Center for the Advancement of Learning (C.A.L.)

The Center for the Advancement of Learning (C.A.L.) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is an extension of the unit formerly known as the Center for Academic Technology (CAT) and the Research Academy for Integrated Learning (RAIL). Housed in the Learning Resources Division, C.A.L. is part of the Chief Academic Officer’s (CAO) Office and works with faculty, staff, graduate student instructors (TAs), postdoctoral scholars, and administrators in all of UDC’s colleges, divisions, and campuses. C.A.L. offers a range of services, programs, and professional development activities to advance teaching and learning. C.A.L.’s professional staff maintains advanced degrees & certifications in a variety of academic disciplines and provides programming in cross-disciplinary, discipline-specific, and campus-wide capacities—customized to the individual needs of departments, schools, and colleges. Ultimately, C.A.L. strives to promote a learner-centered culture that values and rewards inclusive, innovative, and effective instruction and course design.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Center for the Advancement of Learning (C.A.L.) is to promote effective and innovative instruction and course design in all of the University of the District of Columbia’s Colleges, divisions, and campuses.
C.A.L. supports the advancement of evidence-based teaching practices that promote learning and the professional development of all members of UDC’s teaching community. Inclusion and technology integration serve as an undercurrent that informs all its operations. Under the Learning Resources Division, C.A.L. works closely with library services to serve as the interdisciplinary hub for all academic units to advance and celebrate local and national evidence-based practices in teaching and learning.  C.A.L. partners with faculty, staff, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and administrators to develop and sustain a university culture that values and rewards teaching, respects and supports individual differences among learners, and creates learning environments in which diverse students and instructors can excel.