Frequently Asked Questions

PZ Professional Development

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Could you tell me more about the timeline for PZ online courses?

PZ online courses are divided into learning sessions that open on Mondays and close on Sundays. Session schedules are unique to each PZ course and listed on each course page. Mini courses are divided into 4 one-week sessions, and in-depth courses are divided into 6 two-week sessions. All PZ courses start with a self-guided orientation session to individually familiarize yourself with the course site and policies. The orientation period for in-depth courses is one week, and the orientation for mini courses is a brief, 3-4-day period.

My schedule is so full! Will I be able to manage this course?

PZ online courses were designed for busy educators. Course enrollment is in teams –either teams from your school/organization or a team PZ places you on if you sign up as an individual. The work of the course involves two parts each session - individual, self-paced work within each session, and synchronous team meetings that your team schedules on its own. Because PZ’s online courses engage participants from all around the world in widely differing time zones, we do not schedule meetings for specific days and times. For each session, you decide when to do the work and individual assignments and your team decides when to meet for 60-90 minutes. Team assignments are completed at team meetings. Team meeting agendas are provided.

What is the estimated time commitment of the course?

For all PZ online courses, the total weekly time commitment is 3 hours. Team meetings are typically done outside your workday, but if you enroll with a school team, you might choose to meet during lunch or a midday professional development hour. The one-hour team meeting is a part of the estimated 3-hour time commitment; the rest of the weekly coursework – independent assignments - should take no more than 2 hours.

How many professional development hours can I earn?

For participants who fully complete the course requirements, they will earn a certificate of completion for 30 professional development hours for in-depth courses or 12 professional development hours for mini courses. Participants who complete some but not all course requirements can still earn a certificate of participation for the number of hours completed.

How do the Certifications for Visible Thinking and Cultures of Thinking work?

PZ offers Certification Programs to confirm your proficiency in Visible Thinking (VT) and Cultures of Thinking (CoT). Each program track (VT or CoT) is designed to deepen your understanding, equip you with powerful strategies to transform your learning context, and provide you with job-embedded feedback in team-based learning experiences. The process of earning a certification involves taking three mini courses in a program track and then completing a Performance of Understanding. You can click to view a full description of the PZ Certification Programs.

Please note: Every PZ online course offers the opportunity to earn a completion certificate for either 12 or 30 professional learning hours. Certification Programs offer the opportunity to earn a certificate demonstrating depth of proficiency in either CoT of VT and 45 professional learning hours.

I am interested in enrolling in an online course on my own. How do virtual teams work?

All Project Zero online courses are team-based–educators learning together is powerful. PZ online learning teams can involve 3 to 6 educators from the same organization (e.g., school, district, museum, community), teams of 2 educators from the same organization to be placed together on the same team, or individual educators to be placed on a “virtual team.”

While approximately half of your assignments are individual and can be done on your own time, PZ online courses require some collaboration and teamwork. Each session has one required team meeting with a team assignment requiring all members’ participation. (In-depth courses meet 6 times/every other week and mini courses meet 4 times/once each week.) With the essential teamwork and collaboration component, virtual teams offer individual registrants the opportunity to participate in PZ online courses. As an individual registrant, you will be assigned to a virtual team consisting of educators from nearby time zones to facilitate scheduling the once-per-session team meetings. You will be introduced to your teammates via email the week before the course starts so you can connect and agree to the best time for everyone to virtually meet each session (via Zoom, Google Meet, etc.), preferably a time outside the work/school day. Enrolling as an individual who will be on a virtual team, you are making the commitment to the virtual team to find times everyone can meet, which may involve everyone's flexibility, and all attending the meetings.

How many teams can we enter in the course?

PZ courses are designed for school/organization-wide professional development. Learning teams within PZ courses typically consist of 3-6 educators. Groups registering multiple educators tend to arrange their teams by grade, subject, or building. Shared lunch breaks and daily schedules are also a consideration to make sure all members are available during the same time blocks for the once-per-session team meetings.

While there is no limit to the number of teams you can register, all PZ courses have a maximum capacity. Some courses will fill if you register too close to the deadline.

Does PZ offer tuition discounts?

PZ courses offer three price points for tuition largely based on the behind-the-scenes administration involved. Rates are lowest if you register a team of 3-6. We do not offer large-group discounts; the fee for 6 educators is the same as the fee for 16 (or more!) educators.

Of note: PZ offers a scholarship program for educators all over the world teaching in schools with more than 25% of the students considered low-income by your country’s standards. Click here to see if you meet the criteria for the PZ scholarship program. You must first complete the scholarship form before registering, and we will reply in 2-3 business days with a potential discount code to use when you register. Please note: We cannot administer retroactive scholarship discounts after you have registered.

Are PZ courses IB-accredited?

Yes. PZ has a relationship with the International Baccalaureate (IB), and all PZ courses are IB-Category-3-approved. All PZ online course completion certificates have the Harvard, Project Zero and IB-Category-3 seals.

It appears the registration deadline has passed. Are there still spots available?

The registration deadlines listed on PZ course pages have some flexibility if you are inquiring within 3-5 business days after a deadline and if spots remain, but payment must be received within 24 hours to secure your spot. Please email us at pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu if you are interested in enrolling in a course with a deadline that has recently passed.

I just enrolled in a PZ course. When will I hear from you about the course’s launch?

About 4-5 days before a course launches, you will receive a “welcome” email from pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu with instructions on logging into the course site and other important details. Please check all spam filters.

If you have enrolled as an individual to be placed on a virtual team, you will receive an additional email to introduce you to your fellow virtual teammates 3-4 days before a course launches.

Is there a required textbook for my course?

Required texts are listed on every PZ online course page, and you will not need to purchase more than one text for a course. Most required texts can be purchased in either hard-copy or online formats.

I just completed a PZ course. When will I receive my certificate?

PZ online course certificates are emailed from pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu 4-6 weeks after a course closes. Please check all spam filters and email pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu if more than six weeks have passed and you believe you should be getting a certificate.

Other questions not addressed above?

Please email us at pzlearn@gse.harvard.edu.