About Us

The Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation is your hub for teaching preparation before, during and even after this semester and beyond. Whether you need help designing your syllabi and curriculum or would like to request a consultation as you sharpen your skills as an instructor, we're here to help.

Founded in 1998 by Dr. Linda Nilson, author of Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors, OTEI has continued to grow both in size and services. As Clemson University's leading teaching center [snapshot link], our work with faculty and graduate students is based on evidence-based research, with an emphasis on inclusivity and community-building.

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Vision and Mission

OTEI's vision is to focus primarily on building up a collective excellence in teaching that positively influences and reflects on student outcomes. We aim to provide instructors, departments and colleges alike with the training and resources needed to implement successful teaching methods, creating new courses and strategies through engaged, collaborative learning communities.

The mission here at OTEI is to provide outstanding leadership for Clemson University's teaching community through:

Teaching excellence and evidence-based teaching practices
Fostering community between teachers and learners
Helping instructors select effective teaching approaches for diverse student bodies
Supporting instructors in effectively addressing student learning outcomes
Assisting the community by offering valid and reliable teaching and learning assessments

Leadership

Dr. Taimi Olsen, the Executive Director of OTEI, is the former director of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville's Teaching and Learning Center. With her combined prior experience and Doctorate degree in American Literature from UNC-Chapel Hill, she offers a uniquely keen eye for the developmental resources and services provided by OTEI. Dr. Olsen has worked in higher education for over 30 years with a focus on developing and teaching general education and major courses, leading a department and a school and completing research in her discipline (E.E. Cummings and Modernism). In addition to her efforts, she is also an affiliate faculty member of Clemson's Department of English.

Key Partners

While OTEI provides many offerings and services, our primary efforts are through our key partners. In our efforts to support Clemson educators in their profession and professional development, we often collaborate with a variety of on-campus support areas.

The Watt Family Innovation Center is home to our offices and generous host of our events.
Undergraduate Learning Division (link) is a key partner in many teaching initiatives, with OTEI supporting General Education programs in particular.
Clemson Online provides faculty with support for teaching online courses, supports CANVAS and teaching technology, as well as CCIT.
Clemson Libraries provides research expertise, materials, open educational resources and other services.
Through the Graduate School's Grad 360 program, graduate students are provided with the support they need. For graduate teachers and TA's, teaching is included as one of the Graduate School's "Tiger 9" competencies.