NU-SEL - Presentations

Teaching Certificate: The Science of Social and Emotional Learning

Online Short Course

Use SEL to help students of any age cope with challenges and thrive academically, professionally, and socially.

6 weeks, excluding orientation.

6–8 hours of self-paced learning online.

Call:  +1 847 440 3906

About This Course

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is designed to teach life skills that help people learn, engage with others, and lead a healthy, successful, and happy life. These competencies include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship-building, and decision-making.

The Teaching Certificate: The Science of Social and Emotional Learning from Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy explores the scientific research and impact of SEL. With a focus on emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills in the context of teaching, this online short course will help you to plan effective classroom experiences, and share your insights with other educators at your school or institution. Over six weeks, you’ll gain an in-depth overview of equity and inclusivity as key concepts of SEL, and learn how to harness SEL to promote well-being, relationship-building, and improved social awareness in your own life, and in your teaching.

Validate your skills and understanding of SEL with an official certificate of completion from a highly ranked education school — as well as an action plan to implement SEL in your educational context.

This online short course does not constitute licensure

What This Course Covers

This online short course is grounded in self-reflection and collaboration. With a focus on the foundational concepts of Social and Emotional Learning, you'll learn how to integrate self-awareness, social awareness, relationship-building, and self-management techniques into your classroom. By examining the science behind these practices, you’ll be able to help mitigate the effects of stress, anxiety, and trauma, and use SEL to promote greater well-being among your students. You’ll explore how social awareness and relationship-building can transform teaching and learning, and how self-awareness and self-management can be a mechanism for growth and change. With guidance from esteemed faculty and guest experts, you’ll learn to integrate SEL comprehensively in classrooms and schools, and share your knowledge with colleagues and fellow educators.

A Powerful Collaboration

The School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University is collaborating with GetSmarter to create a best-in-class online education experience — from the design of courses that deliver verifiable competencies, to the personalized, people-mediated support learners receive.

About Northwestern University

Northwestern is a comprehensive research university that is deeply interdisciplinary across multiple schools and units. A rigorous yet empathetic academic environment provides a robust mixture of theory and practice, with an emphasis on top-tier research, new knowledge, creative expression, and practical application. If you study with Northwestern, you are part of an innovative, collaborative, and multidimensional community delivering an impact.

About the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University

Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) is a world-class learning and leadership school with a mission to make lives better for individuals, families, organizations, and communities. SESP catalyzes change by connecting a range of disciplines — including psychology, economics, computer science, organizational studies, sociology, and education. Originally focused on school-based learning and teacher training, SESP is a recognized leader in researching and designing innovations that improve human development, learning, and health — both in local communities and around the world. SESP tackles current education and social issues such as developing children into lifelong learners; using new technologies to foster learning; and improving the lives of children in poverty.

About GetSmarter

GetSmarter, a 2U, Inc. brand, partners with the world's leading universities and institutions to select, design, and deliver premium online short courses with a data-driven focus on learning gain.

Technology meets academic rigor in GetSmarter’s people-mediated model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic institutions.

As a student, you will also gain unlimited access to 2U’s Career Engagement Network at no extra cost. This platform will provide you with valuable career resources and events to support your professional journey. You can look forward to benefits including rich content, career templates, webinars, workshops, career fairs, networking events, panel discussions, and exclusive recruitment opportunities to connect you with potential employers.*

*Some of these events may be virtual due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

What You Will Learn

You will be welcomed to the course and begin connecting with fellow students, while exploring the navigation and tools of your Online Campus. Be alerted to key milestones in the learning path, and review how your results will be calculated and distributed.

You must complete your student profile, confirm your email address for the delivery of your digital certificate, and submit a digital copy of your passport/identity document.

Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during course development.

Explore the building blocks of modern SEL.

  • Recall the history of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
  • Recognize the significance of The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and the five SEL skills
  • Identify the intersection between SEL and equity
  • Describe your SEL experience through a personal and professional inventory

Discover how SEL promotes well-being.

  • Recognize how stress, anxiety, and trauma affects students, teachers, and families
  • Review the science behind the physical and cognitive responses to stress, anxiety, and trauma
  • Explain why Social and Emotional Learning can help learners cope and build resilience
  • Illustrate how SEL can be applied in a classroom to mitigate the effects of stress, anxiety, and trauma

Explore how self-awareness and self-management can transform teaching and learning.

  • Review the science and research behind self-awareness and self-management
  • Identify how self-awareness and self-management influence well-being and performance
  • Determine how classroom techniques and practices can be used to develop self-awareness and self-management skills
  • Illustrate how self-awareness and self-management can be incorporated into classroom practices

Explore how social awareness and relationship-building can transform teaching and learning.

