Continuing Education STEM Certificate
Â鶹´«Ã½ the Opportunity
The Continuing Education STEM Certificate Program is offered through a joint partnership between the Department of Educational Technology and the Center for Teaching and Lifelong Learning at Â鶹´«Ã½.
An opportunity for professional and personal development, school districts that establish partnerships with NJCU as an Institute of Higher Education (IHE) for professional development can look forward to educating learners in exciting and innovative STEM academic experiences, as well as helping learners prepare for CTE careers at the intersection of STEM.
The Continuing Education STEM Certificate Program offers the exact same learning segments as the graduate-credit STEM Certificate, but provides school districts financial flexibility in offering the program to educators on a wider, more affordable scale. School districts have the opportunity to enroll cohorts of administrative leaders, educators, school library media specialists, and support professionals for continuing education units (CEUs) within this model. Educational professionals can use the CEUs for professional development hours that need to be logged yearly as per district and/or State requirements. After successful completion of the Continuing Education STEM Certificate Program, educational professionals have the option to convert the CEUs to gradate credit at a discounted rate!
Program Highlights
- Online, Facilitated Program Designed for the Working Professional
- Project-Based Learning; No Tests or Exams
- Supportive, Cohort-Based Model
- Tailored Approach Based on District Needs
- Transdisciplinary Focus
- Faculty Build Actionable Skills
- Immediate Transfer of Competencies to Classroom or Leadership Practices
- Impactful to Planning and Evaluation Efforts in PreK-12 Settings
- Plan and Design Effective Makerspaces and Learning Segments
- Experiential Learning in Hands-On, Virtual Lab
- Focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in STEM Education
What Our Learners Have To Say
K-12 Educator Reflection
K-12 Administrator Reflection
Relevant Areas of Importance to PreK-12 School Districts
- Teacher retention
- Preparing Highly-Qualified STEM Educators
Teacher retention and preparing highly qualified educators in teaching STEM principles in all disciplines is paramount. The STEM Certificate, if offered as a Continuing Education Cohort in a school, can help teachers that have come from alternate route pathways gain deeper insight into the intersection of pedagogical practices and content when working with K-12 students, especially in STEM or CTE fields.
The pedagogy and content-focused program is a great precursor to Technology Education endorsements that faculty may be seeking, and may support a district's efforts to place teachers in documented areas of shortage in STEM fields.
For new teachers, we incorporate hands-on, field-based learning experiences that are facilitated by expert instructors to provide continuous mentorship support to new teachers.
- Sustained Professional Learning Access through a Professional Learning Network (PLN)
Even after the STEM Certificate Program ends, districts that form cohorts of faculty and administrators in a Continuing Education Cohort of the STEM Certificate Program gain access a wider PLN to continue to learn and level-up their skills. The Continuing Education STEM Certificate Program does not offer a "one-and-done" approach to professional learning. The sustained program delves deep into pedagogy, content, and technologies critical to STEM fields. We use a cohort-based model using faculty from districts that emphasizes the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders to apply their skills within relevant contexts to each learner. Using data provided to us by districts about their teachers, technology use, student performance, and needs, we help teachers reach district goals, while helping administrative leaders focus on operational and curricular processes, and building partnerships with local partners as well as parents.
We offer seasonal webinar series that are free professional learning sessions to all of our partner districts, and even welcome teachers and administrators to share their expertise on tools, resources, programs, or practices with other professionals across the State as speakers during these sessions.
We are proud to offer a tech lending library to our district partners to try new tech before capital requisitions are made so our partners know that the tech will land with intended profundity.
- Create Access & Equity in STEM Programming
The STEM Certificate Program has measurable impact on retaining high-quality teachers that directly affects student learning. Our goal is to help districts change and improve the experiences of students and educators to cultivate culturally-relevant learning spaces.
As one of the largest Minority-Serving Institutions in NJ, NJCU is committed to promoting student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence in STEM education and ensuring equal access.
We emphasize the inclusion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in STEM for a pluralistic workforce of educational professionals that are highly-skilled at meeting the needs of all students, especially those that have been disproportionally impacted by the pandemic and other systematic barriers to STEM instruction.
The tantamount emphasis of our program results in being learner-centered and directed at improving the educational experiences of all individuals in the classroom.
Additional benefits to LEA and SEA partners include:
- Faculty can earn a STEM Certificate in as little as 15 weeks!
- Summer, Fall, and Spring Start Dates Available
- District Can Choose Format-Asynchronous Online or Hybrid (Jersey City, Fort Monmouth, or Your District)
- Can tailor a district-specific focus
- Aligned with state and national standards
- Targets the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for college and career readiness
- Student-centered lessons based on patterns of need using cross-functional teams
- Students benefit from high-interest, engaging learning segments designed by instructors that align student performance, need, and district goals
- Discounted rate of enrollment for cohorts of faculty
- School districts can partner with other districts to form cohorts to save on cost
- Registered participants receive a for a discounted fee
- Acceptable use of funds for many ESSA grants!
Non-Credit Conversion to Graduate Credit
The STEM Certificate Program is offered as non-credit through the Center for Teaching and Lifelong Learning, and as Graduate level for-credit program through the Department of Educational Technology.
Participants from district cohorts that successfully pass a course with a letter grade of "B" or higher are eligible to convert the 4.5 non-credit units into Graduate level credit (3 credits) at a discounted rate. That means that your faculty has the possibility to earn the equivalent of 12 Graduate level credits for successful completion of this program!
Join Other Districts in Achieving Excellence in STEM Education for Their Faculty and Students!