| Center for Teaching Newsletter: May 2025 | Supporting excellence in teaching and learning at Iowa
Welcome to the May edition of the Center for Teaching newsletter! This will be our final newsletter of the spring, but we will be back in late July with a summer edition. Thank you for your continued engagement with the newsletter. We love hearing your feedback and seeing what you find the most helpful or interesting. If you have suggested topics for future editions, please let us know at teaching@uiowa.edu. If you're enjoying the newsletter, share it with a colleague!
As we wrap up the academic year, this month’s newsletter celebrates the contributions of our Graduate Teaching Fellows, spotlights Associate Director Sara Nasrollahian, and recaps year two of the Students as Partners program. We also look ahead to our August Transparent Assignment Design Retreat and reflect on the recent Connecting K-12 and Higher Education Conference. | | | Thank You, Graduate Teaching Fellows | We would like to extend our appreciation to the 2024–2025 Graduate Teaching Fellows for their dedication and contributions to teaching excellence at Iowa. Their reflections on the fellowship experience showcase the growth they've achieved as teachers and highlight the value of cross-disciplinary collaboration.
| | | Center for Teaching Staff Spotlight – Sara Nasrollahian | The final installment of our Staff Spotlight series this semester introduces you to Associate Director Sara Nasrollahian, who leads our Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) initiatives and co-leads the Course Design Institute. Learn about her role, scholarly interests, and what she enjoys most about working at the Center for Teaching.
| | | Students as Partners 2024–25 Recap | The second year of the Students as Partners program saw undergraduate students continuing to collaborate with faculty and the Center for Teaching to enhance large lecture courses at Iowa. Student partners also shared their insights through presentations at national conferences and participated in a cross-institutional visit with Xavier University partners.
| | | Save the Date: Transparent Assignment Design Retreat | Join us on Monday, August 11, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in UCC 2520B for our Transparent Assignment Design Retreat. This casual retreat will feature discussion of the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework, which a growing body of evidence indicates helps promote student learning and create more equitable courses. It's a fantastic opportunity to enhance your assignment design and collaborate with peers across disciplines. Register now to reserve your spot.
| | | Connecting K-12 and Higher Education Conference | In case you missed it, the second annual Connecting K-12 and Higher Education Conference, held April 25–26 at the Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa, brought together nearly 100 local stakeholders from K-12 education, the University of Iowa, and other educators from the state of Iowa to share knowledge related to student learning, effective teaching, and innovative educational practices.
Center for Teaching Summer Hours
While we are taking a break from the newsletter, the Center for Teaching is open during the summer.
Request a consultation or connect with us to set up an appointment. We look forward to talking with you! | | | |
