CEPI aims to revolutionize faculty development. Along with training professors in leading teaching and learning practices, we empower them to drive pedagogical innovation. The result? Inclusive, engaging and impactful educational experiences that serve students and build community.


The Inspiration Behind CEPI
 

An international 2023 report conducted by EY and Times Higher Education discovered that 34% of students reported feeling neutral or unhappy with their college experience. In any other industry, such a low satisfaction rate would feel catastrophic, both for the buyer and the supplier.

While some have lost their faith in higher education, it continues to be the gold standard for personal and professional development, and yet we — as educators — have made minimal strides to increase student fulfillment. 
 

Anzar headshot

‘‘It’s time to leave behind the broken ‘sage on a stage’ model of teaching.” — Chief Learning Officer Anzar Khaliq, director of CEPI

Luckily, the same report provides a clear, universal truth to help guide our institutions: 45% of surveyed students would like to see their universities invest in training professors to deliver digital learning more effectively.

Given the only qualification for securing a professorship at most institutions of higher education is an advanced degree, it’s no wonder faculty struggle to adapt to virtual classrooms, artificial intelligence (AI) integrations and students who grew up with the iPhone in their hands. They never learned how to teach to begin with.

As SFBU’s Chief Learning Officer Anzar Khaliq notes, “Many teachers are out of touch with the most recent research on effective teaching strategies, which prevents them from engaging pupils in ways that match the changing needs of contemporary classrooms.”
 

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With CEPI, Students Are the Mission and the Metric

Higher education has lost sight of its goal. It’s time those at the front of the classroom have the guidance and tools to reach each and every student, no matter their seat choice or learning preferences. Our faculty are essential as SFBU embarks on this unprecedented undertaking to cultivate a proving ground where students can succeed and fail without fear.

Professors who wish to teach at SFBU undergo comprehensive training to ensure their fluency in the a range of leading-edge pedagogical practices, including:
 

  • Transparent course design
  • Universal design for learning
  • Culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy
  • Blended learning
  • Gamified learning
  • Learning through augmented and virtual reality
  • Trauma-informed teaching 
  • Metacognitive teaching strategies
  • Flipped classroom
  • Scaffolded instruction


Students are an integral part of CEPI. We challenge professors to think holistically about how they can contribute to the six pillars of the student experience:

  • Academics
  • Life literacy
  • Wellness
  • Multiple meaningful relationships
  • Financial support
  • Career mobility

And to ensure we understand their perspective, CEPI creates open and consistent feedback loops between pupils and professors. These insights are essential to creating evaluative frameworks for faculty to reflect on and improve their pedagogical practices. 
 

Lecturer in classroom

A Note from Chief Learning Officer and CEPI Director Anzar Khaliq

At San Francisco Bay University, we are committed to reshaping higher education to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world. The launch of CEPI marks a significant step in this journey.

Our mission is to empower faculty to deliver exceptional teaching and learning experiences by combining Universal Design for Learning with student-centered experiences, cultural sustainability, adaptive learning environments, and AI-integrated teaching.

In turn, our faculty prepare students for a lifetime of intellectual exploration, professional achievement and creative contribution. By encouraging professors to embrace transdisciplinary course design and rethink their roles beyond the traditional "sage on a stage" model, we ensure students become active creators of content rather than mere consumers.

We are excited about the possibilities ahead and look forward to transforming the educational landscape at SFBU together.
 

Faculty collaborating

About SFBU’s Chief Learning Officer and Director of the Center for Empowerment and Pedagogical Innovation

Anzar Khaliq, Ph.D., is SFBU’s first chief learning officer and leader of the Center for Empowerment and Pedagogical Innovation (CEPI). Prior to joining SFBU, he was a founding member of Habib University in Karachi, Pakistan. Khaliq held several key leadership roles, including associate dean of teaching and learning, as well as assistant dean of the Dhanani School of Science and Engineering. He also co-founded the Center of Transdisciplinarity, Design, and Innovation at Habib University.

Khaliq brings a unique blend of creativity and innovation to his work, shaped by his 10 years as a radio jockey and his training in improv theater. These experiences profoundly inform his teaching approach, particularly in courses he led like life design and the history and philosophy of science, where he encouraged students to explore new perspectives.

Khaliq is also an experimental physicist and a design researcher. Trained as a nano-scientist at Sorbonne University in Paris, he has worked at some of the world’s most cutting-edge particle accelerators, bringing a deep scientific rigor to his diverse roles in academia.