Center for Excellence in TeachingCET empowers the USC teaching community to maximize student learning and address contemporary teaching challenges by:
- Promoting inclusive, research-based teaching practices that support learning for all students;
- Nurturing innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration;
- Creating opportunities for evidence-based faculty development across disciplines and schools.
CET advances its mission through:
- Offering customized training institutes, workshops, consultations, and faculty learning communities;
- Providing resources and models for developing, evaluating, and rewarding teaching excellence at USC and beyond;
- Supporting faculty leaders in shaping a culture of teaching excellence within their own schools;
- Advocating for teaching needs with university leadership and campus partners;
- Fostering strategic collaborations across the university to leverage existing resources for shared goals.
Our Five Pillars
The following five pillars anchor CET’s strategic priorities:
- Serving the Entire University: Ensuring inclusive, cross-campus engagement with faculty, administrators, graduate students, and staff.
- Using Data to Inform Our Work: Using needs assessments, usage data, and pedagogical research to guide services and resource development.
- Improving Transparency and Communication: Strengthening two-way communication, visibility, and responsiveness to stakeholder feedback and input.
- Meeting Faculty Where They Are: Providing flexible, relevant support across teaching roles, disciplines, modalities, and career stages.
- Supporting Our Team: Sustaining a high-functioning, well-supported staff with structures for collaboration, growth, and wellness.