Frequently Asked Questions
Certificate
What is a TWT non-credit certificate?
A Teaching With Technology certificate, granted by The Graduate School, provides evidence of effective and innovative use of technology for teaching.
What is the value of a TWT certificate?
Employers want and need to hire personnel who have strong technology skills and who can make decisions about appropriate use of technologies. Students who have technical skills not only can improve their teaching effectiveness and efficiency, but also will greatly sharpen their "edge" in the job market.
Who will provide the certificate?
The Graduate School provides the certificate. Approval of your work comes from your academic department.
How to Participate
Who can participate?
Any Penn State graduate teaching assistant can participate. If their academic department does not currently have a department representative, we will encourage the department to designate a person.
How should students get started on a TWT portfolio?
All students should reflect on their current level of expertise. If basic computer skills are needed, start there. Build skills gradually. As skills increase, you can create a Web site as a beginning portfolio. Consult the step-by-step process guides at this Web site.
At some point, sign up for the TWT mailing list and identify yourself to your department TWT representative who will provide any additional departmental requirements or alternatives.
Will someone in my department guide me?
Each department has or will have a TWT certificate representative. In addition, on their own students may want to identify a mentor within their department who can advise on appropriate content and technology use within the discipline.
How can students manage working on the certificate and their graduate teaching assistantship?
A Teaching With Technology portfolio will build itself as you add to the teaching and class management tasks for which you use technologies. After you have a professional home page, you can add links to each additional accomplishment.
How do graduate students learn the technology and teaching skills they need to know?
No courses are required to achieve a certificate although students may learn many of the technology skills during credit courses, internships, or mentoring programs. Informal seminars, Web sites, and online tutorials are also excellent sources for learning. See the Get Trained page for a list of available resources.
Portfolio
What is a TWT portfolio?
The TWT portfolio is a Web site with links to the various elements of a TWT portfolio.
What is a TWT philosophy statement?
A TWT philosophy is your personal statement about the benefits of effective use of technologies for teaching and how technology use fits into your future work and life.
How big should a TWT portfolio be?
There is no minimum or maximum size or number of elements in a TWT portfolio. Your portfolio can be simple or flashy, depending on your skills and how you want to represent yourself. See the expectations/requirements or Assessment Rubric to guide your decisions on what to include.
Can a student submit a portfolio more than once?
In cases in which a portfolio is not approved upon the first submission, students may make revisions and additions and resubmit during a following semester.
How long will my portfolio be available after I graduate?
Your Penn State Access ID and personal Web space will be available for 6 months after graduation. Prior to leaving Penn State, you may want to copy your portfolio to a CD or DVD so that you can easily reconstruct it at another location.