In our second Graduate Assistant Spotlight, we’re excited to introduce you to Yetunde (Yetty) Mabadeje. Yetty joined the center in January 2025 as a Graduate Research Assistant, having previously collaborated with the center as a graduate teaching fellow. In that short time, Yetty has quickly become integral to our team. She provides key support for all of SoTL programming and SoTL scholars research at the center.
Yetty has a robust background in teaching and research and is particularly passionate about promoting scholarly research that will in turn inform teaching and learning practices. Her experience includes serving as a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Biology and as a research assistant on a project in collaboration with the School of the Wild. The School of the Wild project includes examining how informal and formal educators view the outdoors and outdoor learning and how these views and their participation in professional learning workshops influence their facilitation of outdoor learning experiences for young people. She has also previously served in a graduate assistant role with the Unbound: Learning Without Limits research collaborative, where she continued to support research projects focused on teaching and learning in informal learning environments. Yetty has presented her research at several international and national conferences, including the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) and the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS). Yetty also won a prestigious Graduate Student, Professional Student, and Postdoctoral Scholar Development (GPPD) Career Development Grant to present her educational development work at this year’s Professional and Organizational Developers (POD) Network conference.
What degree are you pursuing at the University of Iowa, and what are your scholarly areas of interest?
I am working toward my PhD in Learning Sciences and Educational Psychology. My scholarly areas of interest focus on designing experiential learning opportunities in science education that integrate inquiry-based methods and embodied activities that foster student engagement, critical thinking, and deeper conceptual understanding. In addition, I am developing a growing interest in exploring the experiences and concerns of first-time teaching assistants (TAs) at the University, with the goal of informing the development of more effective training, ongoing support, and resources tailored to their needs. Underpinning both strands of my work is a qualitative research methodology, which I am actively refining as a core area of expertise. Through the use of interviews, observations, thematic analysis, and rich descriptions, I seek to uncover rich insights into teaching and learning practices that can inform both educational theory and practical implementation.
What are your primary responsibilities at the Center for Teaching?
I support projects related to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) programming and contribute to the Center for Teaching’s program assessment efforts tailored towards helping evaluate and strengthen the impact of its initiatives, especially SoTL. I am also continuing a study that I first did as a graduate teaching fellow on first-time teaching assistants experience.
What is your favorite part about working at the Center for Teaching?
One of my favorite parts about working at the Center for Teaching is the opportunity to work with such kind, supportive, and genuinely encouraging supervisors. Their guidance and collaborative spirit make the work environment not only welcoming but also deeply enriching.
Tell us about a Center for Teaching project you’re looking forward to this year?
One project I’m particularly excited about this year is our work to expand the support we provide for SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) scholars. We’re developing some new resources and training opportunities to better meet their needs, including highlighting their work to the broader campus community. I’m also supporting individual SoTL Scholars with the development of their study’s literature reviews so I’m eagerly looking forward to continuing my contributions to these efforts. All of these initiatives are central to my work this year, and I’m eager to see how they can contribute to promoting evidence-based teaching and learning process and practices across campus.
What is a unique thing you enjoy doing in Iowa City?
A unique thing I enjoy doing in Iowa City is going on evening drives with my husband to get Dairy Queen ice cream. It’s a simple but special way for us to unwind, enjoy the quiet of the evening, and savor a sweet treat together.
What is something on campus that you look forward to participating in?
I look forward to participating in the 3MT event organized by the Graduate College because it gives me the opportunity to share my work in a simple and creative way with the campus community. I believe it takes a great deal of creativity to distill years of research into a compelling three-minute presentation, and I’m excited to take on that challenge.