Center for Faculty Development & Excellence
Better Teaching. Deeper Learning. Greater Student Success.
New technologies, changing student expectations, and evolving approaches to learning are reshaping higher education. The Center for Faculty Development & Excellence (CFDE) helps SCU faculty navigate those changes with purpose—preserving academic rigor while creating learning experiences that are relevant, engaging, inclusive, and aligned with the competencies today’s students need to succeed.
Instructional
Design
Strengthen or refresh your course with support from CFDE’s instructional designers. Whether you’re making targeted updates or undertaking a larger redesign, we can help align learning outcomes, activities, assessments, technology, accessibility, and student support. Click here to learn more.
Action
Research
Turn questions from your own teaching into opportunities for improvement. Action Research gives faculty a practical, evidence-based process for testing new approaches, evaluating their impact on student learning and engagement, and using the results to strengthen teaching over time. Click here to learn more.
Consultation
–
Get individualized guidance on a teaching or course-design challenge. CFDE offers complimentary one-on-one consultations to help faculty explore ideas, identify practical solutions, and strengthen their instructional practice. Schedule a conversation by emailing us at cfde@scuhs.edu.
Group
Training
Bring focused professional development directly to your department. CFDE develops customized workshops based on your faculty’s needs, instructional settings, delivery methods, and course or program learning outcomes. Schedule a planning meeting by emailing us at cfde@scuhs.edu.
Mentorship
–
Build supportive relationships through SCU’s Faculty Mentoring Program. New and junior faculty receive guidance from experienced colleagues as they transition into their roles and grow as educators. Mentoring typically begins during orientation and continues for at least one year, with individual, co-mentoring, and group options available. Sign up for the program by emailing us at cfde@scuhs.edu.
Community
–
Connect with colleagues through the Faculty Online Learning Community. This virtual forum gives faculty a place to translate theory into practice, explore emerging trends, and exchange ideas about teaching and learning. Join Our Community. (Link opens to SCU Teams Site)
Introducing The Big Leap 2
Big Leap 2 is SCU’s next university-wide step in advancing teaching and learning. Building on the progress of the original Big Leap initiative, it will help faculty strengthen course design and teaching practices in response to advances in artificial intelligence, changing student needs and expectations, and new possibilities for engagement and learning.
At its center is a shared goal: creating rigorous, relevant learning experiences that give every SCU student the strongest possible opportunity to succeed.