Centers for Teaching and Learning Leaders Community of Practice

About Us

The Centers for Teaching & Learning Leaders Community (CTLLC) addresses the need for a collaborative network, knowledge-sharing, and scholarship primarily around the administration and impact of Centers for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) at research universities. We recognize that institutional structures vary; leaders who serve similar functions in units that are organized differently may find value in the CTLLC and are welcome to join, as are those from campuses that have multiple CTL-like units. Transforming the teaching and learning landscape across institutions demands a systemic approach, with the potential to enhance the educational experience of all students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.

CTL leaders from research universities nationwide participate in monthly meetings and working groups focused on instructional development, professional development, and organizational development. Our leaders drive strategic institutional change by influencing decisions related to resource allocation, change interventions, and comprehensive data collection. Additionally, CTLLC provides a platform for teaching and learning leaders to offer formative feedback on each other’s initiatives, fostering continuous improvement, innovation, and collaboration. CTLs work within and across universities to build an evidence base in support of the implementation of effective teaching and learning strategies and contribute to educational development research and scholarship.

Connect with the CTLLC

The Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities (UERU) Centers for Teaching & Learning Leaders Community (CTLLC) Steering Committee welcomes inquiries from broader UERU community members. Our members are experts in instructional development, professional development, and organizational development, specifically within the research (R1/R2) institutional context. We can work with you and your local teaching and learning leaders (like those in your CTL) to tap into this community’s insights and share ideas, resources, and points-of-contact that may be helpful.

Join CTLLC

UERU member CTL leaders may use this link to send a CTLLC membership request via e-mail.

CTLLC Events

Steering Committee Meetings - 2nd Friday of each month
Member Meetings - 3rd Friday of each month

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is the group of experts that provides overall direction and oversight of the CTLLC. They also take attendance at CTLLC events. The Chair sets up the regular CTLLC meetings, including soliciting agenda items and hot topics from members (and the Steering Committee), setting up the virtual connection, and sending reminders.

M T-Smith

Matthew Trevett-Smith, Ph.D.

Director Center for Teaching & Assessment of Learning

University of Delaware

Chair of the Steering Committee

Director of the Center for Teaching & Assessment of Learning at the University of Delaware. Since joining UD in 2019, he has led wide-ranging efforts to convene, support, and facilitate meaningful change in the areas assessment of program educational goals, general education reform, foundational course transformation, and providing guidance toward the experimentation and implementation of AI into teaching and learning practices across the university.

Tracie Addy Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Tracie Addy, Ph.D.

Founding Director, Institute for Teaching, Innovation, and Inclusive Pedagogy

Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Tracie Addy, Ph.D. is the founding director of Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s Institute for Teaching, Innovation, and Inclusive Pedagogy, launched in 2024. An experienced and accomplished professional in educational development, she oversees the mission and operations of the Institute.

Molly Hatcher

Molly Hatcher, J.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning

University of Texas - Austin

Molly Hatcher (she/hers) is Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at UT Austin. She leads a team in advancing an energetic culture of teaching and learning at UT by partnering with instructors, students, and staff to create engaging learning experiences. Dr. Hatcher and her team provide pedagogical support to UT, develop new services that advance the needs of the UT community, and showcase teaching excellence on campus. She previously led the CTL’s Graduate Student Development team, which supports graduate students in preparing for intellectual leadership in future careers, and continues to champion that work as director of the CTL. She earned a J.D. from West Virginia University, and a joint Ph.D. in English and Women’s Studies from University of Michigan. Her recently co-edited book Preparing for College and University Teaching: Competencies for Graduate and Professional Students was released in spring 2021.

Palmer

Michael Palmer, Ph.D.

Professor and Barbara Fried Director, Center for Teaching Excellence

University of Virginia

Michael Palmer, Ph.D. joined the Center for Teaching Excellence in the Fall of 2003. As director, he leads a dynamic team committed to supporting efforts to expand equity- and justice-focused teaching praxis; improve students' learning, engagement, and sense of belonging; and increase instructors' joy in teaching. His educational development research is broad and has focused on topics such as teaching consultation techniques, graduate student professional development, course design initiatives and the impact intense instructional development activities have on teacher beliefs and practices, alternative grading techniques, and pedagogical innovation. His scholarly work and professional contributions have been recognized nationally by the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD Network), including three Innovation Awards, the Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development, and the Bob Pierleoni Spirit of POD Award, the organization's highest award, akin to a lifetime achievement award. Michael currently teaches 1st- and 2nd-year seminars on the science of learning, pedagogy, "living your best college life," and infinity.

Cassandra V.H.

Cassandra Volpe Horii, Ph.D.

Associate Vice Provost for Education, Director, Center for Teaching and Learning

Stanford University

Cassandra Volpe Horii, Ph.D., serves as the associate vice provost for education and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford University. Before joining Stanford in February 2022, Horii served as the assistant vice provost and founding director of the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach at Caltech, where she led efforts to advance and support inclusive, evidence-based teaching across disciplines. She was a founding member of the National Academies Roundtable on Systemic Change in Undergraduate STEM Education from 2018 to 2024, and served as president of the POD Network in Higher Education in 2018-19. Her prior institutional roles have included inaugural dean of the faculty at Curry College in Milton, MA, where she created the Faculty Center, and associate director of the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University. As a first-generation student in higher education, Horii earned a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a doctorate in atmospheric chemistry in the Department of Earth and Planetary Science from Harvard University. She has taught undergraduate and graduate-level courses on university teaching and learning in STEM, atmospheric science, environmental chemistry, expository writing, and sustainability. Her scholarship has addressed topics such as the roles of centers for teaching and learning in institutional change and accreditation, the experiences of faculty with disabilities, inclusive and equity-minded teaching and mentoring, educational spaces and technologies, teaching consultation methods, and projects related to writing and visual rhetoric in higher education.