Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Temple University

What Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Temple University does

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) is an internal faculty development center within Temple University, reporting to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and operating from the TECH Center on Temple's Main Campus in Philadelphia. Its mission is fostering evidence-based teaching so students learn, develop, and succeed, and it delivers that mandate through a portfolio of workshops, multi-session institutes (Online Teaching Institute, Advanced Online Teaching Institute, Teaching for Equity Institute), programs (Faculty Learning Communities, Provost's Teaching Academy, the SOAR Project, the Student Experience Project), teaching certificates, and Credly-backed micro-credentials. Supporting infrastructure includes educational technology labs and workspaces across the Main, Ambler, and Health Sciences campuses; a virtual EdTech Lab via Zoom; and self-paced tutorials for Canvas, Zoom, and Panopto.

Name

Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Temple University

Legal name

Center for the Advancement of Teaching

Website

https://teaching.temple.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching is a faculty development unit within Temple University that delivers workshops, institutes, micro-credentials, teaching consultations, and educational technology support to the university's instructors, teaching assistants, and academic departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Faculty Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Teacher Professional Development & In-Service Training Institutes (EDAHAFAM)

Keywords

• Faculty development services
• Higher education pedagogy
• Instructional design support
• Educational technology training
• Teaching consultation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. University Budget Allocation: As an internal university center, CAT is funded through Temple University's operational budget allocated for faculty development and instructional support.
2. Non-Temple Participant Fees: The Online Teaching Institute and Advanced Online Teaching Institute charge $250 for non-Temple University faculty and staff participants. Temple faculty and staff attend free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) is Temple University's central faculty development center that delivers workshops, multi-week institutes, cohort-based programs, teaching certificates, and micro-credentials to support evidence-based teaching. Core services include the Online Teaching Institute, Advanced Online Teaching Institute, Teaching for Equity Institute, Faculty Learning Communities, Provost's Teaching Academy, SOAR Project, Student Experience Project, Educational Technology Labs, individual consultations, and classroom observations for faculty and teaching assistants.

Product overview

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) at Temple University is a faculty development center that offers a comprehensive suite of programs and services organized as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include Workshops (single sessions on pedagogy and technology), Institutes (multi-session intensives: Online Teaching Institute, Advanced Online Teaching Institute, Teaching for Equity Institute), Programs (Faculty Learning Communities, Provost's Teaching Academy, SOAR Project, Student Experience Project, STEM Foundational Courses Community of Practice), Teaching Certificates (for graduate students and professionals), and Micro-Credentials (Fundamentals of Teaching, Digital Accessibility, Multimedia for Learning & Engagement, SoTL). Supporting infrastructure includes Educational Technology Labs and Workspaces (physical and virtual), Consultations and Observations services, Self-Paced Tutorials (Canvas, Zoom, Panopto), and a Faculty Guide to A.I. The center also organizes Special Events including the Annual Faculty Conference, award-winning teacher lunches, and STEM lectures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Teaching Institute (OTI)

Quantifiable outcome

• SOAR Project pilot: participating courses saw meaningful decrease in DFW rates; students self-reported improved time management, increased self-confidence, and ownership of performance outcomes
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAT is part of the Office of the Vice Provost of Faculty Affairs. Provost Mandel has highlighted CAT initiatives as notable efforts in meeting Temple's strategic priority of expanding opportunities for collaboration and professional growth for faculty. CAT's work is directly aligned with Temple's strategic plan.
• Student Experience Project (National Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEP is a national effort to foster positive learning environments. Temple University hosts a community of practice for faculty implementing evidence-based teaching practices. CAT coordinates Temple's participation in this multi-institutional initiative.
• Temple University Schools and CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAT collaborates with individual departments, colleges, and units across Temple to develop custom workshops serving particular needs. The SOAR Project works directly with deans and department chairs to redesign high-DFW courses.
• Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate StudiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SOAR Project is a collaborative effort between CAT and the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies to support Temple schools and colleges in redesigning courses with consistently high DFW rates.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning (Harvard): Harvard's central teaching center provides teaching consultations, classroom observations, institutes, and certificates for faculty and graduate students — a structurally identical model to CAT at a peer research university.
• Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT), University of Michigan: CRLT provides faculty development, classroom observation, instructional consulting, and SoTL support at a large public research university — comparable in scale and comprehensive program breadth to CAT.
• Cornell University Center for Teaching Innovation: University-based faculty development center offering workshops, institutes, course design support, and teaching observation services — closely mirrors CAT's service portfolio and target audience (institution's own faculty).
• Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence, Carnegie Mellon University: Eberly offers teaching consultations, workshops, course design support, and TA training at a major research university — comparable in service mix and evidence-based pedagogy focus.
• Stanford Center for Teaching and Learning: Stanford's CTL offers teaching workshops, learning design consultations, TA training, and course redesign support for Stanford instructors — directly comparable scope and institutional positioning to CAT.

Broad incumbents

• Association of College and University Educators (ACUE): National organization offering credentialed faculty development courses and micro-credentials across hundreds of institutions — overlaps with CAT's micro-credential program but operates at national scale rather than single-institution.
• POD Network (Professional and Organizational Development): Professional association for faculty developers and educational developers — provides the broader professional community and standards context that CAT's staff participate in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@catattempleuniversity
• Facebookfacebook.com/TempleUCAT
• Instagraminstagram.com/templeucat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/templeucat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Temple University