The Robert and Mary Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center envisions a vibrant community of educators who lead with curiosity, innovation, and inclusion to shape high-quality learning environments where both faculty and students thrive.  

Our Mission

We are here to support all faculty. Our purpose is to cultivate and sustain a culture of continuous learning and student-centered teaching. We inspire and equip educators with evidence-based and innovative teaching practices.

Our Values

Our programs and services reflect our shared values of:

• Community:  We prioritize building a respectful community within and across disciplinary boundaries, with a diverse faculty, staff, and student body to provide a variety of opportunities for peer-to-peer learning
• Collaboration: We partner with the GVSU community at the individual faculty level and in university-wide initiatives, as well as with educational developers at other institutions
• Ethics - We abide by the POD Network Ethical Guidelines for Educational Developers through  confidentiality, voluntary services, and formative feedback 
• Student-Centered Learning: We position learners at the center of our work by supporting faculty in teaching students to be autonomous, self-directed, and self-regulated learners
• Curiosity: We embrace new knowledge, evidence drawn from scholarship and effective practice, and innovation and teaching excellence through grants and awards
• Equity and Inclusion: We support the university’s value of an inclusive and equitable community with respect to who we serve, the collaborations we cultivate, our own growth and development efforts, and the variety of student engagement practices that we promote. 

Origins

In 1995, the University Academic Senate recommended that a center be established to support the University's efforts toward achieving its goal of teaching excellence. In response, the Pew Faculty Teaching and Learning Center was founded, charged with a mission to serve as a resource for faculty development.