Senior Specialist, Educational Development and Digital Learning

University of Ottawa•Ottawa, ON

1d•CA$90,987 - CA$114,932•Hybrid

About The Position

At the Teaching and Learning Support Service (TLSS), our work in the fields of university education and techno-pedagogy is two-fold: we support the efforts of faculty members so that their teaching methods are more engaging for the student population. Our faculty support allows students to receive a flexible, high-quality education and to benefit from the appropriate use of technology, both of which have a direct impact on the student experience at the University of Ottawa. Our team is comprised of professionals in the field of university education and specialists in educational technology in an academic environment. The TLSS provides unique and essential content to the University of Ottawa. Position Purpose: Design and facilitate pedagogical training for faculty members, with a focus on educational and learning technologies and on implementing teaching practices that are based on innovative approaches (active learning, experiential learning, etc.). Working with professors and production team members as an instructional designer and project lead to design online courses and resources. Offer ongoing personalized support to faculty members to help them design online, face-to-face and blended courses, use effective teaching strategies, and integrate technology, whether in the classroom or online, to support student learning.

Requirements

Master’s degree in education or in a related field (equivalent experience in instructional design and/or related fields could be considered).
Requires four-to-six years’ experience in instructional design or as a university-level instructor
Experience in developing digital teaching and learning materials and learning environments
Self-reliance and sense of initiative
Good interpersonal skills, coupled with open-mindedness, flexibility, and the ability to forge partnerships
Proven leadership skills and ability to motivate a team
Excellent writing skills
Bilingualism — English/French (spoken and written)

Nice To Haves

PhD in education preferred
Experience in creating university teaching resources or publications (an asset)

Responsibilities

Design professional development activities in university teaching for professors based on best educational practices to improve teaching, learning and student participation, while taking into account the needs of all members of the teaching community (regular and part-time professors, teaching assistants and other instructional staff).
Collaborate with professors to design and develop online and blended courses, and assists them with special projects by helping to organize their materials, identify the most effective pedagogical strategies, and incorporate appropriate media and learning activities.
Participate in various activities and events, design content and workshops, and deliver training that promotes best practices in teaching and evaluation methods that focus on innovative approaches, such as active learning classrooms and experiential learning.
Work with a team of multi-media experts (web programmers, web developers, and videographer) to develop online pedagogical materials.
Assist in integrating university-level pedagogical tools and technology by demonstrating their use and consulting with teaching staff, in collaboration with the personnel from other TLSS sectors.
Update the TLSS resources collection of best teaching practices available both online and in print, and assist the person in charge of managing this collection.
Act as project lead for a number of concurrent projects, set deadlines, estimate costs, use planning tools, allocate resources, manage budgets, assess risks and evaluate projects.
Design and facilitate a range of training activities dealing with teaching- and learning-related topics offered by the TLSS and represents the TLSS on advisory/grant committees that focus on instructional expertise.
Assist in developing ways (e.g. awards, events, etc.) to recognize the value of professors’ contributions and/or propose new ones (awards, activities, etc.), particularly with respect to the use of innovative practices.
Work closely with TLSS staff and other specialists, both inside and outside the university community, to share information on best practices and provide recommendations on how to improve the teaching and learning experience.
May be called upon to teach non-credit ESG courses and to coordinate ESG practicums in university teaching.