The Center for Teaching advances teaching and learning excellence at Iowa and develops a collaborative university culture that supports, values, and rewards effective teaching.

The center is an advocate for evidence-based, reflective teaching and a leader in instructor professional development, responsible for sparking and shaping transformative conversations about teaching and learning on campus and beyond.

Our team collaborates with UI instructors; teaching assistants; department, collegiate, and university administrators; students; and campus partners to create structures and policies that enhance teaching and learning excellence.

The Center for Teaching partners with all campus community members who care about excellence in teaching and learning, including all instructors, administrators, and staff. 

Teaching Feedback

The Center for Teaching offers teaching consultations, classroom observations, and instructional feedback for individuals as well as departments. 

Early-Career Support

Initiatives and programs to support faculty and instructors during their first years of teaching include the Course Design Institute, Early Career Faculty Academy, and Early Career Faculty Community of Practice. 

Graduate Student Support

Resources and guidance to support graduate students and teaching assistants, including learning communities, mentorship programs, instructional teams, and more. 

Faculty Communities

Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) and Communities of Practice (CoPs) are convened and facilitated by faculty scholar-practitioners and contribute to teaching and learning excellence. 

Teaching Resources

Guidance on Teaching and Learning Topics

Center for Teaching staff have expertise in a wide range of teaching and learning topics.

On our website, you can find guidance on teaching and learning topics such as accessibility and universal design in learning (UDL), artificial intelligence, assessment, course design, inclusive teaching, self-evaluation, syllabus guidance, and scholarly teaching. 

Whether you are a teaching assistant or a department chair, our office is excited to engage with you on how we can support teaching excellence on campus. 

Visit our teaching topics page to explore articles, guidance, templates, and more.

Teaching Topics
Student desk with a book

Syllabus Design and Use

Tools and advice for instructors looking to craft syllabi that not only serve as effective teaching tools but also as bridges to connect with students. 

Becky Gonzalez teaches SPAN:3105 Linguistic Aspects of the Lusophone World in a TILE Classroom in Phillips Hall

Accessibility and UDL

Resources to develop flexible learning environments and more accessible teaching materials to meet the diverse needs of learners.

Recent Articles

Center for Teaching Staff Spotlight – Tamar Bernfeld

Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Wendi Griffiths
This is the first installment of our Staff Spotlight Series, which aims to introduce you to our team in the Center for Teaching. Tamar Bernfeld is an assistant director in the Center for Teaching.

Introducing the Center for Teaching’s 2024-25 Graduate Teaching Fellows

Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Wendi Griffiths
Each year, the Center for Teaching invites several Graduate Teaching Fellows to spend the year developing teaching skills and building a portfolio by collaborating on a range of pedagogical issues, while gaining experience in the field of educational development.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL): A Q&A with Sara Nasrollahian

Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Learn more about the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) in our enlightening Q&A with Sara Nasrollahian, SoTL expert and associate director of the Center for Teaching. Sara shares more information about the SoTL Institute on Oct. 18 and offers insights on the impact of SoTL on teaching practices, its vital role in academic development, and how you can get involved in SoTL. 
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Events and Workshops

Application Deadline for Inclusive Teaching Book Club promotional image

Application Deadline for Inclusive Teaching Book Club

Friday, January 31, 2025 (all day)
This interdisciplinary group will read The Present Professor: Authenticity and Transformational Teaching by Elizabeth A. Norell. Norell explores how stress and insecurities may hold instructors back and suggests strategies for bringing authenticity and presence to our work. Meets from 2 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 14, Feb. 18, March 14, March 28, and April 11.
Belonging and Mattering In the Classroom promotional image

Belonging and Mattering In the Classroom

Friday, February 7, 2025 12:00pm to 1:00pm
Virtual
Join the Center for Teaching for an interactive workshop to explore concrete strategies to build a positive classroom environment through valuing students' experiences.

Cultivating Success: International Teaching

Wednesday, February 12, 2025 3:00pm to 4:30pm
University Capitol Centre
Teaching in a new cultural environment can be both rewarding and challenging. This panel discussion is designed to share faculty expertise on how to address these issues. In this panel discussion, veteran faculty with successful teaching careers at the University of Iowa will share different pedagogical approaches and discuss ways to enrich classroom environments based on transnational knowledge and wide-ranging experiences to enhance students’ learning outcomes. The panel is also meant to...

Dr. Leigh Patel, Ida Cordelia Beam Visiting Scholar Lecture: Learning, Care, and World-Building in Higher Education

Tuesday, March 4, 2025 2:30pm to 4:00pm
Iowa Memorial Union (IMU)
The UI campus community is invited to this lecture and discussion featuring Dr. Leigh Patel, Ida Cordelia Beam Visiting Scholar and Professor of Educational Foundations, Organizations, & Policy at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Patel is a transdisciplinary scholar who studies the narratives that create material realities in society. Her research focuses on the ways schooling delivers inequities and how education can be a tool for liberation. As part of her UI visit, Dr. Patel will give a...
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