About | Faculty Development | Assessment | e-Learning

Hello Creighton Colleagues,  

As I reflect on the fall semester, I am filled with gratitude…

For our CFE Faculty Associates who offer their expertise, time, and passion to the Creighton community in the form of presentations, book clubs, leadership development, exploration of teaching effectiveness, consultations, and more.

For the eLearning team who continually share their talents in instructional design; exam development; media creation; and overall support of faculty and, ultimately, students and their learning.

For Kate, Mary, and Sarah, who lead the way in eLearning, faculty development, and assessment for the CFE; for Kym who supports the good work of the center; and for Gail who is a champion for teaching, learning and assessment.  

For UAC and CCAT committee members, faculty development advisory group representatives, grant and award reviewers, collaborators, mentors, and supporters. We couldn’t do our work without you!

Finally, for all of you for your continued commitment to your professional development, our students and to the university. 

Happy Holidays from the CFE!

Lou Jensen, OTD, OTR/L.
Associate Vice Provost-Interim, Center for Faculty Excellence

Wishing you a season that is filled to the brim with love, laughter, and all the joy your heart can hold. Season's Greetings!

~ The CFE Team

Pictured L to R by row: Front: Laura Praus, Jackie Happer, Kate Johansen, Sarah Oliver, Barry Conley; Middle: Phil Beagle, Mary Emmer, Kym Bauer, Lou Jensen, Diana Boone, Cristina Velez; Back: Jimmy Hamilton, Rachel Rentschler, Liz Davie, Molly Hines, Natalie Boulton, Dengjiu Zhao  (not pictured: Wendi Nau and Karen Rose)

I became an Instructional Designer here at Creighton in September of 2020. Before that I spent eleven years in the classroom teaching 9th and 11th grade English, yearbook and journalism, various electives in literature, creative writing, and communications, as well as a freshman seminar in social and emotional learning.

I worked in a small western Iowa school district, so I took on many roles and responsibilities in the name of ensuring access to opportunities for students in rural settings. My experience as a teacher has helped me to connect with faculty by understanding the many demands and challenges of teaching. I appreciate the dedication and passion shared by educators, and I strive to help our faculty be as effective and efficient as possible. Despite the challenges in education, I am continuously grateful to be involved in work that moves people and influences their lives in empowering ways.

Outside work, I am spending time with my husband Mike, and our kids Nolan (14) and Olivia (11). We have a super-senior cat named Chicken and two guinea pigs, Rachel and Regina. I thoroughly enjoy anything that has to do with food: eating, cooking, entertaining, trying new foods, and experimenting in the kitchen. I love reading and movies, time with close friends and extended family, golf, camping, and traveling whenever I can.

Canvas may have eliminated the deadline for ending Classic Quizzes, but instructors still have to consider how and when they will eventually make their move to New Quizzes. For clarity and consistency, it is best to choose one or the other, and there are many important considerations to make, including differences in how Lockdown Browser operates with each version. We encourage faculty to work with the Instructional Design team to navigate specific circumstances, and Canvas has also provided some helpful resources to support faculty in deciding what is best for their courses:

With finals quickly approaching, the CFE e-Learning team has put together some helpful tips and best practices for creating and administering online exams through BlueLine. Find more information in the BlueLine Faculty Guides on:

Creighton has partnered with Canvas Support to provide BlueLine support even when the CFE and myIT Service Desk are unavailable. You can call, chat, or email Canvas Support for all questions or problems related to BlueLine. Canvas Support contact information can be found via the Help button in the navigation bar in BlueLine.

The Trendsetters, a new community of practice, offers an informal group to share interdisciplinary practices and approaches to statistics, econometrics, and a wide range of quantitative research methods.  The group plans to meet quarterly to have conversations on these topics, conduct live time workshops, and organize participant inspired meet-ups to share research and receive ideas and feedback.

Gargi Vyas, PhD, The Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Leadership, College of Professional and Continuing Education, CFE Faculty Associate; Jack Taylor, PhD, Research and Compliance, Biostatistical Core; and Jim Martin, PhD, The Doctoral Program in Interdisciplinary Leadership, College of Professional and Continuing Education will be facilitation the meeting.

Register for initial meeting.  If you have questions about The Trendsetters, contact Gargi Vyas at GargiVyas@creighton.edu. 

Did you know you have access to over 20 previous CFE program recordings and materials from this fall?  Program focus areas include, but not limited to: 

If you wish to watch a presentation or view resources, we encourage you to explore and register for the on-demand course in Bridge.  When you select register, Bridge will place the on-demand course in your personal dashboard where you can access the recording and program materials 24/7 at a time that is most convenient for YOU! 

Lizzy Curran is the Director in the Office of Global & Community-Engaged Learning (formerly Academic Service Learning).  She previously worked in the Global Engagement Office with study abroad and faculty-led programs for ten years. 

Her goal is to support you, your students, and your service learning courses in collaboration with our community partners in Omaha, Phoenix, and abroad.

Please click this link to share if you currently teach an Academic Service Learning course, and whether you will run the course during the Spring 2024 semester. 

Contact Lizzy to learn more. 

Spring 2024:  Experiential Learning Faculty Seminar Series led virtually by
Dr. Susan Haarman, Service-Learning Program Manager at Loyola University Chicago, who is an expert in experiential learning.

Creighton University colleagues are invited to attend.  Register.

This year's request for applications for the Dr. George F. Haddix President's Faculty Research Fund has now been released and posted to the Sponsored Programs Administration website. This fund was developed to support and enhance the research and scholarly productivity of full-time faculty at Creighton University. Faculty are encouraged to involve students in their research programs and scholarly endeavors.

Special consideration will be given to new investigators to collect preliminary data to submit an external grant proposal. In addition, established faculty are encouraged to submit proposals for new initiatives/directions with the intent to build on their work and/or seek external funding. Finally, faculty focused on the scholarship of teaching & learning, as well as interdisciplinary team focused projects, are encouraged to apply.

-  Application deadline: February 1, 2024
-  Access application guidelines and InfoEd instructions  

For questions, contact: Barb Bittner, Beth Herr, or Karla Malesker.

The University Research Week Committee would like to invite you to save the dates for our upcoming events. They are hoping that with these early reminders, and calendar invite links, you will be able to keep these times open so your students can submit abstracts and present projects, you can come judge presentations, and you will be able to come see what our students have been working on this past year.

Abstract Deadline: Feb. 16, 2024 (calendar invite link)
Research Days: March 26, 2024 from 8:45 am – 3:45 pm CDT and March. 27, 2024 from 8:45 am – 11:00 am CDT (calendar invite link)

Watch for additional information in Creighton Today and other communication channels.  Questions, please contact Sandra Leighton. 

The Assessment Institute in Indianapolis is the oldest and largest U.S. event focused on assessing and improving higher education. The 2024 Institute will be held Oct. 27-29, 2024, at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.

Lou Jensen, Associate Vice Provost-Interim: LouJensen@creighton.edu | 402.280.5678 
Faculty Development: 
   - MaryEmmer@Creighton.edu | 402.280.4997
   - KymBauer | 402.280.1190
Assessment: SarahOliver1@Creighton.edu | 402.280.3906  
eLearning:
  - Instructional Design Team: elearning@creighton.edu | hotline 402.280.3428  
  - Exam/Online Proctoring Team: exams@creighton.edu | hotline: 402.280.5665    
  - eLearning & Media Design: PhilBeagle@Creighton.edu | 402.280.3055