Meet the CAIFS Team
Additional Resources
The mission of the Center for Academic Innovation and Faculty Support (CAIFS) is to bring together the resources and talent of the University to support innovation and expand opportunities for all faculty at USC Upstate. From instructional technology to active learning classrooms, from assessment tools to professional development initiatives, CAIFS programs and services are here to support the University’s objectives to be a model of excellence in rigorous, career-relevant, and accessible education that fosters an inclusive campus environment. Together, we can kindle and sustain a spirit of innovation as we approach the exciting and transformative academic work we do.
As part of the Center for Academic Innovation and Faculty Support, the Office of Distance Education offers a variety of services to faculty and students to facilitate high-quality design, delivery, accreditation, compliance, enrollment growth, and completion of online courses and programs. The Office of Distance Education also provides strategic leadership to faculty members and academic units to manage, develop, and coordinate the institution’s portfolio of distance education programs and courses. We aim to maintain the highest quality programs and the most appropriate educational technology in alignment with the SREB Principles of Good Practice and the SACSCOC Policy Statement.
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Celena E. Kusch, Ph.D.Executive Director |
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Dr. Celena Kusch's areas of expertise include Conversion to Blackboard Ultra Course View, Peer Observation of Teaching, Campus Labs/Chalk and Wire ePortfolios, Custom Workshops, Degreeworks, Academic Innovation Projects, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research Support, Blackboard Organizations for Institutional Training and Virtual Process Transitions. Dr. Kusch is also a professor of American literature and a Women's and Gender Studies Faculty Affiliate. She teaches classes focused on 20th- and 21st-century American literature and postcolonial literature. |
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Lynda DavisAdministrative Assistant |
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Lynda Davis coordinates the CAIFS library of teaching and academic leadership books and provides Qualtrics survey hosting and construction support to aid faculty members in preparing short teaching or research surveys. |
Office of Online Learning and Program Support
The Office of Online Learning and Program Support offers a variety of services to faculty and students to facilitate quality design, delivery, accreditation, compliance, enrollment growth, and completion of online courses and programs. The Director provides strategic leadership to faculty members and academic units to manage, develop and coordinate the institution’s portfolio of distance education programs and courses.
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Yamil Ernesto RuizDirector of Online Learning and Program Support |
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Yamil Ernesto Ruiz serves as USC Upstate's Quality Matters (QM) Coordinator and directs major initiatives related to online teaching certification, online and hybrid course and program standards, and support for faculty and students engaged in online learning in various formats. As a doctoral student, Yamil wrote practitioner and research articles on different dimensions of educational equity, and presented findings on projects pertaining to the intersection of educational leadership and equity. Prior to joining USC Upstate, he served as Quality Matters Coordinator for Clemson University, a role which required him to work as a liaison between faculty, the university, and Quality Matters in order to promote growth in quality online teaching and learning. Under his leadership, Clemson went from zero to more than 25 courses reviewed with Met status within 18 months. |
Office of Transformative and Inclusive Pedagogy
The Office of Transformative and Inclusive Pedagogy provides vision and strategic leadership to guide institution-wide conversations about and implementation of principles of transformational learning and inclusive pedagogy. The Director of Transformative and Inclusive Pedagogy collaborates with academic units and individual faculty members to facilitate campus-wide inquiry and innovation in order to build academic resilience by design. Applying research-based best practices in the evolving field of higher education, the Director of Transformative and Inclusive Pedagogy leads a team of learning experience designers to determine needs, advise, and support faculty members and academic leadership in designing and assessing a range of program and classroom strategies, including inclusive pedagogy, active learning, technology- and media-enhanced instruction, experiential learning, and outcomes-based instruction.
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Jennifer BlandLearning Experience Designer |
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Jennifer Bland's areas of expertise include Active Learning, Active Learning Classroom scheduling and classroom technology, University 101, Respondus Monitor Online Proctoring, Blackboard Ultra Course View Instructional Design. Prior to coming to USC Upstate Jennifer was a K-12 math teacher. She served as the faculty professional development program coordinator in the federally funded Title III Active Learning Grant from 2014-2019. |
Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement
The Office of Service Learning and Community Engagement (OSLCE) was established in 2015 as a forum that cultivates strong reciprocal relationships between USC Upstate faculty, students and community organizations through professional development for faculty, partnerships for community organizations, and awards and support for students.
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Dave Marlow, Ph.D.Director of Service Learning and Community Engagement |
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Dr. Dave Marlow's areas of expertise include Service Learning, eService Learning, Service Engagement, Community Engagement, High-Impact Practices, Civic Engagement. Dr. Marlow is also a professor of linguistics and English for Speakers of Other Languages. His research focuses on dialect diversity both within the region and internationally. |