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

Connecting with SoTL Experts to transform teaching and learning at Iowa

Monday, February 17, 2025
As part of a multi-year effort funded by the P3 Strategic Initiatives Fund, the University of Iowa is using scholarly inquiry to advance excellence in teaching and learning. The initiative provides faculty members with expert, ongoing support to design, implement, and disseminate SoTL studies.

Q&A with Graduate Teaching Fellow Emily Wieder

Friday, February 14, 2025
Each year, graduate teaching fellows design and facilitate a workshop as part of their work with the Center for Teaching. Emily Wieder, a PhD student in French and Francophone World Studies, is hosting a TILE Classroom Teaching Demo on Wednesday, March 12.

Center for Teaching Staff Spotlight – Katherine Beydler

Monday, February 10, 2025
Wendi Griffiths
This is the second installment of our Staff Spotlight Series, which aims to introduce you to our team in the Center for Teaching. Katherine Beydler is an associate director in the Center for Teaching.
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Events and Workshops

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

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 Professor Leigh Patel, Ida Cordelia Beam Visiting Scholar and Professor of Educational Foundations, Organizations, & Policy at the University of Pittsburgh. 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, Patel will give a...
TILE Teaching Demo promotional image

TILE Teaching Demo

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Schaeffer Hall
Join Graduate Teaching Fellow Emily Wieder (French and Italian) in a teaching demonstration showcasing the pedagogical potential of Iowa’s superpowered TILE classrooms. Participants will become TILE-enabled.
CIRTL Teaching as Research Series - Application Deadline promotional image

CIRTL Teaching as Research Series - Application Deadline

Friday, March 21, 2025 (all day)
Virtual
Graduate students and post-docs from all disciplines can register for this series to learn about teaching as research, develop their own projects, and earn CIRTL Practitioner Level certification.
Cultivating Success: International Teaching promotional image

Cultivating Success: International Teaching

Wednesday, April 2, 2025 3:00pm to 4:30pm
University Capitol Centre
This event was rescheduled from February 12. 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’...
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