About the Center for Teaching and Learning

The Center for Teaching and Learning partners with campus educators -- including faculty, students, and staff -- to inspire, enrich, and innovate Berkeley's collective teaching and learning community. In doing so, our approach is...

Student-Centered: Positioning learners at the core of effective course design, including learning objectives, assessments, and teaching methods.

Evidence-based: Identifying and disseminating teaching and learning strategies supported by research.

Equitable & Inclusive: Welcoming and advocating for diverse perspectives and backgrounds such that learning spaces and experiences are accessible to all students.

Collaborative: Working closely with faculty, students, and staff to support their professional development as educators.

Iterative: Providing opportunities for faculty, students, and staff to practice, refine, and expand their teaching skills through workshops and one-on-one consultations.

Reflective: Encouraging faculty, students, and staff to consider how their teaching and learning experiences can inform a more diverse and effective learning environment.

Actionable: Prioritizing practical teaching and learning strategies that foster iterative, progressive refinements.

CTL programs and services are informed by the idea that effective teaching is learned and improved over time. Our offerings are available to any members of the Berkeley community interested in developing and enhancing their skill set. CTL is part of the Research, Teaching, and Learning (RTL) organization reporting into the Division of Undergraduate Education and partners with the Advising Strategy and Training program to serve the campus community.

Jenae Cohn, PhD

Executive Director

Jenae has worked in higher education for over a decade, supporting faculty in their teaching and advancing student-centered learning. She holds a Ph.D. in English with an Emphasis in Writing, Rhetoric, and Composition Studies from UC Davis, with expertise in digital and information literacy, digital reading, metacognitive thinking, and reading and writing across the curriculum.

Email: jenae.cohn@berkeley.edu

Glynda Hull, Professor

Faculty Director

Glynda holds the Elizabeth H. and Eugene A. Shurtleff Chair in Undergraduate Education. A recipient of UC Berkeley’s Distinguished Teaching Award, Hull offers undergraduate, graduate, and teacher education courses on literacy and media.

Email: glynda@berkeley.edu

Rebecca Farivar, MFA

Manager

Rebecca supports CTL’s core services and explores new programming and collaboration opportunities within RTL and the campus community. She has a background in instructional design and provides guidance and consulation on best practices in digital pedagogy.

Email: rfarivar@berkeley.edu

Marisella Rodriguez, PhD

Inclusive Teaching Lead

Marisella partners with CTL staff and campus units to advance equity and inclusion. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and publishes on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) and Educational Development (SoED). Her work in CTL, teaching, and research interests seek to explore ways in which educators can dismantle racist structures in higher education.

Email: marisella@berkely.edu

Melissa Ko, PhD

Assessment & Curriculum Design Specialist

Melissa uses data collection and analysis approaches to investigate student learning at multiple levels of scale from courses to programs to institution-wide initiatives. Melissa has a particular interest in matters of equity, and how assessing the student experience can reveal disparities and guide educators to address them.

Email: mesako@berkeley.edu

Select link to view a resource Melissa is currently thinking about!

Delaram Rahimighazikalayeh, PhD

RTL Training Coordinator

Delaram (Dela) supports RTL training needs and facilitates training programs. She also provides support for faculty around their teaching and learning needs. Dela completed her doctorate in Hispanic Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and she worked as a college professor teaching Spanish language and culture courses prior to joining UC Berkeley.

Email: delaramr@berkeley.edu

Faculty Advisors

The Center for Teaching and Learning partners with faculty across campus to promote evidence-based teaching and learning strategies.

Learn more about our Faculty Advisors

Michael Ball, Lecturer, Computer Science
Robin Ball, Lecturer, Molecular & Cell Biology
Anne Baranger, Professor, Chemistry
Faculty Assistant for Teaching and Learning
Sara Beckman, Senior Lecturer, Haas Business School
Crystal Chang Cohen, Lecturer, Political Science
Serena Chen, Professor, Psychology
Faculty Director, Berkeley Undergraduate Teaching Collegium
Glynda Hull, Professor, Education
Peter Jenks, Associate Professor, Linguistics
Karina Palau, Lecturer, Comparative Literature
MaryAnn Robak, Lecturer, Chemistry
Andrea Roth, Professor, Law
Chair, Academic Senate's Committee on Teaching
Ronit Stahl, Associate Professor, History

Donna Vivar

Manager, Advising Strategy + Training

Donna is a dedicated higher education professional who leads by serving students, staff, and faculty from an equity, inclusion, and belonging lens. She has a shared leadership philosophy that values relationship building and empowering others to utilize their strengths and talents to enhance student success. With 20 years of experience in advising and student services, she applies research based practices to her work and is known to advocate for holistic practices, evaluating and assessing policies and procedures, creating programs and practices that foster thriving work cultures and create more equitable opportunities for students.