Freie Universität Berlin
Dahlem Center for Academic Teaching
How do you energize a 9 a.m. seminar, keep group work on track, and still hit every learning outcome? For many postdoctoral researchers, stepping into a teaching role is both exciting and unfamiliar territory. Freie Universität Berlin eases that leap through the Dahlem Center for Academic Teaching (DCAT), a hub for evidence-based teaching skills.
“We support early-career researchers with little or no teaching experience who want to reflect on their professional practice and receive guidance during their first steps in the classroom,” says Dr. Katja Reinecke, head of the DCAT.
From mastering body language to designing AI-assisted assignments, DCAT workshops translate pedagogy into practice. Its flagship offering is a higher-education teaching certificate worth roughly 220 working units. “In the Anglo-American world, that credential has become almost indispensable for academic job applications,” Reinecke says.
The curriculum is divided into four modules: some components are mandatory, while others you mix and match to suit your discipline and schedule. Unsure about committing to the full certificate? “Start with a workshop you truly care about,” Reinecke advises. “If it clicks, you can always step onto the certificate track later.”
A hallmark of the DCAT is its emphasis on interdisciplinary and cross-subject exchange. Most courses run on campus, yet hybrid and online options keep things flexible. Workshops are typically scheduled in half-day, full-day, or two-day blocks, making them manageable alongside your research. Courses are taught by both internal faculty and external experts, and they are designed to be highly practice oriented.
“Our motto is show, don’t tell,” Reinecke explains. Participants test methods in real time, then dissect what worked and why. This is what she calls a “didactic double-decker”.
Dr. Reinecke recommends allocating three to five semesters to complete the certificate. But even if your career path takes you elsewhere before finishing, the time invested isn’t lost. “Mobility shouldn’t stall your teaching development,” Reinecke says. “Many universities and universities of applied sciences run comparable programs, so the credits usually travel both ways: We accept relevant courses you have already completed elsewhere, and other institutions will typically count DCAT workshops toward their own certificates if you move on before finishing with us.”
Participation in DCAT workshops is open exclusively to researchers currently affiliated with Freie Universität Berlin.