CTL History
In 2025, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) celebrated 50 years of supporting teaching and learning excellence at Stanford.
Fifty Years of Teaching and Learning: The Stanford CTL, directed and produced by Ala Mohseni, digital media specialist at CTL.
Commissioned for the CTL 50th anniversary, the documentary features interviews with past and present CTL staff and directors, and Stanford faculty, students, and instructors who have drawn on CTL programs, and explores the history of CTL from 1975 to 2025.
Establishing the Center
The Center for Teaching and Learning was established at Stanford in 1975 through a grant from the Danforth Foundation to promote the improvement of college and university teaching in the Bay Area and to expand the assistance provided to potential “future faculty” at Stanford and elsewhere: its teaching assistants. David Halliburton, professor of English and of Modern Thought and Literature, was CTL’s founding director. When the Danforth Foundation changed direction in 1978, Stanford – along with Harvard – decided to continue with internal funding. CTL focused on improving voluntary training for TAs, and was soon serving several hundred each year.
Newspaper clipping from January 15, 1975
CTL memories: TA Orientation
I attended TA orientation my first year, got very involved in teaching in my department, and helped (volunteer) to offer TA orientation sessions in later years. One year I delivered the keynote remarks at TA orientation. I knew I cared about teaching before I went to graduate school, but the CTL gave me affirmation that it mattered, and exposed me to ideas and language that absolutely informed my teaching. I have since been recognized by every teaching award at my instittion, including the Carnegie Professor of the year for Idaho. I'd say my CTL experience laid an important foundation! – Susan Shadle, PhD 1994 (chemistry)
Supporting Instructors and Students
When in 1979 a Faculty Senate report recommended end-quarter teaching evaluations be required for almost all faculty and that CTL should support faculty in improving their teaching, CTL formally embarked on its faculty development mission. By 1984, CTL saw steady demand for its services from faculty, and began offering learning support to students. CTL took over the Learning Assistance Center (LAC), inheriting its space in Meyer Library and its functions and courses, such as Learning Skills, Reading Rate Improvement, and Peer Tutoring. Michele Marincovich (the director of CTL from 1979 to 2013) saw a synergy in working with students and faculty, as the student experience supported informed conversations with faculty, and vice versa. CTL was one of the first teaching centers to incorporate learning support for students into a combined teaching and learning center – a notable strength of the unit over the years.
A CTL flyer advertising tutoring at Myer Library from 1984
CTL memories: positive impact
I cannot overstate the impact that CTL had on my life. As a graduate student in the early 90's, Michele Marincovich and Jack Prostko introduced me to the world of teaching and learning through TA orientation and workshops that helped me get started with more effective teaching. Later, I was CTL's first Associate Director for Social Sciences and Technology, as part of a new disciplinary-based structure within CTL. In 2013 I left CTL to go back to my department and dedicate all my time to my discipline, though my relationship with CTL continues, this time as a participant in many workshops, the Course Design Institute, and other programs and events organized by CTL. In the last three plus decades, CTL changed the course of my life. I am very thankful to all CTLers, past and present, and I am particularly indebted to Michele Marincovich and Robyn Dunbar for their immensely positive influence. – Marcelo Clerici-Arias, advanced lecturer and director of the Honors Program in Economics
Organizational Changes and New Services
The early 90s was a period of organisational change and sometimes contraction for CTL, as the office moved briefly to Student Affairs and then found a home in the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Recruitment and Retention in 1994. Although CTL had housed a debate coach in the late 80’s, in 1996 CTL developed an important service, the Program in Oral Communication, which later moved to the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking. CTL also collaborated on what was termed the “study-service” connection and service-learning curricula through contact and collaboration with the Haas Center for Public Service. Through the later part of the decade, as personal computers became common across campuses, CTL also built relationships with faculty through providing technical assistance in setting up desktop computers and email. However, in 1998 CTL’s student learning services moved to Undergraduate Advising.
