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.

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.

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. 

In this reflective essay, which previews ideas he will share in a scholarly journal article he is in the process of writing, 2023-24 Graduate Teaching Fellow Vinay Bapu Ramesh reflects on the value of general education and how it is shaping his approach to teaching science to non-majors.

Center for Teaching practicum student Nathan Walter offers this resource on creating icebreakers that are effective in building community and trust amongst the class.

Undergraduate students in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies and spring 2024 Center for Teaching practicum students share this resource to provide specific strategies for dealing with difficult dialogues.

The Center for Teaching offers resources to support new and incoming instructors as they prepare to teach at Iowa for the first time.

As the 2023–2024 academic year comes to an end, the Center for Teaching would like to thank our graduate teaching fellows for their invaluable work.

Proactively documenting your teaching will make it easier to produce materials for annual review, tenure and promotion processes, and teaching awards and recognitions. The process of regularly collecting and reflecting on evidence about your teaching is also a great way to help you make informed decisions about your teaching practices and identify impactful areas for revision in your courses.

The Center for Teaching’s Students as Partners program is wrapping up the academic year, cultivating student-centered learning experiences across campus and beyond. The year has culminated with showcases and national recognition.