Academic Services & Innovation
The Academic Services & Innovation (ASI) unit encompasses seven departments — Academic Operations, Faculty Affairs, Faculty Recruitment & Planning, Faculty Assessment & Development, Instructional Design, Instructional Support, and Online Support & Academic Technology. Together, these teams deliver and scale high-impact academic services that advance teaching, learning, and operational excellence in support of all programs at SPS across both the Graduate and Continuing Education portfolios. ASI also leads schoolwide innovation efforts, including the development of new program proposals and strategic initiatives that strengthen academic quality and align with the school’s mission
Contact: [email protected]
The Academic Operations department ensures the smooth and efficient execution of core academic business processes across the School of Professional Studies. The team drives continual process improvement, manages key academic communications, and maintains the division’s knowledge management systems, policy library, and operational calendars. Through collaboration with program leaders and university partners, Academic Operations enhances workflow efficiency, supports academic governance, and strengthens the infrastructure that underpins high-quality teaching and learning." This team manages the majority of academic and divisional communications using the [email protected] email alias.
Contact: [email protected]
Responsible for all aspects of the faculty life cycle, Faculty Affairs supports faculty from their first contact with SPS throughout their entire tenure with the school. This includes supporting the hiring and onboarding process of full-time and part-time faculty, the coordination of full-time faculty reviews, and faculty engagement. This team also oversees the analytics and reporting for faculty data as well as the ongoing management and optimization of policy, processes, and procedures.
Further Information & Helpful Resources
Faculty Search, Appointments & Hiring
Contact: [email protected]
This team fosters continuous improvement by providing SPS faculty with a broad range of programming and services dedicated to developing teaching effectiveness. Services offered include:
- Confidential Teaching Consultations
- Teaching Observations
- Teaching Forums
- Pedagogical Workshops
- Pedagogical Courses (e.g. the “Pedagogical Lab”)
Further Information & Helpful Resources
Contact: [email protected]
The Faculty Recruitment & Planning team focuses on finding and planning for the instructional talent that supports SPS’s evolving programs. We work closely with program teams and Academic Affairs partners to manage recruitment for both full-time and part-time faculty, align hiring efforts with program needs, and build strong pools of qualified instructors across disciplines.
Further Information & Helpful Resources
Contact: [email protected]
This team is tasked with supporting faculty in maintaining the academic quality of the school, ensuring that we consistently offer the best curriculum in innovative and effective ways. Through collaboration with faculty and programs, the Instructional Design team assists with the management, development, and design of the following:
- Project management support for the launch of new and redesigned courses.
- COI and PCC support, syllabus recommendations, and design consultations to review and update COI documents and syllabi,
- Course content design, including but not limited to instructional activities, formative and summative assessments, and pre-launch class session planning.
- In collaboration with OSAT, leverage educational technology and available platforms to create engaging learning experiences
- Instructional media design, including scripting, video editing, audio edits, and media strategy
- Migrating and updating existing online and hybrid course content in Canvas
- Maintaining the centralized Canvas course template used in online and hybrid courses
Further Information & Helpful Resources
Instructional Design Services | Academic Affairs at SPS
Instructional Design Consultations Sign-Up
Contact: [email protected]
The Instructional Support (IS) team provides comprehensive operational and logistical support to academic programs, internal departments, and faculty across the School of Professional Studies. Operating at the intersection of academic operations and classroom experience, the team works to ensure seamless delivery of instruction and an exceptional learning environment for all SPS courses.
As a central service unit and trusted campus resource, IS is widely regarded as the “go-to” team for day-to-day academic support. In addition to frontline classroom assistance, event and space coordination, and program logistics, the team collaborates closely with internal partners across SPS to resolve complex needs and implement best practices that enhance instructional operations. Serving as the “311” of SPS, IS provides direct support whenever possible and expertly routes requests to the appropriate departments to keep academic activities running smoothly and effectively.
They handle a number of service-related requests including:
- Process requests via the room scheduling software
- Classroom and academic space management
- Obtaining materials for teaching (printouts, books, supplies)
Further Information & Helpful Resources
The Online Support and Academic Technology team provides technical and pedagogical support to students, faculty, and programs at the School of Professional Studies. Operating at the intersection of technology and pedagogy, this team strives to innovate, support, and enhance digital teaching and learning at SPS. As early adopters and innovators in this space, the team provides thought leadership on the use of technology in teaching and learning. In addition to their training, platform administration, and technical support, OSAT also engages in academic technology pilots, tool demos, course delivery logistics, digital accessibility, tech consultations, tool implementation, and best practices across the spectrum of online and blended learning modalities.
Further Information & Helpful Resources
CUSPS Helpdesk | Staffed by support agents from OSAT and Instructional Support
Educational Technology Training | Led by OSAT one month prior to each semester