Jennifer Keys
Jennifer joined the Northwestern University community in 2021. She is thrilled to serve as the Senior Director of the Searle Center, advancing the strategic priorities of deepening reflective, evidence-informed, and innovative pedagogical practices; bolstering student success and instructor vitality; and stimulating assessment to drive substantive course and curricular change. Jennifer earned a doctorate in sociology from the University at Albany—State University of New York and has a courtesy appointment as Professor of Practice in NU’s Department of Sociology.
In her previous role, Jennifer was Assistant Provost of Teaching and Learning and the inaugural Director of the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence at North Central College (NCC) in Naperville, IL. Her portfolio of organizational development initiatives included collaborating to create an infrastructure for high-impact practices, enhance recognition programs, and engage faculty across the campus and the span of their careers in a robust array of professional development opportunities. She also provided leadership for the Higher Learning Commission Quality Assurance Initiative and vision for building a library learning commons and transfer pathways.
As a tenured and full professor at NCC, Jennifer’s repertoire of courses included Power-Based Personal Violence, Protest and Change, Families and Intimate Relationships, Qualitative Methods, and Honors Seminars. Jennifer aspires to teach in a way that may be temporarily disequilibrating but is ultimately transformative, utilizing a wide range of active and collaborative learning techniques. She combines high challenge and high support so that all students can achieve clearly defined learning outcomes.
Jennifer’s scholarly interests focus on educational development as a career pathway, faculty engagement in high-impact educational practices, and college transition. She partnered with sociologists J. Mullaney and K. Geraty (2023) to critically discuss midlevel administrators' work with department chairs, specifically examining ways to reduce emotional labor. Her chapter in the International Handbook of Case Studies of Faculty Development Centers with A. Gòkè-Pariolá (2023) considers the role that a Center for Learning and Teaching can play in expanding community, infrastructure, and faculty capacity. A 2020 piece in Peer Review with J. Jackson explores how creative course design functions as a catalyst for senior faculty connection and renewal.
University Committees:
- Assessment and Accreditation Council (co-chair)
- Generative AI Advisory Committee
- Practicum Steering Committee (Convener)
- STEM Education Advisory Board (Convener)
- IDEA Leaders
- Office of Fellowships Advisory Board
- One Book Steering Committee
- Phi Beta Kappa