Faculty Resources

Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship (CIE)

CIE provides a variety of resources tailored to help faculty inspire the next generation of innovative thinkers and leaders no matter the school or discipline. Explore our offerings below to discover how we can assist you in enhancing your curriculum, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and creating impactful learning experiences for your students.

WAYS WE ENGAGE:

• Interdisciplinary Course Development
 - Support for developing courses that intersect various disciplines, promoting a broader educational experience for students.
• Idea Generation and Visioning - CIE can support faculty in embedded lectures, workshops, and activities that cultivate entrepreneurial mindset, and introduce new approaches for decision making and implementation.
• Experiential Learning Opportunities - 
Resources for integrating hands-on, real-world experiences into the classroom to deepen student engagement and understanding.
• Research Collaboration Support
 - Facilitates partnerships across different departments, encouraging collaborative research projects with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.
• Student Project Mentorship
 - Opportunities to mentor students in entrepreneurial projects that align with liberal arts principles, fostering creativity and critical thinking.
• Funding and Competition Support
 - Pitch practice, guidance and support in securing funding for innovative projects that bridge liberal arts education with entrepreneurial initiatives. Includes concepts, competitions, and conferences relating to CIE.
• Entrepreneurship Curriculum Integration - Resources to integrate CIE concepts into existing courses, ensuring students are prepared for wherever their future takes them.
• Industry Partnership Development - Support for building partnerships with local and national businesses, creating opportunities for student internships, shadowing, and real-world projects.
• Startup Incubation Support - Access to tools and resources for faculty interested in helping students develop and launch startups, including mentorship and funding opportunities.
• Case Study Development - Support in developing and publishing case studies, particularly those that focus on entrepreneurship and innovation.
• Prototyping and Technology Resources - Support for embedded technology and tools to help bring student concepts to life.

TOOLS WE USE:

• Creative Problem Solving
• Design Thinking 
• Change Management
• Lean Launchpad Methodologies
• Lego Serious Play
• Experience Mapping
• Product Roadmapping
• Digital Design
• UX/UI Design
• Web / SEO Consultation
• SME Identification
• Adobe CC
• Canva Pro

Workshops

These are not exhaustive topics, and we can tailor duration and engagement (number of classes visited, returning for multiple touchpoints throughout the semester, by project, etc.)

Perfecting Your Pitch

Description: This workshop provides participants with the tools and techniques needed to craft and deliver compelling pitches. Whether presenting a business idea, research project, or creative concept, attendees will learn how to structure a clear, engaging narrative that resonates with their audience. The session also covers strategies for managing nerves, handling Q&A, and tailoring pitches to different stakeholders.

Why It Matters: A strong pitch is critical for gaining support, funding, or approval for innovative ideas. Faculty and students alike can benefit from mastering the art of persuasion and storytelling, essential skills in academia, business, and beyond.

CIE Support: Offers personalized coaching, feedback on content delivery, best practices, and access to resources that refine both verbal and visual elements of a pitch.

Key Tools:

• Pitch templates for organizing content.
• Timer apps for practice and time management.
• Presentation software (e.g., Canva Pro, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Pitch).
• Video recording platforms for self-review (e.g., Zoom).
• Q&A preparation guides to anticipate and respond to audience questions.

Creative Problem Solving

Description: This workshop explores techniques for generating innovative solutions to complex challenges. Participants will learn methods to define problems, evaluate multiple perspectives, and implement actionable solutions.

Why It Matters: Faculty can use creative problem-solving to address pedagogical challenges, enhance collaboration, and empower students to think critically and adaptively.

CIE Support: Provides frameworks and exercises, such as brainstorming sessions and real-world case studies, to integrate creative problem-solving into classrooms and projects.

Design Thinking

Description: Learn the human-centered design approach to problem-solving that emphasizes empathy, ideation, prototyping, and iterative testing.

Why It Matters: Design thinking helps faculty create more engaging, student-centered learning experiences and supports interdisciplinary collaboration.

CIE Support: Offers hands-on workshops to guide faculty through design thinking processes and adapt these practices to classroom settings.

Change Management

Description: This workshop introduces strategies for navigating and leading change effectively within academic and organizational contexts.

Why It Matters: Faculty often lead initiatives requiring buy-in from colleagues and students. Understanding change management principles can smooth transitions and build consensus.

