Open and Engaged Learning Designer (Instructional Support) in Kamloops, British Columbia at Thompson Rivers University

The Open and Engaged Learning Designer (OELD) is an academic professional who partners with others to design, develop, evaluate, and enhance TRU courses and programs across all delivery and learning modes, through accessible, open, flexible, and inclusive student learning experiences. This position serves as a resource, advisor, consultant, creator and trusted partner across the TRU community.

The OELD will have expertise in learning design, learning sciences, educational technologies, assessment strategies, and teaching and learning practices intended to foster engaging and effective learning environments.
This faculty instructional support role requires a collaborative individual with the ability to lead complex educational projects from conception through to implementation and evaluation phases demonstrating initiative, confidence and leadership skills while working respectfully with others. The OELD champions quality student learning experiences in all their work.

Responsibilities may include:

1. Consult and Build Relationships with Faculty: Provide confidential, developmental consultations while building trusting relationships with faculty around evidence-informed pedagogical approaches, educational technology application, assessment strategies and curriculum design across multiple modalities, along with supporting faculty through their journey from early career to mid and late career educators. Through these consultations and working as partners with faculty, translate their course and instructional feedback into practical enhancements, suggestions and next steps.
2. Facilitate Faculty Engagements: Design, develop, evaluate and facilitate engagements with small, medium and large groups of faculty members (and sometimes students) through workshops, webinars, institutes, department sessions, and learning communities that may be offered from half-hour to multi-day engagements.
3. Design and Develop Courses and Course Components: Partner with faculty, subject matter experts and colleagues to plan, design and align curriculum components for courses spanning the spectrum of TRU Flexible and Delivery Learning Modes including in-person, blended, multi-access and online learning (including fully virtual and self-paced independent) modes.
4. Create Resource and Materials: Plan, design, develop and enhance existing teaching and learning materials to contribute to a robust and openly shareable collection of just-in-time teaching and learning resources, course pieces, website content and support materials for the university community particularly for faculty and students via a variety of flexible and accessible modes.
5. Support Existing and Evaluate Emergent Technologies: Explore, experiment and evaluate emerging educational technologies and their appropriateness for inclusive, accessible and ethical pedagogical applications by developing materials and insights to share with faculty and students. Support faculty through responsible and ethical selection of and integration of existing digital tools, including artificial intelligence, to advance pedagogical outcomes and student learning.
6. Advise Faculty on Equitable, Learner-Centered and Inclusive Learning: Support equitable and inclusive teaching practices through modelling those practices, sharing with faculty, outlining key resources and readings etc. Advise faculty on culturally responsive and learner-centered design approaches.
7. Decolonization and Indigenization: Lead decolonizing and Indigenizing teaching and learning, in ongoing, accountable relationship with Secwépemc and other Indigenous colleagues, Knowledge Keepers, communities, and Indigenous and Secwepemc Nations, following their authority, protocols, and distinctions, and seeking their guidance at the limits of one's own knowledge. Carry this work forward in collaboration with institutional partners.
8. Promote the Creation, Adaptation and Adoption of Open Educational Resources: Model appropriate access and use of open educational resources (OERs) while assisting faculty and students with their own adoption, adaptation, creation and implementation of open educational practices and resources into the learning experiences.
9. Demonstrate Currency in Scholarly Literature and Practice: Maintain currency and competencies in working with scholarly literature and practices related to teaching and learning, educational development, curriculum design, open educational resources and practices, educational technology and digital pedagogy, flexible and inclusive learning etc. Contribute to scholarly practice through the dissemination of innovative professional practices. Apply scholarship of teaching and learning expertise to the work of researching, designing, coordinating, delivering and assessing professional learning experiences offered to faculty members.
10. Be a Team Member and Leader for Institutional Initiatives: Contribute to and lead institutional initiatives that promote open practices, engaged learning and student success. Help support and lead people through educational change including new tools, new processes, new activities, and new assessments.
11. Contribute Meaningful Service: Contribute to TRU campus community with meaningful, timely and supportive service activities supporting the department, institution, profession, and broader post-secondary community both locally, nationally and globally.
    

Qualifications

• Education: Related master’s degree required; may include—but not restricted to—master’s degrees in education, learning sciences, curriculum and instruction, online, open, distributed, multi-access and/or blended learning, educational and learning technologies. A doctoral degree (PhD or EdD) is preferred.
• Teaching Experience: At least three years of teaching or equivalent experience. Post-secondary level with adult learners is preferred.
• Theories and Practices: Knowledge and application of evidence-based theories and practices in post-secondary education, particularly with respect to innovative and inclusive pedagogies, curriculum design and development, open education practices, assessment and evaluation methods, and digital tools and platforms used in learning environments.
• Educational Development: Knowledge of educational development theory and practice (also called academic development, faculty development). Demonstrates ability to apply essential journal articles and literature to support faculty consultations, workshop development and delivery in post-secondary education.
• Facilitation: Demonstrates confident skills and abilities in facilitating large and small groups both in person and online with expert listening and questioning skills, conflict resolution and mediation/coaching competencies along with team building and support processes.
• Course and Program Design: Has several years of successful experiences in course and/or program design and development. Experience designing curriculum in multiple modalities, including the development of learning outcomes, engagement activities, and assessment instruments, incorporating educational technologies.
• Digital Tools and Technologies: Demonstrated expertise with accessible web practices, educational technologies, learning management systems, video hosting platforms, digital tools and technologies used in post-secondary education but also the appropriate and ethical practices in choosing and using these practices and tools.
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Demonstrated commitment to furthering principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), universal design for learning (UDL), decolonization, and Indigenization in in-person, online, distance, and open education.
• Teamwork: Demonstrated experience leading project teams effectively from concept through to evaluation. Ability to work both independently and in groups.
• Project Management: Excellent project management skills. Experience managing multiple projects to successful completion.
• Written and Oral Communication: Superior written and oral communication skills, including the ability to attend to detail in written materials. Writes and edits effectively, using plain language.
• Interpersonal Communication: Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with a wide variety of people, demonstrate attentiveness to context and culture surrounding the work with people and the ability to develop a trusting relationship with others.
• Work Environment: Demonstrated ability to work effectively and efficiently in a hybrid work environment (work on and off campus, management of time and planning of work etc.)

NOTE: To learn more about Thompson Rivers University or living in Kamloops or Williams Lake please visit our Careers website. External Candidates invited to interview will be required to bring a copy of their transcripts to the interview.