CTX Faculty Development: Bulgaria, Computers and Fossils

Concordia University Texas launched the CTX Faculty Professional Development Program in 2017 to support the professional development and continued learning of faculty. This initiative was established to fulfill our vision of being the premier university where the adventure of faith, learning and life-changing experiences leads to meaningful work.

Meet three CTX professors who have recently participated in the program, and learn about their exciting experiences.

Presenting in Bulgaria

In June 2018, Dr. Joanne Antrim presented a paper she co-authored at the Bulgarian Comparative Education Society’s (BCES) Conference in Varna, Bulgaria.

The paper, “Nationality and Culture as Factors Influencing Creativity Levels in Candidate Teachers: A Comparative Study between the United States and Turkey,” was also published in the peer-reviewed conference book.

Her presentation was so impactful that Antrim has been invited to return to the BCES Conference in Bulgaria this summer to discuss how she and her co-author paired students in Turkey with those at CTX and share the cultural learning, sensitivity and lasting friendships that resulted.

Computer Science Grant Work

Rev. Dr. Philip Schielke attended the annual South Central Region Conference for the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC). The conference is centered on teaching computer science.

Schielke is one of three principal investigators who were recently awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop teaching materials for heterogeneous computing (HC). Rapidly changing technology has created a demand HC and, therefore, a demand for computer science professionals to understand HC.

Schielke and his team are working to address this gap of knowledge nationwide. He presented their continuing work on developing curriculum in the form of teaching modules that instructors at any university can easily incorporate into their computer science courses.

Digging into Paleontology

In the summer of 2018, Dr. Jennifer Hofmann spent several weeks in La Brea Tar Pits, learning hands on in a Conservation Paleontology and Paleoecology course.

She spent time digging up fossils from the pits and learned how to prepare, preserve and display them. The course gave her valuable skills needed to handle the fossils at Friesenhahn Cave, owned and managed by CTX.

She shared her experiences with faculty, staff and students in presentations. Additionally, she recently co-hosted a trip to Friesenhahn Cave as part of the Summer Professional Development Series for faculty and staff.

We congratulate our CTX faculty on their transformative experiences, and we thank them for their commitment to continued learning. Our goal is to have 100% of our full-time faculty take advantage of professional development funds and share what they’ve experienced to build our people, capacity and culture.