In 2000, CTL moved again and transferred to the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education (VPUE). In 2004, the center expanded, building on earlier services and functions. Tutoring and study skills returned to CTL, and CTL acquired a full-time technical support specialist for faculty and the center.
CTL memories: Oral Communication Program
We owe a profound debt to the Center for Teaching and Learning and to its former director, Dr. Michele Marincovich, who created a place for the Oral Communication program at CTL in 1995 and then generously collaborated with me to establish our Speaking Center a few years later. By taking us under its wing and wholeheartedly supporting the growth of the Oral Communication Program, CTL reinforced the message that effective oral communication is not only an important skill for Stanford students to learn, but it is also at the heart of all teaching and learning. – Doree Allen, senior lecturer and founding director of Stanford’s Oral Communication Program
CTL memories: tutoring other students
I gained confidence in my own knowledge by teaching others. I enjoyed being more connected to the Stanford community by tutoring other students whose paths may never have crossed with mine if it weren't for the CTL. Through the process of teaching, a tutor can learn as much as the person receiving tutoring. – Ann Lucena, B.A. 2008
Opportunities and Research-based Approaches
In 2010, Prof. Harry Elam became Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education. Marincovich saw opportunities for CTL and asked Prof. Emeritus Tom Ehrlich, CTL faculty fellow, to guide the creation of a Five-Year Strategic Plan focused on practical teaching approaches based on current brain research and how learning works. CTL increased its emphasis on research-based approaches to teaching, and reorganized around this focus. In September 2011, CTL offered the first annual Course Design Boot Camp for faculty, a program that continues today as the annual Course Design Institute.
CTL memories: improving teaching and learning
I gained a tremendous appreciation for the dedication of Stanford faculty and students to excellence in teaching and learning. Many student tutors, grad students, postdocs, and faculty were willing to put in the effort to continually improve their own and help others. – Joan Passarelli, former CTL staff member, 2011-2017
In 2008, responding to growing TA interest in teaching, CTL added a new program for graduate students to its two existing ones. CTL liaisons acted as ambassadors, bringing information about CTL to departments, and grad students were trained as consultants to observe and coach other TAs in their teaching. The new program, Mentors in Teaching or MinT, drew on recent research on mentoring to train consultants to return to their own departments and train other TAs. MinT was later renamed Leadership in Teaching; the project sunset due to Stanford-wide budget reductions in 2025.
Around 2011-2012, CTL launched Faculty College to bring small faculty teams together over the course of the academic year to plan, study, and develop innovative curricular and pedagogical ideas, providing them with the space, time, and resources to work together on projects such as new team-taught courses, changes to a department’s curriculum, cross-disciplinary teaching, or the development or incorporation of new technology. The program also provided a larger community by bringing multiple teams together to share experiences, learn about teaching resources and methods, and work on their projects. This curriculum-focused model continued in 2023 through CTL’s support for the Leveling the Learning Landscape Curriculum Transformation Projects, and in particular the Curriculum Transformation Institute led by CTL.
Adaptation and a Changing Landscape
By 2011, new academic technologies and the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) had become a priority for higher education. Marincovich stepped down in 2013, while Robyn Dunbar became director. During this time, CTL also worked with the Registrar’s Office to support the launch of the new campus-wide course evaluations system. After an announcement in late 2014, CTL programs moved to the new Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning (VPTL) the next year. While CTL activities continued, VPTL was the campus-facing organization at that time.
