The Case for Centers for Teaching and Learning (opinion)

When the University of Texas at Austin closed its Center for Teaching and Learning earlier this year, it joined a very small group (6 percent) of high-research-activity doctoral universities without one. This is a striking decision at a moment when public confidence in higher education is eroding. It is also puzzling because rigorous research and evaluation have demonstrated, over and over, the value of the work of centers for teaching and learning, including positive impacts on student learning outcomes, institutional effectiveness and faculty development.

I have worked in leadership roles in centers for teaching and learning since the early 2000s in the United States and Australia, and I have served as president of the POD Network, the national association for educational development professionals. In 2023, I published Centers for Teaching and Learning: The New Landscape in Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press), which examined more than 1,200 CTLs nationwide. More recently, I have been collaborating with Tracie Addy, Bret Eynon and Jaclyn Rivard on a study of educational development over the past two decades, forthcoming from Johns Hopkins Press later this year as Educational Development in an Age of Change. This professional and scholarly work positions me well to comment on the role and impact of CTLs.

Over the past decade, the number of CTLs has grown, and today, the majority of students study at a higher education institution with a center. Why have so many universities strategically chosen to invest in this essential infrastructure?

My research—and that of many others in the field—highlights the important role that CTLs play on college and university campuses. These roles include supporting graduate student teaching, faculty retention, student success and organizational strategy.

First, at research universities, CTLs play important roles helping graduate students learn to teach, often providing mentoring, follow-up and professional development that spans a graduate career. Graduate students, and the students they teach, benefit from preparation before stepping into a teaching role. Other research has shown that these programs have enduring positive outcomes, shaping practice even as graduate students move to other campuses and take faculty roles. Losing these programs will have a tremendous impact on both the undergraduate experience and on future faculty careers.

Second, nearly all CTLs work with faculty, through programs such as new faculty teaching orientations, course design institutes, consultations and learning communities. Teaching is a highly complex skill that requires early and ongoing professional learning. It’s also important to faculty: Other researchers find that engagement in formal professional learning around teaching is related to faculty retention and productivity, as well as use of effective instructional practices in the classroom.

Third, the work of CTLs is central to a core mission of higher education: student learning and progression. Most CTLs orient their programs and strategies around student success and enabling positive outcomes for all students. Indeed, there is strong evidence supporting the positive impact of a CTL on student learning outcomes.

Finally, many centers serve as hubs to connect offices, people and initiatives. This central positioning is not only financially more efficient: It also encourages collaboration across disciplinary silos. Because of this organizational approach, CTLs are well positioned to advance key strategic initiatives. This ability to work across a campus is seen in many CTLs’ agile responses during the COVID-19 pandemic and coordinated responses to generative AI. Their relational approach and ability to create enduring connections and community is also significant: Faculty teaching networks are associated with positive student feedback and a culture of teaching.

Decisions and Their Impact

CTLs have a well-researched and -documented return on investment, and their impact, particularly at large research universities, is felt by students and faculty alike, as well as in the careers of future faculty. The closure of a CTL sends a message to policymakers and to the public that universities are willing to disinvest in classroom improvement at a time when public trust needs to be rebuilt.

In her book Great College Teaching (Harvard Education Press, 2023), Corbin Campbell presents illuminating public polling data. When asked what makes a university “the best,” the top factors were having (1) professors who are excellent teachers and (2) students who learn a great deal. If colleges and universities are going to rebuild the public trust that has eroded over recent decades, the work of centers for teaching and learning will be foundational. One university may have closed its CTL. Other institutions should take note—and recommit to theirs.