CIE Support: Provides tools and case studies to support faculty in implementing new programs, policies, or methodologies.

Lean Launchpad Methodologies

Description: A hands-on workshop teaching Lean Startup principles, including customer discovery, business modeling, and rapid prototyping.

Why It Matters: Faculty can guide students in entrepreneurial thinking and equip them to test and validate ideas in real-world scenarios.

CIE Support: Offers step-by-step guidance and tools to incorporate Lean methodologies into coursework or extracurricular projects.

Ethnographic Interviewing

Description: Learn qualitative research techniques to uncover deep insights through structured, open-ended interviews with users, stakeholders, or collaborators.

Why It Matters: Faculty can use ethnographic interviewing to enrich research, enhance classroom projects, and foster cultural understanding.

CIE Support: Provides templates, practice scenarios, and guidance on applying interview findings to design or innovation projects.

Brainstorming

Description: Explore techniques to generate and refine ideas in collaborative settings. This workshop highlights methods such as mind mapping, SCAMPER, and the Six Thinking Hats.

Why It Matters: Faculty can use structured brainstorming to foster creativity in students and facilitate idea generation in interdisciplinary projects.

CIE Support: Facilitates interactive sessions and offers resources for brainstorming effectively in classroom and team settings.

Lego Serious Play

Description: A hands-on workshop using LEGO bricks to explore complex challenges, foster creativity, and strengthen team dynamics.

Why It Matters: Encourages out-of-the-box thinking and deep engagement, making it a valuable tool for problem-solving and team-building.

CIE Support: Provides trained facilitators and materials to help faculty incorporate this innovative methodology into their teaching or workshops.

Experience Mapping

Description: Learn how to visually map a user’s journey to understand their needs, emotions, and touchpoints throughout an experience.

Why It Matters: Helps faculty understand how students engage with courses, resources, and projects, allowing for improved course design and student experiences.

CIE Support: Guides faculty in creating and analyzing experience maps tailored to educational or research contexts.

Product Roadmapping

Description: This workshop introduces tools and techniques for planning the development and evolution of a product or project over time.

Why It Matters: Faculty can use roadmapping to manage long-term projects, track progress, and align team efforts effectively.

CIE Support: Offers templates and guidance to apply product roadmapping to academic initiatives or student-led ventures.

Digital Design

Description: A comprehensive overview of digital design tools and practices, focusing on creating visually compelling and user-friendly content.

Why It Matters: Faculty can enhance course materials, improve student projects, and communicate research effectively through digital design.

CIE Support: Provides access to tools, tutorials, and expert consultations to elevate faculty and student design capabilities.

UX/UI Design

Description: Learn the principles of user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design to create intuitive, user-friendly digital experiences.

Why It Matters: Faculty can teach students how to design impactful digital products and use these skills for their own research or teaching projects.

CIE Support: Offers workshops and tools to integrate UX/UI principles into project-based learning and innovation challenges.

Web/SEO Consultation

Description: Understand how to optimize web content and design for better visibility, usability, and search engine rankings.

Why It Matters: Faculty can enhance their online presence, improve academic websites, and equip students with valuable digital marketing skills.

CIE Support: Provides expert consultations and training on SEO best practices, analytics, and content strategy.

SME (Subject Matter Expert) Identification

Description: Learn how to identify and engage subject matter experts (SMEs) for research, teaching, or project collaboration.

Why It Matters: Accessing the right expertise can enhance interdisciplinary learning, provide valuable perspectives, and strengthen project outcomes.

CIE Support: Connects faculty with local, regional, and global SME networks for tailored support.

Canva Pro

Description: Learn how to use Canva Pro to create professional, visually engaging materials such as presentations, posters, and social media graphics.

Why It Matters: A user-friendly platform for faculty and students to enhance visual communication without the steep learning curve of advanced design software.

CIE Support: Offers workshops and access to premium features for faculty and student use.

Adobe Creative Cloud (CC)

Description: Discover the range of tools in Adobe Creative Cloud, from Photoshop and Illustrator to Premiere Pro and After Effects, and how they can enhance creative projects.

Why It Matters: Faculty can improve the quality of student projects and academic content with professional-grade tools.

CIE Support: Provides training sessions, project templates, and technical support for Adobe CC tools.

QUESTIONS?

For questions, please email Somiah Lattimore or Andrew Ilnicki for assistance.