Center for Teaching

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

Explore evidence-based strategies, tools, and support to enhance your teaching and foster student learning.

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

Roadmap for Teaching Success

This year-long roadmap of bite-sized activities is designed to help new instructors implement effective teaching strategies and set practical goals during their first two semesters.

An instructor stands in front of a small class of students who are holding two fingers up as part of a class exercise.

AI Teaching Handbook

This handbook explores the questions that generative AI raises for teaching and learning in higher education. Rather than advocating for a single approach, the handbook encourages instructors to make intentional decisions that align with their learning goals, disciplinary context, and teaching values.