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Step 1: Declare your intention to pursue the Certificate. How?
Step 2: Read about the certificate in detail. Think about how you could meet the competencies. Sketch out a plan, including a timeline and specific ideas, about where or how you will meet the competencies. Refer to the suggestions for learning sections of the Student Handbook).pdf for ideas. (It is ok if you don't know where you will gain all the necessary experiences – that is why you will have a mentor, just do the best you can to get started.) Remember that each competency can be met in any number of ways. There is no mold you must fit into and no “best” way to meet the competencies, so be creative!
Note: Only those experiences gained after entering UW (or another college) as a freshman will be accepted. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis (e.g., in the case of a returning adult student with life experiences).
Step 3: Meet with your mentor to discuss your plan. If you believe you have already had experiences which allow you to meet any of the competencies, discuss them with your advisor. Revise and/or update your plan as necessary.
Step 4, ongoing: Pursue the experiences you identified in your plan.
Step 5, ongoing: Meet with your mentor at least once per semester to update him/her on your progress and to discuss the experiences you have had during the semester.
Step 6, ongoing: Create a compilation of evidence (e.g., informal writings, videos, websites developed, letters of recommendation from supervisors in an internship or community project, a journal you have kept, formal papers, programs you have participated in, self-analysis, etc.) which documents your mastery of the competencies. Work with your mentor to develop this compilation of evidence which highlights both conceptual understanding and behavioral examples of the competency. The presentation and format of the evidence are limited only by your own creativity; there is no model or standard of how this must be done.
Step 7, ongoing: Submit your evidence (evidence can be submitted for one or more competency at a time) to 116 Ag Hall to be reviewed by the certification committee.
Step 8, ongoing: Receive notification whether the evidence met the competency standard. If not, revise, rework or follow recommendations of the committee and resubmit at a later time.
Continue steps 4-8 until:
You have been certified by the committee on each of the 9 competencies.
Step 9: RECEIVE YOUR CERTIFICATE!!! And keep on learning!
Note: You can receive the certificate whenever you fulfill the competencies. However, we hope that you will continue to learn and gain experience in each competency and continue to interact with your mentor through your undergraduate career, regardless of when you receive the certificate.