Academic Technologist

UMass Global

10d • $24 - $30 • Remote

About The Position

Responsible for assisting the various teams in providing technical, administrative, and logistical support for online graduate and undergraduate courses. Provides support to the Learning Management System (LMS) users in the investigation, analysis, and resolution of all problems related specifically to the LMS and its integrated applications. Responsible for conducting accessibility and functionality audits, ensuring accessibility compliance of all newly developed courses. Receive general supervision from the Associate Director, Digital Learning. General Supervision — indicates that the incumbent performs a variety of duties; some of which may be complex duties within established policy guidelines; and receives occasional supervision.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or combination of experience and education
• 1 to 3 years of experience in LMS, educational technology or instructional support
• Moderate to Advanced technical skills with Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Brightspace, Strut, Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas, etc and other educational technologies.
• Advanced knowledge of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for online course delivery and proficiency in ensuring WCAG compliance using tools like G Suite (Google Products), Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft Office
• Advanced skills with G Suite (Google Products), Adobe Acrobat, and Microsoft .
• Proficiency in creating vtt files for closed captions and utilizing accessibility tools and techniques to create accessible digital content.
• Experience in using and troubleshooting academic technologies, including LMS, video conferencing tools like Zoom, online collaboration platforms, and multimedia authoring software.
• Familiarity with software applications commonly used in education, such as Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace, and providing support to users via email, phone and video conferencing technologies.
• Strong analytical skills to troubleshoot software and hardware issues and provide technical support to faculty and students.
• Versatility in both PC and Mac operating environments.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively convey technical information to faculty and students.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment, demonstrating discretion and judgment within delegated authority.
• Proven customer service skills, including handling problems, questions, conflicts, and suggestions with diplomacy and patience.

Nice To Haves

• ADA compliance and training experience preferred

Responsibilities

• Faculty and Student Support
• Monitor the course triage and instructor support queue to ensure timely resolution of faculty and student requests
• Provide technical and functional support for the LMS, assisting users with navigation, troubleshooting, and best practices.
• Test and evaluate LMS updates, and new functionalities and review results
• Deliver advanced technical assistance by phone, email, and other channels for educational technologies (e.g. Kaltura, Zoom) and course-integrated tools
• Support users in the use of licensed academic content and integrations (e.g. Films on Demand, Harvard Business Review, McGraw-Hill Connect, Pearson MyLab, Labsim, and Ucertify)
• Coordinate with university departments and technical support teams to streamline issue resolution and enhance the faculty and student online learning experience
• Perform course triage as needed by updating live courses, correcting content issues, and maintaining consistency across course components
• Conduct copy out preparation checks each term to verify course readiness, addressing broken links, missing materials, tool integrations, textbook availability, syllabus alignment, gradebook configuration, due dates, rubrics, instructor resources, and accessibility compliance (ADA)
• Course Building/Instructional Design Support
• Collaborate with instructional designers and/or faculty to upload documents, apply basic HTML coding, upload /build quizzes, build LTI integrations and incorporate audio and visual media
• Conduct post-development User Experience (UX) design audit and remediation
• Accessibility Specialist
• Conduct accessibility audits of online courses to ensure compliance with WCAG 2.2 standards.
• Utilize assistive technology and tools to identify non-compliance areas, providing remediation support as needed
• Aid Instructional Designers, Faculty and Students registered with the Office of Accessible Education in formatting course materials for WCAG compliance.
• This may include but is not limited to formatting course documents and html coding pto ensure compatibility with screen readers and generating ADA compliant alt text, closed captions, and transcription for multimedia content
• Trainings
• Provide training for faculty and students on the use of educational technologies including but not limited to LMS, Zoom, Kaltura, Google Drive, etc.
• This includes the following tasks:
• Developing training materials and job aids
• Writing scripts for asynchronous training development.
• Leading synchronous trainings via Zoom.
• Hosting “office hours” style support sessions.
• Perform other duties, as assigned

Benefits

• Health: Medical, dental, and vision coverage with spending account options.
• Work-Life Balance: Remote options, flexible schedules, 1/2 day Fridays (biweekly), generous time off, including paid holidays and a paid winter break.
• Financial Security: Life, disability, accident, legal, identity protection, and student debt support.
• Retirement: 403(b) plan with a Roth option. 3% non-elective contribution and up to 6% match for a 9% total employer contribution!
• Education: Tuition discounts for employees and family and Tuition Exchange program with other universities. PSLF eligible employer.
• Wellness: Counseling services, Free Calm Health subscription and year-round wellness programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees