Center for Teaching and Learning
Our Mission
The Center for Teaching and Learning is a campus-wide resource that advances SAIC’s broader learning goals and inspires imaginative pedagogical practices. We believe that teaching and learning are not ready-made activities; instead, both require reflection and revision. To this end, the CTL works alongside institutional colleagues, dialogues with community stakeholders, and engages educational leaders across the globe to offer faculty formative support in all phases of their instruction. Our outreach, thematic programming, and structured services model a collaborative and compassionate approach to interdisciplinary educational and professional development. By centering our faculty’s needs and interests, we strive to make art and design education’s transformative potential a reality.
Our Values
The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is home to artists, educators, and scholars who work at the intersection of critical pedagogical theories and evidence-based instructional techniques. Inspired by the dynamic energy that permeates through SAIC’s classrooms and studios, we balance support for traditional teaching methods and encourage faculty to experiment with emergent pedagogical practices.
We are Scholarly
We study and contribute epistemologically diverse research to sustain an accessible, equitable, and inclusive learning community.
We are Aspirational
We strive to be at the forefront of pedagogical experimentation to advance art and design education at SAIC and beyond it.
We are Iterative
We constantly assess and refine our initiatives to reflect and promote the visionary work of SAIC educators and students.
We are Collaborative
Our workshops, outreach initiatives, and mentorship opportunities support faculty and their influence on student success.
Our Outcomes
Design
Design instructional materials and assessment tools that reflect SAICs Learning Goals Framework and personal teaching goals.
Facilitation
Facilitate collaborative relationships with SAIC educators to design, test, and analyze pedagogy, assignments, and course materials.
Inclusivity
Broaden competencies related to accessibility, cultural difference, and mental health to foster inclusive learning environments.
Participation
Participate in reflective and restorative exercises that enhance teaching techniques and respond to diverse learners.
Education
Learn from scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL), particularly with respect to the arts and humanities.
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Contact Us
Center for Teaching and Learning
MacLean Center
112 S. Michigan Ave., Room 303
Monday–Friday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Director
Matthew Roberts mrober14@saic.edu