The Certificate in Reflective and Faithful Teaching (CRAFT) fosters the ongoing development of Th.D. students as theological educators by helping them to:

  • Reflect theologically about the craft and vocation of teaching;
  • Hone practical teaching skills with an eye toward different contexts of teaching, including online instruction;
  • Develop a thoughtful, theologically grounded philosophy of teaching;
  • Improve their teaching in response to oral and written feedback from peers and professors;
  • Create a digital teaching portfolio for use in the job search.
Requirements

The requirements for the certificate are:

  • Successful completion of two core courses:
    • Foundations: The core Th.D. seminar, taken in a student’s first semester in the program.
    • Focal Issues: Credit for this course is awarded for participation in six CRAFT colloquia spread across the academic year. Ordinarily all six colloquia will be taken in sequence over the course of the year, but it is possible for students to spread their attendance out over two years if necessary. Students participate in these sessions synchronously, either in person or remotely through a live web link. Students may make up one missed session per semester (except for the final colloquium of the year) by watching the recording posted online after the meeting.
  • Supervised teaching session in which the student
    • prepares a teaching plan for the class session, drawing on insights from the colloquium on pedagogy, and provides the evaluator with a copy in advance of the class;
    • conducts class with the faculty evaluator in attendance;
    • meets with the faculty evaluator to discuss and receive written feedback on the class session.
      The supervised teaching session is normally scheduled during the student’s second year of the program in conjunction with a precepting assignment. In some cases teaching evaluations may take place in the context of a course co-taught by a faculty member and an advanced Th.D. student.
  • Creation of a digital teaching portfolio that includes, at minimum:
    • a statement of teaching philosophy
    • a sample lesson plan
    • a sample syllabus for a standard course in one’s field
    • faculty feedback on one’s teaching.
      Students meet with a faculty reviewer to discuss the portfolio and its artifacts.

Find detailed information about requirements and courses for current students (NetID required) »

For more information, contact:

Dr. Peter Casarella
CRAFT Director
pcasarella@div.duke.edu
(919) 660-3562