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Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching

Create transformative learning experiences.

Reflective, Evidence-Informed, Innovative

The Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching has been a hub of reflective, evidence-informed, and innovative pedagogical practices at Northwestern University for over 30 years. We are proud to advance Northwestern's commitment to delivering an outstanding educational experience through programming, resources, and initiatives that promote student success and instructor vitality, and stimulate substantive course/curricular development.

Featured Programs

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Course Design Institute: Generative AI Edition

Interested in (re)designing a course to integrate more evidence-informed and engaging practices? Want to jumpstart building your course for winter or spring quarter? Experiment with generative AI tools to craft meaningful learning outcomes, design authentic assessments, and sequence activities as you are guided step-by-step in the creation of Canvas-ready modules in this special generative AI edition of our popular Course Design Institute.
REGISTER
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Supporting Student Success Practicum

Join the 1,000+ instructors who have enhanced their teaching with the practical, flexible, and supportive University Practicum. This 3-week, online practicum explores strategies for supporting students' holistic success, including leveraging campus resources and designing assessments that align with students' motivations and strengths.
LEARN MORE & REGISTER

Featured Guides & Resources

Teaching During Turbulent Times

Classroom environments have felt the impacts of a world faced with crises. Worry and fear can influence how students show up in classrooms and their ability to focus on learning. This Learning & Teaching Guide offers ten strategies for instructors to support students during turbulent times while also being attentive to their own professional and personal well-being.
EXPLORE THE GUIDE

Holistic Approaches to Student Success

National expert on student engagement Jillian Kinzie discusses the connection between enhanced academic rigor and students' sense of belonging in her keynote address, "Transforming Institutional Cultures: Holistic Approaches to Student Success," presented for Northwestern University, January 2025. Video is available to Northwestern community members with University credentials.
WATCH THE VIDEO

News

Upcoming Events

Mar
14
2025

Bridging Cultures in an International Classroom

12:00 PM 627 Dartmouth Place
In classrooms where students and instructors come from different cultural backgrounds, challenges can arise in creating ...
Mar
17
2025

Pedagogical Innovations in STEM

1:00 PM 627 Dartmouth Place
Pedagogical Innovations in STEM is a scholarly exchange offered each quarter, showcasing leading-edge research that info...
Apr
1
2025

2025 Spring Supporting Student Success Practicum (SSSP)

All Day
The Supporting Student Success Practicum is an online series of sessions designed to deepen understanding of the multipl...
Apr
1
2025

How Are We (Re)defining Student Success?

10:00 AM
Part of the 2025 University Practicum on Supporting Student Success, participants may attend any and all practicum event...
Apr
8
2025

How Are We Creating an Environment for Student Success?

1:00 PM
Part of the 2025 University Practicum on Supporting Student Success, participants may attend any and all practicum event...
Apr
10
2025

Learning Lab: Create an Accessible Canvas Site in 7 Easy Steps

12:00 PM
Part of the 2025 University Practicum on Supporting Student Success, participants may attend any and all practicum event...

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