Certificates

ASPirE offers certified teachers and other professionals post-degree certificates in professional education. These certificates are flexible, engaging and designed to meet your needs as an aspiring or current educator.

Certificate of Unified English Braille Competence

The Unified English Braille Certificate is a fully online program consisting of four (4) progressive levels of code instruction. Successful completion at each level will gradually develop and expand the candidate's necessary braille skills in order to accurately read (visually read) and write (mechanically produce) the Unified English Braille code in the classroom. Upon successful completion of all 4 courses, the candidate will be eligible to receive a "Certificate of Unified English Braille Competence."

Tax Receipt

Non-Credit Programs and Courses

Our non-credit (i.e. professional development) courses are considered non-degree credit and therefore do not qualify as an education tax credit by Revenue Canada and a T2202A (Tuition and Education Amounts Certificate) will not be issued. You may be able to claim course fees on your federal income tax, line 320 on schedule 11 (see line 323 of the guide) using your registration receipt. For more information, please visit Canada Revenue Agency or consult a tax professional.

Orientation to Teaching in Ontario Certificate

Coming Soon!!

The focus of this program will be to provide trained teachers, certified outside of Ontario, with a detailed understanding of the education system in Ontario, a concrete foundation of knowledge relating to EDI in a Canadian context, career guidance, and a network of support. The course requirements of this program will be fully online.

Timeline: Designed for Fall intake but can be completed at any time.

Certificate Components:

Mandatory Courses: Four courses (4)

EDAQ 5901 Orientation to Teaching in Ontario (offered beginning Fall 2025)

EDAQ 5902 Safe and Accepting Schools (offered beginning Fall 2025)

EDAQ 5903 Student Assessment and Evaluation (offered beginning Winter 2026)

EDAQ 5904 Learning Environment (offered beginning Winter 2026)

Elective Courses: Two courses (2)

Candidates must complete a combination of two additional components.

Additional Qualifications: Depending on the results of the OCT assessment, candidates may require AQ courses to be eligible to be certified. These needs will be assessed and supported by the ASPirE office. These courses will not appear on the candidates CQR but may be used toward their certification with the OCT based on their assessment.

In addition to the required courses candidates must choose two (2) from the following electives:

Any ABQ or Schedule A required by the OCT where the candidate is admissible.
EDAQ 5905, 5906, 5907 Teaching Students with Communication Needs (Autism, Learning Disability, Speech and Language-3 courses choose 1)
EDAQ 5908 Mentoring (offered beginning Summer 2026)
EDAQ 5909 Occasional Teaching (offered beginning Winter 2027)
EDAQ 5910 Teaching Combined Grades (offered beginning Winter 2027)
EDAQ 5911 Teaching in a French Immersion Setting (offered beginning Winter 2027)

Mandatory 6-week Introductory Practicum: Completion of a minimum of one practicum placement is generally required to meet Ontario College of Teachers accreditation requirements and to ensure candidates have supervised, authentic classroom experience in an Ontario context. The practicum also supports candidates who seek a supported transition into Ontario classrooms by strengthening professional readiness and confidence.
EDUC 5912 Introductory Practicum
EDUC 5913 Intermediate Practicum
EDUC 5914 Advanced Practicum

Candidates complete course components for the certificate at their own pace. Courses are scheduled regularly throughout the year in four sessions (Fall, Winter, Intersession, Summer). The program will require at least one year and must be completed within three years.

French as a Second Language Compentency Certificate

Coming Soon!

The goal of this certificate is to prepare participants for the French competency testing offered by ASPirE. There is an oral and written component to this test which aligns with the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) assessment criteria for the internationally recognized French test called the DELF (Diplôme d'Études en Langue Française).

Successful candidates will demonstrate B2 level competencies. Therefore, there will be a general introduction to the CEFR at the beginning since each Module will include the CEFR competencies: Listening, Speaking, Oral Interaction, Reading and Writing.

The certificate will be self-paced with varied start dates.

Kodaly Music Certificate/Music-Vocal, Primary and Junior Part 1 AQ

Candidates will have the opportunity to learn the Kodály-inspired concept of music education, with strategies and techniques for teaching rhythmic / tonal skills and musical elements focusing on developing musicianship through pedagogy, musical materials, conducting and choral singing.

This course is offered in a blended format (the first two weeks are onsite beginning July 13th and ending on July 24, 2026. The second two weeks are fully online July 27th - August 7th, 2026) Please note, Summer 2026 is the last session this combined program will be offered.

This is a blended learning partnership between ASPIRE, Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Music. This Primary/Junior Part 1 AQ course combines the requirements for the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) with the Kodály Certification program offered by the Faculty of Music. Candidates will spend two weeks onsite at the Faculty of Music and continue their studies online for an additional two weeks to complete the requirements for the Additional Qualifications course.

Additional details regarding the onsite portion can be found here: https://music.uwo.ca/outreach/music-education/kodaly-certification-program.html (Please note: AQ course fees are higher than the stated Certificate course fee on the Faculty of Music website). When you register for the Additional Qualifications course a $685.00 course fee is applied plus a $320.00 supplementary fee for the Kodaly Certification for a total of $1005.00.

If you previously completed the Kodaly certification please contact the ASPIRE office PRIOR to registration to determine if you are eligible to waive the supplementary fee.

Courses

All Additional Qualification courses are fully online unless otherwise indicated. To view course offerings please select a tab below, then click on the title of a specific course.

Please note, during our Winter session there are no course expectations for candidates during March Break. You will have access to the course however, there are no formal course due dates or requirements over the break.

We are pleased to announce that the Collaborative Inquiry Project is no longer a required component of our courses, providing participants with increased flexibility in their approach to professional learning experiences. Curious about what’s next? Come explore our refreshed course offerings and discover new opportunities to grow, connect, and be inspired. Your journey starts here!

Most Western AQ courses are offered in a combined format, where candidates across Schedule A (Divisional Qualifications-ABQ), Schedule D (3-part AQ), or Schedule E (Honour Specialist AQ), may be combined. As candidates participate in course discussions and collaborative inquiries they work towards achievement of their course-specific expectations.

Divisional and Honour Specialist Qualifications

Primary

Primary Division and Primary Education courses provide certified teachers with qualifications to teach Grades K-3. If you are a Junior/Intermediate/Senior teacher and would like to extend your teaching qualifications to the primary elementary grades, you must take the Primary Division (ABQ) course.

Junior

Junior Division and Junior Education courses provide certified teachers with qualifications to teach Grades 4-6. If you are an Intermediate/Senior teacher and would like to extend your teaching qualifications to the junior elementary grades, you must take the Junior Division (ABQ) course.

ASPirE offers a Leadership-focused option in our Junior Division ABQ. If you are pursuing leadership opportunities select Junior Division from the offerings below for details.

Intermediate Division (ABQ)

In order to teach at the intermediate level, a teacher must have a “teachable” subject. ASPirE offers 14 different subject areas from which to choose.

Senior Division (ABQ)

In order to teach at the senior level, a teacher must have a “teachable” subject. ASPirE offers 17 different subject areas from which to choose.

Honour Specialist

For certified teachers who have been teaching for 2 years and possess a 4 year (20.0 credit) undergraduate degree in a particular area and wish to pursue a leadership role within the school system, the honour specialist course provides a detailed study of curriculum guidelines and requirements in the subject area as well as program evaluation.

Additional Qualification Subject Areas

For Computer Studies, English, Health & Physical Education, Science, and Social Science courses please look under the Intermediate, Senior, and Honour Specialist Qualifications sections.