The Teaching and Learning Commons is Essential to the UC San Diego Experience

The Commons advances student success and teaching excellence across the campus. Aligned with UC San Diego’s mission to be a student-centered, research-driven, patient dedicated and service-oriented university, the Commons delivers integrated, equity‑focused programming that reaches every corner of the Triton community.

We pursue educational equity and inclusive pedagogy as both a strategy and a goal. We focus our efforts on building effective coalitions with academic departments and individual faculty. Together, we promote evidence-based teaching and rigorous analysis to understand how our innovations improve student outcomes.

Tangible Impact on Students

Broad Impact: 

More than 9,000 undergraduates, which is about 25 percent of the total student population, visited the Commons last year. About 43 percent of those students identified as first‑generation or are under-represented in the university setting.

number of students served

Improved Pass Rates:

Regular attendance by students at Supplemental Instruction courses drives pass rates up to 98 percent and narrows equity gaps for large introductory courses. Over five years, the program has served 54,000+ students across 62 unique courses and 13 academic units.

student impact data graph

Writing Success: 

We provide 2,800+ consultations, which serve 1,200+ unique students each year, complemented by about 65 workshops and a daily writing room that fosters steady progress.

Experiential Learning for Future Achievement: 

More than 1,900 students have participated in Academic Internships over the last five years, and 3,500 students record experiential‑learning credits annually. About 10% of the student body participates in high‑impact practices such as internships, service learning, and the UCDC program.

ucdc program data graph

Prioritizing Graduate Student Academic Achievement:

During the 2024-2025 academic year, the Commons served 500+ graduate students from more than 40 different academic units. The graduate students served are enrolled in programs spanning across all eight schools at UC San Diego.

Empowering Educators

Radiant Reach: 

A single cohort of 40 faculty and graduate fellows in the Anti‑Racist Pedagogy Learning Community taught 8,000+ undergraduates in one year, illustrating how modest faculty engagement multiplies student impact.

student impact data graph

Learning Communities, Workshops and Consultations That Work: 

More than 270 teaching consultations with 130+ instructors and 1,700+ workshop registrations (approximately 780 unique participants) help faculty design inclusive, evidence‑based courses.

Strategic Partnerships Across Campus

Undergraduates, graduate students, educators, community partners, colleges, campus leadership, and academic units all collaborate with the Commons, creating a contiguous, multi‑layered network of support.

Partnerships with OASIS, the Division of Extended Studies, and more ensure that programs such as Summer Bridge, Supplemental Instruction, writing support and experiential learning are seamlessly integrated into the student journey.

Summer Bridge:

The nation’s largest program, delivering zero‑cost, credit‑bearing summer coursework to incoming undergraduates. Enrollment grew from 488 students (2020) to 914 students (2024) and aims for 1,600–2,000 students by 2027.

summer bridge data graph