Scholar and educator Kem Saichaie has joined the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) as its first executive director. In this role, he will advance the TLC’s mission to actively connect with instructors to elevate teaching, offer pedagogical resources, and promote student success. He started on March 1.
Saichaie brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education, having worked across academic technology, educational development, admissions, and served as a faculty member. Most recently, he was the executive director and a founding member of the Center for Educational Effectiveness at UC Davis. He is the co-chair of the 2025 UC Professors of Teaching Conference.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Saichaie serving in this important new role,” said Erin Sanders O’Leary, vice provost for teaching and learning. “His extensive experience and deep knowledge of pedagogy make him an important addition to the TLC’s leadership team.”
Amplifying the TLC’s programming and services in support of UCLA instructors will be an early priority for Saichaie.
“Establishing programs and resources to celebrate and support teaching is very important and can be overlooked, given the number of challenges facing higher education today,” he noted. “Expanding and establishing collaborations with campus stakeholders will be a very near-term focus for me.”
Additionally, Saichaie will carry over a spirit of conscious collaboration honed at UC Davis, where he worked to establish formal and informal learning communities showcasing the scholarship of teaching and learning to faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students.
“My hope is that we can build on a strong foundation — further cultivating the teaching community at UCLA by being responsive, respectful, and curious,” Saichaie shared.
Saichaie has also demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing student success. At UC Davis, he served on the Executive Board for the campus chapter of the Asian Pacific American Systemwide Alliance and was the co-lead of the First-Generation Initiative in the Office of Undergraduate Education.
This passion for serving instructors and students will guide Saichaie’s understanding of how the TLC can play a vital role in promoting educational excellence on campus.
“Teaching and learning centers can help truly advance the instructional skills that faculty and graduate student instructors employ in the classroom — leading to engaging and inclusive learning experiences that are memorable for positive reasons,” he explained.
As a published author and educational researcher, Saichaie’s scholarship examines the interplay of identity and pedagogy across learning environments. He is co-author of the best-selling book A Guide to Teaching in Active Learning Classrooms: History, Research, and Practice, and was also a lead editor of New Directions on Teaching and Learning’s special volume on graduate student instructor development and preparation. He is currently the co-editor of the Journal for First-Generation Student Success. Saichaie earned his PhD in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Iowa, where he was recognized as an Emerging Scholar by the American Educational Research Association in 2012.
Outside of his work and research, Saichaie is an avid runner and cyclist, animal lover, and fan of sneaker culture.