Our Mission

To cultivate a dynamic, collaborative community of undergraduate and graduate educators who are equipped to develop students’ consciousness, competence, compassion and community. Through structured programming, community-building cohorts, and cross-disciplinary collaboration, we create opportunities for all SCU educators, including faculty, staff, and students, to stimulate their pedagogical growth. We champion continuous reflection, challenging assumptions, and embracing innovation, in alignment with high-impact practices in the tradition of Ignatian pedagogy.

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Teaching Resources

Tuesday Teaching Tips

Each week, we will bring you an easy-to-implement tool that you can use immediately in your classroom teaching. Tips are written by our Faculty Associates and campus partners to aid in building your teaching toolbox.

Tuesday Teaching Tips

Getting Started Teaching

Are you new to teaching and/or SCU? Not sure where to start planning for your course? Here are the essential resources to get you started.

Getting Started Teaching

Ignatian Pedagogy

Learn how Ignatian Pedagogy facilitates competence, conscience, and compassion in the classroom.

Ignatian Pedagogy

Digital Resources for Teaching (DRT)

Explore DRT, our collaborative digital database of evidence-based, justice-driven techniques, strategies, and ideas to aid faculty in continually innovating their curriculum and instructional approaches.

Digital Resources for Teaching (DRT)

SWIRL

The Success in Writing, Information, and Research Literacy Initiative draws upon research-informed best practices for teaching and learning that seek to promote students’ success.

SWIRL

Teaching Grants

The Center for Teaching Excellence, in collaboration with Faculty Development and Academic Technology, offers a range of grants to support teaching innovation.

Teaching Grants

CAFEs

Focused on imaginative, effective teaching and learning, Conversations Advancing Faculty Excellence (CAFEs) draw faculty from a range of disciplines to engage in thoughtful dialogue. CAFEs cover a variety of topics across teaching, service, and career path development.

Find Out More About CAFEs

Who We Are

Find out more about the collaborative community building the Center for Teaching Excellence

Who We Are

Faculty Development

Access programming and resources related to faculty life-cycles, mentoring, leadership and professional skills development, work-life balance, and community-building

Faculty Development

Center for Teaching Excellence: Background and Development

In 2024-25 faculty and staff from across the university met over a series of consultations and workshops where they developed the Vision, Mission, and Values guiding the Center for Teaching Excellence. An essential component of this process was gathering empirical data from our community of collaborators via surveys and an open Town Hall session. Some key findings from this process are outlined below.

Vision & Values

Vision:

The Center for Teaching Excellence at Santa Clara University will empower educators to create academic experiences that allow students to thrive and evolve as learners.

Values:

We create a dynamic and collaborative educational environment where educators grow together in a shared commitment to engage in evidence-based, justice-driven pedagogies. Rooted in Ignatian pedagogical practices, we empower educators to be reflective, lifelong learners who advance the pursuit of equity and academic excellence in their development of consciousness, competence, compassion and community.

What words resonated with faculty and staff as most meaningful to CTE's vision, values, and mission?

Top 6 Word Rankings:

Evidence-based
Academic Excellence
Collaborative
High-impact Practices
Competence
Educating for Social Change

Understanding our language through Ignatian pedagogy and Jesuit values

What kinds of resources and programming were most important to our faculty and staff?

These 8 content areas were identified as most important