AP Capstone Diploma Program Professional Learning

First-time teachers of AP Capstone™ courses—AP Seminar and AP Research—are required to take part in professional learning offered by select AP Summer Institutes.

• The summer before their first year teaching AP Seminar or AP Research, instructors must complete a one-time, four or five-day workshop for that course. In some cases, instructors may attend training up to two years prior to teaching the course. This is permissible if the instructor has attended the entirety of summer training prior to teaching the course. 
• Instructors who need to be trained for both AP Seminar and AP Research in the same year must attend separate workshops during two different weeks.
• Virtual and in-person workshop options are available.

During the school year, instructors must complete additional online assessment scoring training—this is an annual requirement. For more information about this training, visit the AP Seminar and AP Research pages on AP Central.

Dates and Locations for Summer Workshops

Note: Schools must be approved to offer AP Capstone in order to register for a workshop. Please fill out the required sign up form only if your school is not yet participating in the program.

2023 AP Seminar and AP Research workshops will be offered in person and online at the sites listed below. To register, visit the AP Professional Learning Event Calendar and select the AP Research, AP Seminar, or AP Seminar English filter option in the Subject Area section of the left menu. 

Register 

Who Should Take Part in the Summer Workshop?

• All teachers of AP Capstone courses—AP Seminar and AP Research—are required to participate in professional learning.
• Supporting teachers, librarians, media specialists, curriculum administrators, and district representatives may also consider participating.
• Teachers who do not work at participating AP Capstone schools are not eligible to attend summer workshops for AP Seminar and AP Research. Interested schools must sign up in order to participate.
• Please contact us with any questions.

Important Facts

The summer workshop consists of sessions that take place over a consecutive four or five-day period for 30 contact hours.

On completion of the summer workshop, attendees receive three continuing education credits (CEUs) from IACET (International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training). Currently, graduate credit is not awarded for participation in the summer workshop.

New AP Seminar or AP Research teachers who do not attend or do not complete summer training will not be authorized to teach the course. They will not have access to upload a syllabus in the AP Course Audit system, nor will they be able to access the AP Digital Portfolio. Additionally, schools with untrained AP Seminar or AP Research teachers will not be able to order exams associated with these courses.

Cost

The cost of professional learning is $1,075 per participant. Fees are subject to change annually and may vary for sessions held outside of the United States. Additional fees for late registration, registration cancellation, and/or late payment will apply.

This fee includes tuition and materials for the summer workshop, as well as access to the online scoring training. It does not include travel, lodging, meal expenses, and incidental costs.

Schools should be aware that this fee will be incurred for AP Seminar teachers in year 1 of implementation, AP Research teachers in year 2 of implementation, and any new teachers that need training as the program expands.

Costs, fees, and payments for professional learning are nontransferable and may not be applied to future workshops or training.

AP Capstone Fee Waivers

A limited number of fee waivers—which cover the full tuition fees for recipients—may be awarded to eligible applicant teachers who register to attend a professional learning session this summer for AP Seminar or AP Research. To learn more about eligibility and how to apply, go to AP Capstone Fee Waivers.

About the Summer Workshop

The AP Capstone professional learning summer workshop trains instructors to teach college-level critical thinking and research skills while exploring academic and real-world questions, problems, and issues from different disciplines and from multiple perspectives. Special focus is given to facilitating student learning in collaborative settings while motivating students to think critically and innovatively about research questions.

Program

The summer workshop will include these features:

• Outline of course goals, objectives, content, and resources
• Examination of the curriculum framework of the program
• Overview of teaching strategies and best practices
• Creation of course calendar, class activities, lesson plans, and formative assessments
• Development of course syllabi for the AP Course Audit
• Walk-through of through-course and end-of-course assessments
• Demonstration of AP Digital Portfolio

How to Register

Participating AP Capstone schools will be informed by email in the spring when registration for 2023 summer professional learning is available. Note: Interested schools must sign up to participate in the AP Capstone Diploma program before registering teachers for professional learning.

Travel (face-to-face training only)

Participants are responsible for booking their own travel. Early departure will not be accommodated; participants are expected to attend the entire five-day training in order to be authorized to teach AP Seminar or AP Research in the fall.

By air: If you are traveling by plane, you should plan to arrive the evening before the first date of your assigned session (Sunday), and plan to depart after 3 p.m. on the last date of your assigned session (Friday).

By car: Parking details will vary by venue. Further details will be provided by the APSI site.

Daily transportation options to and from the APSI site vary by location. Participants should refer to guidance given by their chosen site.

Lodging (face-to-face training only)

You must make your lodging reservation before the start of the training, and no later than the deadline provided for each site. Lodging options will vary by site.

Agenda

Each summer workshop, whether face-to-face or online, runs Monday through Friday. The workshop begins at approximately 8:30 a.m. and ends at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Thursday. On Friday, the workshop begins at approximately 8:30 a.m. and ends at approximately 12:30 p.m. Timing may vary by APSI site. Participants will be informed of the exact agenda at their chosen site prior to the start of training.

What to Bring

• Pen, pencil, and notepad
• Fully charged laptop computer and power cord
• School-year calendar (either a hard copy or electronic copy)
• Extra room in luggage to accommodate materials from the training (face-to-face training only)

Dress Code (face-to-face training only)

The dress code is casual, appropriate for a school setting. Bring sweaters or other layers since training facilities are air-conditioned and temperatures can vary.

On-Site Check-In (face-to-face training only)

All participants must confirm attendance each day at the workshop, typically in their classrooms with their workshop. Failure to attend the entire workshop may prevent a participant from being authorized to teach an AP Capstone course. The number of CEUs awarded is dependent on attendance.

Meals (face-to-face training only)

Some meals and/or snacks may be provided during the workshop. Offerings may vary by site. Participants will be informed of meal options at their chosen site prior to the start of training.

More Information

Registered attendees will receive additional details about their training site via email prior to the training.