About Us

Vision

OTEI envisions a focus on creating teaching excellence that positively influences student
outcomes. OTEI provides individual instructors, departments, and colleges with training and
resources they need to implement successful teaching methods and create new courses and
strategies through engaged, collaborative learning communities.

Mission

OTEI will provide leadership for the Clemson teaching community on teaching excellence and
evidence-based teaching practices, foster community between teachers and learners, help
instructors select the most effective teaching approaches for a diverse student body, support
instructors in effectively addressing student learning outcomes, and support the community in
offering valid and reliable assessments of teaching and learning.

Leadership

Taimi Olsen has joined Clemson to direct OTEI.  She has a doctorate in American Literature from UNC-Chapel Hill (1997). Most recently, Olsen was the director of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Teaching and Learning Center. (formerly TennTLC).  She joined UT in 2009 as the center’s assistant director, after teaching at the college level for twenty years. During her tenure at UT, Olsen ran annual institutes for new faculty, course development and writing retreats, teaching conferences, and oversaw the addition of graduate teacher training through a membership with the Center for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL).  You may find more on LinkedIn and Academic.edu.  Her goals at Clemson are to support ClemsonFoward and the teaching mission of the university, working within the Division of Undergraduate Studies. She can be reached directly at taimio@clemson.edu.

Collaborators

OTEI collaborates with a broad range of support areas on campus, including these key partners:

The Watt Family Innovation Center generously hosts the OTEI office and events.

Clemson Online, also associated with the Watt Center, provides faculty with support for teaching online courses, supports CANVAS, and teaching with technology.

Clemson Libraries supports teaching faculty with research expertise, assists with materials, and with open educational resources, among other services.

The Graduate School, through it’s Grad 360 program, which includes teaching as one of it’s “Tiger 9” competencies.

The Office resides in the Division of Undergraduate Studies.


Our Staff

  • Taimi Olsen
    Taimi Olsen, Ph.D.
    Director
  • Aubrie Pfirman
    Aubrie Pfirman, Ph.D.
    Teaching Consultant
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    Shannon Stefl
    Graduate Research Assistant
  • Katherine Russ
    Katherine Russ
    Program Management for Undergraduate Studies
  • Web developer: Andrew Soby, Computer Science Major