Certificate in Problem-Based Learning with Critical Skills

Problem-Based Learning plus so much more.

Problem-Based Learning works. You know that. But you know that effective pedagogy is deeper than just one approach, that it’s as unique as your fingerprint, changing and evolving and growing along with your students. Use our Critical Skills Classroom to create complex learning opportunities uniquely designed by you to meet the needs of your students, combining PBL, experiential learning, and standards-driven learning with the intentional creation and maintenance of the powerful, safe learning community you and your students crave.  Boost student motivation while teaching and assessing both academic content and the Critical Skills and Fundamental Dispositions. 

Program Overview

MEd and Certificate options are available. The Critical Skills Classroom is an educator-created comprehensive approach that creatively and effectively integrates four powerful teaching methodologies:

• collaborative learning
• experiential learning
• problem-based learning
• standards-aligned/ competency-based learning

The Critical Skills Classroom isn’t a model; it’s a mindset in which the teacher and the student are co-learners, engaged in the same learning process and focused on aligned but different learning goals. Students in the Critical Skills Concentration will learn about the CSC by living it with program faculty who are current K-12 teachers and leaders and who have significant experience and success implementing Critical Skills in their own classrooms.

Degree Requirements

Certificate Program Length:

• 5-7 semesters
• 15 credits – fully online  and low residency options available
• 1-2  courses per term

Certificate Courses: To earn the Certificate in Problem-Based Learning / Critical Skills, students must successfully complete a total of 15 credits.

Take a look at the catalog for a full list of requirements and courses.

Looking for more than a certificate? Consider an MEd in Problem-Based Learning Using Critical Skills.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of our Critical Skills/ Problem-Based Learning (PBL) MEd and Certificate program are able to:

• Design powerful, real-world, problem-based learning experiences (aka Challenges) that target student acquisition of essential knowledge, critical skills, and fundamental dispositions.
• Create strong, safe, collaborative classroom communities built on the principles of sustainability, inclusion, and equity.
• Integrate, visibly and intentionally, critical skill development with content learning. These skills include problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, creative thinking, organization, communication, collaboration, leadership, self-direction, curiosity, and ownership of learning.
• Engineer and implement comprehensive competency-based, authentic assessment practices, both formative and summative, to inform learning and teaching.