CTL memories: evolution of teaching
I believe I had more impact on student learning during my time at CTL than in all the years prior as a geosciences faculty member. I learned so much about STEM teaching and learning, writ broadly, and I engaged with amazing faculty and graduate students across the full range of science and engineering disciplines. When I started in 1999, there was a misconception (I believe) that teaching was not highly valued on campus. I found the reality to be quite different and I was 'full time busy' with colleagues who cared deeply about teaching and wanted to do the best for their students. Over my career at CTL, I was especially pleased to see the culture of teaching support go from something that could be considered 'remedial' to something that was expected as a part of being a successful faculty member or graduate student instructor. I also saw the evolution from teaching as a solo, or private, endeavor to one that thrived with collegiality, partnership, and mentoring. – Robyn Wright Dunbar, CTL director (2013–18)
In 2018, Mariatte Denman became the new director of CTL. In 2019, Prof. Sarah Church was appointed to lead a new office, the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Development, Teaching and Learning, which included CTL, but in early 2020, when Church succeeded Harry Elam as vice provost for undergraduate education, CTL rejoined the VPUE organization, while adding a reporting line to the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education. Importantly, this dual reporting structure to both VPUE and VPGE granted CTL the scope to work with instructors and TAs on their teaching of both undergraduate and graduate courses, and with undergraduate and graduate students directly in learning and academic skills-focused programs, and with graduate students and postdocs on teaching-related professional development, even outside of TA duties. Since that time, CTL has welcomed participants from all seven Stanford schools.
CTL memories: CTL community
Being a tutor has shown me the investment Stanford makes in providing resources for students in high-demand STEM courses. As a first-generation college graduate, I wanted to use my experiences and assist my peers in knowing that they can succeed if given the right tools and the confidence to do so. I collaborated with many tutors and worked with many students whom I still keep in touch with to this day; the community at CTL has fostered long-lasting relationships that I never would have been able to gain if it weren't for this center. – Jordan John Lee, BA/BS 2022, MS 2023
With a stronger campus profile, CTL provided critical support for the continuity of instruction and learning during the global pandemic, and has since stabilized and grown. After a national search, CTL appointed a new director, Cassandra Volpe Horii, as director and associate vice provost for education in 2022.
In May 2023 as part of VPUE’s Leveling the Learning Landscape initiative, CTL introduced a new pilot project that offered schools and departments support for making undergraduate curriculum more equitable and accessible. The Curriculum Transformation Project, led by VPUE and CTL, was designed to help instruction teams achieve their goals for inclusive, accessible, and equitable introductory pathways for students across majors.
CTL memories: Course Design Institute
I participated in the Course Design Institute (CDI) in Summer 2020 as a new faculty member. It was so helpful to have a community of other instructors during a time of isolation and uncertainty! I learned new ideas and best practices to connect with my students from afar, encourage their interactions with each other, and develop engaging course content at an early stage in my career. Now, all of my courses are built upon principles from the CDI, and I feel both confident and effective as an engineering educator. – Danielle Mai, assistant professor of chemical engineering and, by courtesy, of materials science and engineering
CTL memories: curriculum tranformation
My experience with CTL was deeply formative in shaping how I approach inclusive course design and student support. As part of the Chemistry curriculum transformation team, I collaborated on a grant to develop an on-ramp course for General Chemistry I, aimed at better supporting students who might not otherwise feel prepared for the traditional sequence. Through this work, I learned how to more intentionally address equity gaps in STEM by leveraging pedagogical research and student-centered strategies. CTL provided not only the structure but also the intellectual community to reflect on my teaching practices and grow as an educator committed to justice and access in higher education. – Josie Nardo, assistant professor of chemistry, The Ohio State University
CTL at 50 Years
CTL in 2025 continues to offer core programs, such as the annual Course Design Institute, academic coaching and tutoring, and academic technology, while advancing into new areas, extending support for neurodiversity and learning and fostering critical engagement with generative AI in education at Stanford.
Past and present directors of CTL at the CTL 50th Anniversary Reception, October 16, 2025, (left to right): Cassandra Volpe Horii (director, 2022–present), Robyn Dunbar (director, 2013–18), Mariatte Denman (director, 2018–21). Not pictured: David Halliburton (founding director, 1975-1979), Michele Marincovich (director, 1979–2013), Gloriana Trujillo (interim director, 2021–22). Photo: Steve Castillo