The Active Learning, Inquiry Teaching (ALIT) certificate program was established by the FDC in 2015 and will run through May 2027, with a new cohort beginning the program each fall. It was designed to support faculty in adopting teaching approaches that foster the retention of students in STEM majors and support the development of their students as STEM professionals. These approaches, informed by the extensive body of research on learning, help faculty provide all students with deliberate practice in the skills and habits of mind necessary for learning, inquiry, and research. This program was open to all instructional faculty – tenured/tenure-track, lecturers, and adjuncts – who taught courses in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences or the College of Engineering and Information Technology and was funded by those Colleges, the FDC, and the NIH-funded STEM BUILD at UMBC initiative.
The FDC is currently in a period of transition regarding our formal certificate offerings. We are pausing new enrollments for 2026-27 as we sunset the ALIT certificate and design and roll out our new certificate programs. Please contact the FDC at fdc@umbc.edu if you are interested in pursuing a certificate through the FDC and would like to be notified when the application for our new certificate programs are open, which is anticipated to be in Summer 2027.
ALIT Certificate Program Requirements
- Attendance at a minimum of 8 programs during the first year and 4 programs during the second year, including a kickoff. Programs may be chosen from designated FDC sessions, the Biology teaching circle, the Mathematics and Statistics teaching circle, or other campus pedagogy discussion events (with approval). No more than 4 such programs outside of those offered through the FDC (e.g., teaching circles; other pedagogy discussions) may count for the certificate.
- Participation in the first year in the FDC CATALyst program for gathering course midterm feedback from students.
- Participation in the second year in a class observation cycle to gather feedback on your teaching from FDC staff.
- Completion of a survey provided by the FDC at the beginning and end of the program that fosters participants’ reflection on the effect of the program on their teaching choices.
Faculty in their first three years of teaching may choose to participate in the new faculty cohort track. Requirements are the same, except that in the first year, 3 of the 8 required programs are fulfilled by participating in a discussion of the book, Teaching and Learning STEM: A Practical Guide, by Felder and Brent, Jossey-Bass, 2016 (provided to participants).
The Faculty Development Center will track participants’ progress toward the ALIT Certificate requirements and send progress updates at the end of each semester. Participants may also choose to use the ALIT Certificate Program Requirement Checklist to track their progress and for more detailed information about the program requirements.
Faculty who complete the ALIT Certificate program will receive a letter copied to the department chair and Dean documenting their accomplishment for purposes of promotion or tenure.