I've started working on planning for my Fall course, and finding the work I did for the JET course so helpful and confidence-building.

- JET Participant

The Just & Equitable Teaching (JET) Program brings together educators from the CU Boulder community to provide professional development in social justice and equity in the classroom. The goal of this program is to equip instructors with evidenced-based resources and practices to co-create inclusive learning environments. Delivered through a social justice framework, participants engage in self-reflection, dialogue, workshops, mentoring, and equitable course design activities. As participants become critically conscious of what contributes to inequitable learning opportunities, they will be encouraged in developing their commitments to anti-discriminatory teaching strategies. 

The JET program is free and designed to be completed within one academic semester. This hybrid-style micro-credential includes both asynchronous Canvas coursework and synchronous group meetings. We are currently accepting applications to participate in the Fall 2024 cohort. The cohort will run from September 9th thorugh December 12th. The meeting times are TBD and will be based on the availability of selected participants. Applications received on or before August 2, 2024 will be prioritized. For questions, concerns or needs regarding digital accessibility, email rachana.bhave@colorado.edu.

Apply for the JET Micro-credential

To complete the JET program, participants are expected to complete Canvas coursework, attend group meetings, and complete a final Capstone Project. Participants who complete the JET program will earn a digital micro-credential badge issued via CU Boulder's micro-credential program. 

Upon completion of the program, participants will be able to:

  • Engage regularly in self-examination and reflection of equitable teaching practices.
  • Analyze definitions of social justice and equity in the contexts of teaching and learning.
  • Explore the relationships between power, privilege, oppression, and
    education.
  • Create a JET implementation plan responsive to the cultural and social needs of
    learners and one's field of study.

Who can apply: Graduate and professional students, postdoctoral fellows, teaching staff, and faculty of all ranks affiliated to CU Boulder. 

If you are a graduate student working towards the Certificate in College Teaching or the Future Faculty Development Certificate, JET micro-credential badge will account for 5 CTL credits.

Reading Materials: Artze-Vega 2023. The Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching & other companion resources provided free of cost to all participants.

This micro-credential program provides professors, graduate students, and teaching staff with knowledge and skills to create inclusive and welcoming classroom spaces. By publicly displaying the digital badge awarded upon successful completion of this program, faculty, graduate students, and teaching faculty will signal their commitment to equity and social justice to other students, staff and faculty. This program aligns with one of the climate goals of the campus diversity and inclusion plan (the IDEA Plan), which aims to "ensure a curriculum that fosters intercultural competence and prepares critical thinkers who innovate through embracing multiple perspectives." (p. 6). Departments/primary units will be able to effectively measure equity and inclusion professional development as staff, faculty and graduate students complete this program, which aligns with the IDEA Plan's overarching recommendation that "All units should evaluate and take deliberate efforts to improve support of diversity, inclusion, and equity as pertains to climate, recruitment, and retention. This should include: growing accessible mentoring, leadership, and professional development opportunities." (p.14)

The Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) and the CTL worked in partnership over the academic year 2020-2021 to develop a new certificate program focused on equity and social justice in classroom and research environments.

The CTL hired a group of graduate students to serve as a design team. The group explored potential workshops, mentorship training, social justice project planning, anti-racism reading, discussion and reflection, and more. This JET micro-credential is the result of their efforts while the CTL explores additional options around equity and social justice programming and certification in collaboration with the Graduate School.

The Design Team included the following CU Boulder graduate students: 

  • Irfanul Alam, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Christine Chang, Computer Science
  • Daniel Garzon, Education/Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy
  • Komal Preet Kaur, Political Science
  • Danni Lopez-Rogina, Sociology
  • Rosa Morales, Mechanical Engineering 
  • Anthony Pinter, Information Science
  • Dana Stamo, Chemical & Biological Engineering/Biological Engineering 
  • Jasmine Suryawan, Sociology
  • Kim-Phuong Truong-Vu, Sociology
  • Samantha Walker, Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences 
  • Sophia Zaccarine, Aerospace Engineering Sciences - Bioastronautics Focus

And former CTL staff:

  • Quatez Scott, Inclusive Pedagogy Lead (now at CSU)
  • Becca Edwards, Inclusive Pedagogy Lead (now at CIRES )