He was an assistant professor of history at Dordt College in Sioux Center, Iowa from 2008 to 2012. He taught a wide range of courses from Ancient History to the History of American Evangelicanism as well as Teaching Methods for Secondary History Teachers with student teacher supervision. His research focused on Dutch-American ethnic identity in the twentieth century. Zwart has published in both national and international journals as well as presenting at numerous conferences. He served as president of the Association for the Advancement of Dutch-American Studies from 2013 to 2015.