Director for Online Education - Office of the Dean, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences - West Virginia University

Description

The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS) at West Virginia University is seeking applicants for the position of Director for Online Education.

About the Opportunity

The primary responsibilities of the Director include direct oversight of program curriculum and course quality, support and development of instructors, and management of course development activities. This includes online courses and programs, as well as the migration of on-campus courses from Blackboard (LMS) eCampus Vista to Ultra.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week 

• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)

• 24 annual leave (vacation) days per year or more based on years of service (employee leave)

• 18 sick days per year (for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family’s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)

• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits

• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ’s.

• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

Curriculum Management

• Implement consistent standards across curriculum to ensure course quality. Develop processes to manage program curriculum strategically. Maintain proactive review, research and updating of all aspects of program curriculum.
• Ensure that all online offerings meet institutional standards for quality, accessibility, and academic rigor.
• The ideal candidate will excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven work environment that strives to maintain a “start-up and student-first” mentality.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of online programs, making adjustments as necessary.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive curriculum maps for all of the College’s online academic programs. 
• Spearhead instructor course review process. Collect feedback from instructors at the conclusion of each term, compile results, determine appropriate response to feedback, implement appropriate updates immediately as needed at the end of each term, and report outcomes. 
• Develop process for maintaining record of all end-of-term course feedback. Work with lead instructors and developers to communicate decisions to all instructors to “close the loop” on how the program is or is not using submitted feedback.
• Manage textbook selection & publisher contacts. Review all assigned program texts before setting the development schedule. Order desk copies as needed. 
• Implement and maintain proper schedule for 1) textbook assignments, 2) development projects, 3) announcing textbook changes, and 4) ensure that texts are correct on the website, in messaging sent from advising, and at the WVU bookstore.
• Identify opportunities for new online courses and programs in alignment with the institution's goals.
• Directs the assessment of the effectiveness of existing course design and assists faculty/peers with course redesign and to meet guidelines set by the ECAS Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee (CAPC) and University (including Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric, etc.).
• Maintain program data and create and present progress reports to the ECAS Deans Office. 
• This position supervises Instructional Designers and Technology Specialists for Online Programs by assigning workloads, approving leave, training new hires, helping to resolve issues and disputes, conduct position evaluations, etc., and reports to the Assistant Dean for Curriculum Assessment.

Online Instructor Support & Development

• This individual must be able to work independently, as well as with stakeholders in ECAS and the University. 
• Serve as primary point of contact for all instructor course management activities.
• Train, and support faculty members in the delivery of online courses and work with the Assistant Dean to familiarize new instructors by providing an overview of program expectations, training, and related resources.
• Provide ongoing professional development opportunities for instructors.
• Coordinate and oversee online instructor course performance assessment process. 
• Develop instructional resources for instructors to improve overall student experience within all online courses.
• Support the ECAS Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Assessment in the management of faculty relations. Support faculty meetings as needed (on-campus or online). 
• In response to student course evaluations, work with individual instructors to improve content and curriculum. Regularly communicate updates and changes with instructors.
• Identify instructor development opportunities. Plan, prepare and present instructional development training for faculty meetings, retreats, and guides/handbooks. 
• Develop and maintain comprehensive instructor handbooks and resources.
• Perform other duties and activities as designated by the ECAS Assistant Dean for Curriculum and Assessment.

Course Development

• Lead course development process for all Eberly College of Arts and Sciences courses. Prioritize course updates (major and minor) and coordinate selection of appropriate developer/subject matter expert.
• Oversee the development of course materials that are functional, intuitive, informative, and consistent with sound instructional and Quality Matters or other design principles standards. Develop and provide recommendations for interface design, sequencing of instruction, use of assessments, and design of course materials and activities. Determine the instructional effectiveness of course modules that are developed. Contribute to the development and implementation of sound practices to facilitate communications among trainers and course participants. 
• Continually explore new technologies to improve course engagement.
• Develop communication processes and execute development contracts with selected course developers, establish expectations and deadlines, review/follow-up on all submitted materials, and process stipend/compensation requests. Edit all course materials received before passing them to the instructional designers and technology specialists for building in eCampus.
• Directly manage instructional designers and technology specialists to ensure adherence to established deadlines and proactively address issues negatively impacting the development project, including missed deadlines, insufficient/below average work, unclear focus, or failure to adhere to program standards.

Student Support

• Develop and implement strategies to enhance student engagement, retention, and success in online programs and courses.
• Ensure online students can access necessary resources, including advising, tutoring, and technical support.
• Analyze data to identify trends and areas where retention efforts should be focused.
• Develop and implement retention strategies to engage students and address their needs.
• Conduct weekly outreach to students who are inactive in their online courses.
• Address student concerns and issues related to online learning.

Technology and Innovation

• Stay current with emerging trends and technologies in online education.
• Lead initiatives to incorporate new technologies and pedagogical approaches into online programs.
• Test and implement new technologies to position online programs as early adopters.
• Ensure that the learning management system (LMS) and other online platforms are effectively utilized.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (Education, Higher Education Administration, Instructional Design, etc.).
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience involving:
  • Curriculum development and management.
  • Supervising. 
  • Teaching online courses.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.
  

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Candidates must show creativity, initiative, and good judgment and be able to communicate ideas clearly. Decision-making and problem-solving skills also are important. 
• An outgoing personality, self-confidence and an enthusiasm for motivating people are also important attributes.
• Demonstrated success managing a team.
• Demonstrated experience in curriculum oversight and development and instructor support is required.
• Superior speaking, writing and editing skills, including grammar, spelling, punctuation, and accepted journalistic style. 
• Superior skills in project and personnel management. 
• Well versed in pedagogy. 
• Demonstrated ability to function with a high degree of independent judgment and personal initiative to identify problems, execute programs, manage concurrent/overlapping and sometimes challenging deadlines and complete projects in a timely manner. 
• Demonstrated ability in online teaching.
• Demonstrated ability to set priorities and carry out assignments within established deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to learn and adhere to specific institution, college and program policies and procedures.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills required in managing workload, multiple projects, project management, requests, deadlines, etc. 
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships and deal tactfully with a variety of people, including internal and external constituents, administrators, faculty, staff, other WVU units’ employees, vendors, and the general public. 
• Demonstrated ability to pay close attention to detail. 
• Demonstrated ability to function professionally under deadlines and/or during stressful or confrontational situations. 
• Ability to motivate others to set goals, achieve results, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to travel to campus and off-campus (including occasional out-of-state) locations as necessary. 
• Ability to maintain attendance and punctuality standards. 
• Ability and willingness to work evenings or weekends as necessary.
• Ability to function effectively individually, as well as part of an entrepreneurial team.
• Strong computer skills including advanced knowledge of Blackboard-based course delivery platforms.