We at the Center for Teaching designed this handbook to support you in navigating your teaching role and creating meaningful learning experiences in your classrooms.

The two main options to navigate through this Pressbooks site are using the expandable table of contents menu and using the bottom navigation arrows. To expand and explore the table of contents, organized by sections and chapters, click on the Contents button in the top left-hand corner of the page. Expand the Contents to select all the chapters. Another way to move to the next chapter or section is by using the navigation arrows indicating the previous and next sections. The arrows are found in the bottom black panel of the screen view; you do not need to scroll down to the bottom of the page content.

Even as we offer suggestions to set you up for success in the classroom, we encourage you to begin your practice of reflective teaching by recognizing how your own context—including the situational factors of your course and your intersectional social identity—shapes the way specific techniques work in your teaching. If you have research experience, it could inform your approach to teaching and guide your instruction with deepening knowledge of educational theory and evidence-based practices.

This book offers opportunities for critical reflection on your teaching and learning experiences and values. The activities, identified by a lightbulb💡, will prompt you to consider how you might contribute to an inclusive learning environment, set achievable goals for your teaching, prepare for the first days of class, and identify strategies for equitable grading, among other things. Some of these activities you can use with your students to increase their self-awareness and metacognition and collect feedback about the class. We encourage you to engage actively with the handbook and take confidential notes in the note sections. You can download and save your notes to keep engaging in critical reflection. Other readers, authors of the book, and network administrators will not have access to your notes, these are for your private use.

You might also like to leave comments to the Center for Teaching staff and network administrators; please scroll down to the bottom of the page to access the comment section, a preview of which can be seen in the screenshot below. 

The books icon 📚 signals that the section is written particularly for TAs and instructors who work with them. We strongly encourage TAs to read the whole book, as it is meant for all instructors, including faculty, TAs, and instructional staff.

This handbook is one of many resources that you can use to enhance your teaching. As an advocate for effective, evidence-based, reflective teaching and as a collaborative partner in sparking and shaping conversations about higher education on campus and beyond, the Center for Teaching is proud to be a partner in your success. We look forward to connecting with you to hear your ideas and questions.

Warmly, 

Center for Teaching (CfT) staff

319-335-6048, teaching@uiowa.edu 
2090 University Capitol Centre
The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242