  • Review the science and research behind social awareness and relationship-building
  • Identify how social awareness and relationship-building influence well-being and academic performance
  • Determine how classroom techniques and practices can be used to develop social awareness and relationship-building skills
  • Illustrate how social awareness and relationship-building can be incorporated into classroom practices

Explore how responsible decision-making protocols can transform teaching and learning.

  • Review the science and research behind decision-making
  • Identify how thoughtful decision-making influences well-being and academic performance
  • Determine how classroom techniques and practices can be used to develop responsible decision-making skills
  • Illustrate how decision-making techniques and protocols can be incorporated into classroom practices

Synthesize the SEL skills you have learned to create an enhanced teaching and learning experience.

  • Identify how the five SEL skills can be integrated into classrooms and schools
  • Determine how SEL skills can be assessed, and the motivation behind these assessments for teachers and learners
  • Analyze the effects of intentional and explicit SEL on learners, classrooms, teachers, and schools
  • Design a SEL integration plan for your education context

Who Should Take This Course

This course is relevant to current or aspiring teachers, educational providers, professors, lecturers, researchers, and academic staff at any level. Those looking to supplement their existing knowledge with Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) tools will gain key skills that they can immediately use. The course is also beneficial for anyone who evaluates teachers in relation to SEL. While this course is available to anyone with an interest in education, it is particularly useful to teachers at the PreK-12 and PreK-16 levels.

This Course Is for You if You Want To:

Grow Your Knowledge
Grow Your Knowledge

Gain an in-depth understanding of the key concepts of SEL, from an equitable and trauma-informed perspective.

Develop New Skills
Develop New Skills

Understand how SEL mitigates the effects of stress, anxiety, and trauma while promoting well-being, relationship-building, and improved social awareness.

Create Memorable Lessons
Create Memorable Lessons

Use SEL techniques to enhance the teaching and learning experience of your classroom practices.

Build Your Toolkit
Build Your Toolkit

Develop a plan for implementing SEL within your current educational context.

About the Certificate

Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with your digital certificate, you will need to meet the requirements outlined in the course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.

Your digital certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you upon successful completion of the course, as per the stipulated requirements.

Your certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you upon successful completion of the course, as per the stipulated requirements.

Who You Will Learn From

This subject matter expert from Northwestern guides the course design and appears in a number of course videos, along with a variety of industry professionals.

Your Academic Director

Timothy Dohrer

Timothy Dohrer

Assistant Professor, School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University

With a career spanning more than 25 years, Timothy Dohrer’s current areas of research include Social and Emotional Learning, teacher education, teacher leadership, curriculum and instruction, assessment, literacy, and school climates. Before taking his place as director of the Master of Science in Education program at Northwestern University, Dohrer was the principal of New Trier Township High School in Illinois, where he led one of the largest and most successful schools in the country — supervising a staff of 450 employees and a student population of 3,100. Previously, he worked as a teacher in middle school, high school, and college, educating students in rural, urban, and suburban settings.

Guest Lecturers

Thomas Golebiewski

Clinical Social Worker, Adjunt Professor at Northwestern University

Paul Goren

Director and Lecturer, Center for Education Efficacy, Excellence and Equity School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University

Mirah Anti

Director of Equity & Inclusion at Township District 113

Teresa Horton

Human Biologist and Associate Professor of Research, Department of Anthropology at Northwestern University

Randy Oberembt

Retired Athletic Director Co-Presenter for the Illinois Administrator Academy on behalf of the Illinois Principal Association

Bob Prusator

Retired School District Superintendent Co-Presenter for the Illinois Administrator Academy on behalf of the Illinois Principal Association

Courtney Blackwell

Research Assistant Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University

How You Will Learn

Every course is broken down into manageable, weekly modules, designed to accelerate your learning process through diverse learning activities:

  • Work through your downloadable and online instructional material
  • Interact with your peers and learning facilitators through weekly class-wide forums and reviewed small group discussions
  • Enjoy a wide range of interactive content, including video lectures, infographics, live polls, and more
  • Investigate rich, real-world case studies
  • Apply what you learn each week to ongoing project submissions, culminating in a SEL integration plan to apply directly to your educational context

Your Success Team

GetSmarter, with whom Northwestern is collaborating to deliver this online short course, provides a personalized approach to online education that ensures you are supported throughout your learning journey.

Head Facilitator
Head Facilitator

A subject expert who will guide you through content-related challenges.

Success Adviser
Success Adviser

Your one-on-one support available during University hours (8 a.m.–5 p.m. CT) to resolve technical and administrative challenges.

Global Success Team
Global Success Team

Available 24/7 to solve your tech-related and administrative queries and concerns.

Technical Requirements

Basic Requirements

In order to complete this course, you’ll need a PDF Reader. You may also need to view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, as well as read and create documents in Microsoft Word or Excel.

Additional Requirements

Some courses may require certain software and resources, which will be communicated to you upon registration and/or at the start of the course. Please note that Google, Vimeo, and YouTube may be used in our course delivery.