assignments.  

Who is eligible to attend OSUN DTP courses? 

Unless otherwise noted, OSUN DTP courses are open to CEU, CIVICA, and OSUN doctoral students, faculty, and other colleagues with teaching-related responsibilities. 

What is the time commitment of an individual course? 

There are many types of development opportunities. OSUN DTP courses are unlike typical workshops or training sessions. They have the formal structure of university courses. Each course meets weekly, online, includes readings and assignments, and provides US credits. Participants should also plan on investing a few hours a week, outside of the weekly meetings to prepare. At the same time, they are designed for professional adults with full-time university careers who seek practice-oriented insights and techniques they can immediately apply. They extensively feature participants’ exchanging knowledge and good practices with the support of expert facilitators. Finally, they are a chance to build community and connections with fellow OSUN educators. 

How long does it take to complete the OSUN DTP Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education? 

The Certificate is 5-8 US credits in length, depending on experience. That is the equivalent of 10-16 ECTS. It includes both taught courses and the submission of a teaching portfolio, which you compile during the courses. 

The Certificate is designed to be completed in two years, on average. It is possible to complete the Certificate in as little as one year, or as many as three or more years.  

Do I have to start with the Foundations course? 

You may begin the Certificate either with the Foundations course or with electives. Qualified candidates may also petition to begin with Learning by Design. Certificate candidates who skip Foundations generally have a) received other formal teaching training, or b) three or more years teaching experience in higher education. They will also be asked to submit evidence that they have met the outcomes of the Foundations course. Please contact dtp@ceu.edu for additional information. 

Who teaches the courses? 

Most course facilitators come from Central European University (CEU)’s Yehuda Elkana Center for Teaching, Learning, and Higher Education Research, which leads the OSUN Developing Teaching Professionals project. CEU is proud to have two decades of experience in facilitating teaching development opportunities across the region and globe. Since the late 1990s, CEU colleagues have trained over 1500 external faculty and leaders. Originally, its work was primarily in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia, transforming teaching practices in post-socialist countries. Over time, what became the Elkana Center has developed a more global reach, while keeping a regional footprint and working extensively with CEU doctoral students and faculty. The center also plays active roles in Erasmus+ projects and in the OSUN and CIVICA alliances. 

Can I obtain a certificate or documentation for just one course, or do I need to take the full certificate program? 

Is the Certificate accredited? 

The Certificate is not formally accredited, e.g., by the Agency for Quality Assurance and Accreditation Austria (AQ Austria), as it is a non-degree program. However, Central European University, whose Yehuda Elkana Center coordinates and teaches the OSUN DTP program, is an institution accredited by both AQ Austria and the Middle States Commission in the United States. Furthermore, the curriculum of the certificate program is informed by relevant international frameworks, e.g., Advance HE’s Professional Standards Framework (PSF 2023) and is increasingly recognized, together with Bard IWT/CLASP’s CLASP fellowship program, as the leading teaching development standard within the OSUN network. 

What will I learn in the Certificate program? 

Participants learn many things throughout the program. Above all, they are encouraged to work with course facilitators to think about how they can use what they are learning to enrich the courses or educational experiences they teach or support. 

Additionally, there are six main learning outcomes for the Certificate program, and candidates who complete the Certificate will be able to demonstrate foundational levels of competence in the following core areas of teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education: