Why do I need my passport?

When you register for a Passport to Great Teaching certificate, you will be give a “passport” booklet which will help you keep track of your miles. After you attend an activity, you’ll get your passport booklet stamped. Your government issued passport is not needed for the Passport to Great Teaching program.

What are core activities?

These are the required activities for each certificate. Some certificates do not have core activities.

What are elective activities?

These are activities you can choose when fulfilling the remaining miles within each certificate.

Can graduate students participate in the Passport to Great Teaching program?

Yes, we encourage any graduate students to attend all of our workshops. Graduate students can also earn miles, badges, and certificates in the Passport to Great Teaching Program.

What is a reflection and how do I submit one?

Reflections are assignments within the Passport Portal that help you apply what you learned to your own teaching practices. Reflections are only required for conferences, asynchronous workshops, or any Passport to Great Teaching activities not hosted by the Center for Teaching Excellence. Once you complete one of these activities, you will need to submit your reflection by clicking on the Submit Activity button which can be found on the homepage of the Passport Portal.

I forgot to get my passport booklet stamped! What do I do?

No worries! We keep attendance records for every activity you attend in the Passport Portal. You can get your booklet stamped anytime after completing an activity.

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What are miles?

Miles are equivalent to points. You will earn a set number of miles for each workshop you attend or activity you complete.

How many miles is each activity?

Each Passport to Great Teaching activity is worth a different number of miles depending on the type of activity:

• Synchronous and asynchronous workshops: 100-500 miles ea.
• Conferences: 250 miles ea.
• Teaching Beyond the Podium podcast activities: 10 miles ea.

To see the number of miles for a specific workshop, visit the Events and Workshops page. Each calendar event that is part of the Passport program will show miles. Additionally, each Passport program event within the Asynchronous Events drop-downs will show miles.

Note: Some activities will require a reflection in order to receive miles. All asynchronous activities, conferences, and Teaching Beyond the Podium podcast activities require a reflection in the Passport Portal.

If I attend a conference or workshop outside of the Passport to Great Teaching Program will I be awarded miles?

No, you can only earn miles by participating in designated Passport to Great Teaching activities which you can find on the Events and Workshops page.

If I attend the same conference but in different years, will I be awarded separate miles for each?

Yes, if you attend a conference in 2018 and then again in 2019 you will receive 250 miles for each once you submit your reflections in the Passport Portal.

Will I receive miles for attending Interface?

Yes, you will receive 250 miles if you attend all of Interface and submit a reflection in the Passport Portal. During the networking reception, there will be a Passport to Great Teaching table where you can receive your stamp for attending.

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What are badges?

Badges are small incremental achievements. Badges are awarded by earning 400 miles in one category. Each workshop has designated categories; you choose one of these categories for each workshop you attend. Once you have earned 400 miles in the same category, you will be awarded the badge for that category.

Do I need to earn a badge in order to get my certificate?

No, earning a badge is not required.

If I attend another conference or workshop outside of the Passport to Great Teaching Program will I be awarded a badge?

No, you can only earn badges by participating in designated Passport to Great Teaching activities which you can find on the Events and Workshops page.

Can I combine stamps from different categories to earn a badge?

No, each stamp is specific to a category. In order to earn a badge, you will need 400 miles in that category.

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Do I have to complete the certificate within a certain amount of time?

Yes. Unless otherwise stated, all certificates must be completed within three years of your start date. For example, the Faculty Learning Community Certificate must be completed during the same academic year (i.e. begins Fall 2018 and finishes Spring 2019).

If I attend/attended a workshop, can I apply it to more than one certificate?

No, each workshop can only be applied once to one certificate.

I’m in the process of completing a second certificate and the core activity for the second certificate is the same as the core activity for the first certificate I already completed. What do I do?

If there is a substitution, you will need to attend or complete that activity. If there is no substitution, please contact CTE. We will work with you to get you credit for the core activity requirement.

Can I complete multiple certificates at the same time?

Yes, but since certificate programs require a time commitment, we recommend completing one at a time.

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What category does the workshop I’m attending apply to?

View the calendar on the events and workshops page. Under each workshop, you will see “Passport Categories.” The categories listed are all of the possible category options for each workshop.

Will the workshop apply to all categories listed?

No, it will not. Based on the categories listed, you can choose one category for the workshop.

Can I view all the possible workshops for a specific category?

Yes. On the Events and Workshops page, there are 3 filter options on the event calendar: “Passport Categories,” “Passport Miles,” and “Presenter(s).” Click the “Passport Categories” button and select the category you want to search for within that month.

Can I combine stamps from different categories to earn a badge?

No, each stamp is specific to a category. In order to earn a badge, you will need 400 miles in that category.

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I want to participate but I’m not in Gainesville. Can I still participate?

Yes, you can! There will be designated workshops that will be hosted online. To see which events are hosted online, go to the Events and Workshops page and click on an event you want to attend in the calendar. You will see the location under the event details.

If I’m participating online, how will I receive a passport, stamps, badges and certificates?

We will work with you to award any stamps or badges that you earn. We will mail the passport and certificate to you.

Will online sessions be recorded?

No. Due to the activities and level of engagement in our workshops, they will not be recorded.

Note: Due to COVID-19, some workshops are recorded and available in our workshop recordings catalog. Passport miles are not awarded for workshop recordings. You must attend the synchronous session.

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What is a campus collaborator?

Campus collaborators facilitate workshops for participants of the Passport to Great Teaching Program.

I’m interested in facilitating a workshop, but I’ve never done that before and I’m not sure where to begin.

The Center for Teaching Excellence can help! We can set up a meeting to discuss how workshops normally run and help you plan your workshop. Send an email to CTE to set up a time.

What are the benefits of becoming a collaborator?

By becoming a collaborator, you’ll get to connect to faculty across campus who are interested in your topic and identify potential collaborators for future research or other projects. You’ll also earn 100 miles towards your Great Teaching Certificate for each unique workshop you facilitate (you cannot receive miles for a workshop more than once).

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What is the Passport Portal?

The Passport Portal is a platform developed for participants of CTE’s Passport to Great Teaching Program. The purpose of the portal is to have one central location where participants can:

• Register for a Passport to Great Teaching certificate
• View and register for Passport to Great Teaching workshops
• Check on miles and badges they’ve earned
• Submit reflections
• Post questions and chat with other participants through the discussion board

Can I still register for Passport to Great Teaching workshops the way I used to without using the Passport Portal?

No, the only way to register for Passport to Great Teaching workshops is through the portal.

Are other events and workshops unrelated to the Passport to Great Teaching program in the portal?

No, workshops that are not part of the Passport to Great Teaching program are not in the portal and will have a registration link in the description of the event.

I received an error when trying to register for a workshop in the portal. Now what?

If you are registering for a workshop but haven’t created an account in the Passport Portal, you must first create an account. After creating an account, you will receive a confirmation email and then you will be able to register for workshops. If you still receive an error, please screenshot the error and email CTE.

I’m having trouble navigating the portal. Who can I contact for help?

First, take a look through the Passport Portal User Guide. If you’re still having trouble, try posting your question in the portal’s discussion board. If you’re still having trouble, email CTE.

Can I still attend a Passport to Great Teaching workshop without registering first?

Yes; however, we encourage you to create your account and/or register beforehand to save you time when signing-in on the day of the workshop. Our sign-in process is now logged electronically through the portal, so you will need to create your account and/or register at the time of the workshop if you did not do so beforehand.

I attended an activity and don’t see my miles in the portal?

Miles for FYFTA, TA Orientation, and TA Principles and Strategies are only uploaded once per semester. Miles for the Global Learning Institute, Design a Virtual Exchange, and the Study Abroad Leadership program are only uploaded once per year.

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What is a Faculty Learning Community (FLC)?

An FLC is a peer-led group of faculty members, staff, and graduate students who engage in an active, collaborative, year–long program structured to provide encouragement, support, and reflection.

What are the benefits of being in an FLC?

Joining an FLC allows you to:

• Stimulate innovation and create experiential, collaborative learning environments
• Increase collaboration and make the best use of limited funding
• Provide a flexible professional development structure to support learning of any topic
• Increase communication and collaboration among faculty who, by the nature of their work in individual classrooms, are often isolated from colleagues

Are there prerequisites to join?

Some FLC’s may require some previous knowledge or experience to join. However, most FLC’s have no prerequisites and are open to all faculty, staff, TAs and GAs.

Can I join an FLC midway through?

You cannot join an FLC midway through. There are specific expectations for all FLC’s, and joining midway through would not allow you to meet those expectations. View the FLC webpage to see the expectations.

Can I facilitate an FLC?

Yes, if there is a topic you’d be interested in facilitating take a moment to fill out our campus collaborator form.

What are the FLC topics?

The topics offered change each academic year. To see the current topics visit the FLC webpage.

How do FLC’s relate to the Passport to Great Teaching Program?

The Faculty Learning Community Certificate is one of the certificate tracks within the Passport to Great Teaching Program. Participants who fulfill the expectations will receive a certificate. To view the expectations, visit the FLC webpage.

I’m unable to attend a few of the scheduled meeting dates, will I still get a certificate?

As long as you still meet the FLC expectations, you will earn the certificate. However, you will not receive credit for any meetings you miss.

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