Kem Saichaie (he/him) is the Executive Director for the Center for Educational Effectiveness in the Office of Undergraduate Education (UE) at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Kem is a First-Generation college student in the United States. He works with faculty and graduate students across disciplines to investigate evidence-based pedagogical practices and integrate them into face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning spaces. Kem’s experience in higher education includes roles in academic technology, admissions, educational development, and as a faculty member.

Research and Scholarship 

Kem is the co-author of the best-selling book: A Guide to Teaching in Active Learning Classrooms: History, Research, and Practice. He was the lead editor of special volume from New Directions on Teaching and Learning on graduate student instructor development and preparation. Kem has published in a number of venues including: The Journal of Higher Education; Journal of Excellence in College Teaching; PLOS ONE, International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning; Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions; and EDUCAUSE’s Seeking Evidence of Impact series. He collaborates on a number grant-related initiatives, including serving as a co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation Improving Undergraduate STEM Education project: Transforming Institutions Through STEM Equity Learning Communities (Award: 2215689). 

Service

Kem is the co-editor of the Journal for First-Generation Student Success. Kem was elected to the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Core Committee (2021-2024) and currently serves as the co-chair of the Membership Committee. At the system-level, he contributes to the UC First-Generation Coalition and was the Chair of the UC Center for Teaching and Learning Consortium from 2022-2023. At the campus-level, Kem serves on the Executive Board for the UC Davis Chapter of the Asian Pacific American Systemwide Alliance. 

Teaching

He regularly teaches EDU 398: The Seminar on College Teaching at UC Davis. Kem has also taught courses at the University of Iowa, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.   

Education and Background

Kem earned a PhD Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of Iowa. He was named an American Education Research Association (Division J – Postsecondary Education) Emerging Scholar in 2012. Prior to work in education, Kem spent nearly a decade working in mass media.