What are the benefits of consulting with a teaching center? We surveyed faculty who had consulted with a university teaching center during the preceding five years. We asked respondents to identify both benefits of working with a teaching center and recommendations for improving teaching center services. Along with open-ended requests for identification of benefits and recommendations, we asked respondents to rate the value of their work with the teaching center.

While many respondents indicated highly valuing consultations on practical questions related to teaching, the most highly valued benefits identified were those related to inclusion in dialogue and community around teaching, indicating unique roles for teaching centers in providing instructors with greater opportunity for participation in the broader university teaching community.

Related CIDR documents:

Dialogue and Community: Long-Term Benefits of Teaching Center Consultations Identified by University Faculty Members.

Jacobson, W., & Edwards, P.M. Paper presented at the Annual AERA Conference in San Diego, CA, April 2009. [abstract] [paper]

"My Teaching Improved and I Began to Enjoy It More." What Faculty and TAs Say About the Value of Consulting with CIDR.

Presented at the Annual University of Washington Teaching and Learning Symposium, April 2009. [poster] [CIDR Bulletin]

Reported Long-Term Value and Effects of Teaching Center Consultations.

Jacobson, W., Wulff, D., Grooters, S., Edwards, P., & Freisem, K. To Improve the Academy. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008. [abstract] [publisher information]

What difference do we make in the long run?

Jacobson, W., Wulff, D., & Freisem, K. Session presented at the Annual POD Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, October 2007. [slides] [handout]

For additional information about CIDR's work at the University of Washington, see CIDR's Annual Report or browse CIDR web materials on Consulting, Resources, and Events.