Associate Professor
Department of Criminology and Justice Studies (CJS)

We are excited to announce the appointment of Dr. Nayan Ramirez, Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies (CJS), as Faculty Director of Faculty Development in the Office of Faculty Programs and Initiatives, effective Spring 2026.
 
Dr. Nayan Ramirez has been a faculty member at CSUN since 2018 and has extensive experience in faculty development and campus leadership. He served as Faculty Development’s New Faculty Foundations Fellow, where he co-facilitated the New Faculty Academy, and has helped coordinate New Faculty Orientation since 2019. Dr. Ramirez most recently served as Interim Associate Director of Faculty Development in Spring 2025. Drawing on his experience as a first-generation college graduate, he is deeply committed to equity-minded education and has created multiple programs to support student success, including the CJS Academic Support Center and a peer mentoring course that trains undergraduates to support first-year students. He currently serves as a Faculty Senate Senator-at-Large and Chair of the Educational Equity Committee.

Caption: Over 30 faculty gathered for our Course Re/Design Workshop held in Extended University Commons on Tuesday, January 13.

Caption: Faculty joined us for a day of writing support and a chance to win prizes at our Winter Writing Retreat at the FacDev Commons on Wednesday, January 14.

FacDev has created a Canvas course with a number of AI-related resources. Topics include course design and AI policies, talking to students About AI, designing assignments, and creating custom chatbot. Faculty can also share share assignments and pose question in discussion forums. The site will be updated throughout the semester.

Faculty are invited to attend the following virtual office hours to meet 1:1 with someone from Faculty Development. Bring your questions about topics ranging from finalizing your syllabus, setting up your Canvas course site, reviewing course materials to be accessible, including AI statements, incorporating active learning strategies, and other questions

Led by video/film expert Mr. Mitchell Nagy, this workshop provides faculty with tools and skills to make an introduction video for your Canvas course

Come and work on your Research, Scholarship, Creative Activities (RSCA) grant in community. Bring your laptop, lunch and questions! Beverages and dessert will be provided.

Join us for a hands-on workshop led by campus expert, Prof. Tammy Trujillo. In four sessions, you will learn how to plan, record, edit, and publish your own podcast. You must be available for all four sessions:.

Learn classroom strategies to foster connection and belonging with campus expert Dr. Kandice Grote, Assoc. Professor of Child and Adolescent Development.

Interested in writing accountability this fall? Join the Office of Faculty Programs and Initiatives Mondays and Tuesdays this semester from noon to 1 p.m. For questions email Dr. Anne Choi.

Discover how to design and implement a short learner profile survey to better understand your students and support their specific goals and needs.

In this workshop, FacDev's instructional designers will cover how to talk to your students about AI, introduce the AI Assessment Scale, discuss different levels of AI assignments from AI-resistant to AI-inclusive, and help you brainstorm ideas for your class. There will be time for you to work in community on redesigning an assignment for your course.

Join us this semester for four retreats. Come and write in community!

These self-paced, asynchronous Canvas programs provide guidance, resources, and support for planning and implementing new strategies in your courses. They are designed for faculty who are new to the topics as well as experienced faculty who want to deepen their knowledge and learn new strategies.