Program Dates: August 2022 - May 2023
Earn a certificate in project-based learning and engage your students in authentic student-centered inquiry.
The Project-Based Learning Certificate Program is designed for current educators who strive to create rich, meaningful, and rigorous learning experiences through student-centered approaches to teaching and learning.
Interested in learning more about this program? Please join us on April 11th for an information session led by program leadership. This session will cover program logistics, structure, and curriculum.
The program consists of a 3-day virtual Institute in August 2022, followed by monthly virtual sessions, and ending with a 2-day virtual Institute in May 2023.
Tentative Schedule
- Virtual Institute I: August 2 - 4, 2022
- Academic Year Learning Cycles: September 2022 - May 2023
- These sessions take place virtually 1 evening per month. Dates and times will be scheduled post-enrollment.
- Virtual Institute II: May 2023
The Project-Based Learning certificate program has three components:
Virtual Institute I
During Virtual Institute I, you will explore the driving goals and the core teaching practices of project-based learning. You will explore how educators can design learning experiences that are rich in (inter)disciplinary learning, authentic to students and their communities, embrace student agency and collaboration, and engage students in cycles of production, feedback, reflection, and revision.
Academic Year Learning Cycles
The Academic Year Learning Cycles support you to translate your big and ambitious ideas into tangible things for you to try, supporting you to learn and grow as a professional. Meeting with your cohort monthly, you will engage in cycles of inquiry into your own teaching and leadership practice. You will plan teaching and leadership interventions that you will try in your own classroom, school, or system, and use your experiences to reflect, refine, and develop your practice.
Virtual Institute II
During Virtual Institute II, you will take stock of your year and reflect on what you've learned. You will acknowledge and celebrate your progress, and develop a plan for your next steps as an educator.
Ideal candidates for this program are current elementary, middle, or high school teachers; instructional coaches; department chairs; principals; or other instructional leaders.
Completing the program application is simple and easy. Simply click on the “Apply Now” button to complete your registration. Decisions will be released on a rolling basis. If you have any questions about the status of your application, please reach out to ProfessionalLearning@gse.upenn.edu.
If you are accepted into the program, you will be emailed directions for how to pay your program enrollment fee. When submitting payment, you will see two options for paying the $3,200 program fee. Payment is required in order to finalize your enrollment. This program's enrollment deadline is July 25, 2022.
Payment in Full - This option will allow you to pay the entire program fee immediately upon registration.
Payment Plan - This option will allow you to enroll in a payment plan. The payment plan schedule is as follows:
- Payment 1 - $800, due immediately upon registration
- Payment 2 - $800, due on October 1, 2022
- Payment 3 - $800, due on February 1, 2023
- Payment 4 - $800, due on April 1, 2023
Our program leadership and instructional team come with deep experience and expertise in teacher development and student-centered approaches to teaching and learning.
Application Deadline: July 25, 2022
Penn GSE partners with schools, universities, and communities to expand educational access – especially for those underserved by society. Through rigorous research and innovative programs, we develop new knowledge, and transformational teachers and leaders in pursuit of educational opportunity. To that end, this program has a set of scholarships reserved for educators in the School District of Philadelphia.
To access our scholarship application, please click this link.
10 months
Approximately 8-10 hours of work per month
Virtual
$3,200
Please note that a payment plan option is available. For details, see the 'Payment Options' section of this webpage.
Upon completion of the program, participants will receive a Penn GSE Certificate in Project-Based Learning as well as 3 continuing education units.
Please contact professionallearning@gse.upenn.edu with any questions about this program.