Senior Academic Technology Specialist - Course Evaluation System

Job Details

General Notes

Must be eligible to work in the US on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship.

Purpose

The Senior Academic Technology Specialist is an academic technology leader on campus, organizing and stewarding cross-unit academic technology collaborations to deliver central business operations and lead a portfolio of technologies critical to advancing the University’s teaching and learning mission.

This position will act as the principal expert on the University’s Course Evaluation System and Process (CES), responsible for managing CES business requirements, operations, implementation, troubleshooting, technical assistance, customer service, and support.

The mission of the Office of Academic Technology (OAT) is to coordinate a strategic and holistic academic technology ecosystem where students, faculty, and staff thrive.

The Senior Academic Technology Specialist works to support outstanding academic experiences for all UT Austin students, faculty, and staff by facilitating student feedback on instruction and other special projects.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary product manager for UT Austin's Course Evaluation System and Process (CES). Develop, maintain, and update expertise on all CES software applications on campus, with an emphasis on Explorance Blue.

Ensure all course evaluation lifecycle phases are planned, coordinated, optimized, and managed effectively between the Office of Academic Technology (OAT) and Academic Information Systems (AIS).

Align all CES efforts with existing business requirements, policies, standards, stakeholder interests, and processes. Stay current on all University course evaluation software applications, University and UT System policies on course evaluations, and the student evaluations of teaching literature.

Lead all CES contacts and departmental Course Evaluation Liaisons (CELS) representing over 240 departments, units, and fields of study through the setup of course evaluations in the Explorance Blue software each semester.

Develop and conduct frequent technical assistance and training offerings for CES contacts and CELs. Create and maintain a robust suite of effective operational strategies and training resources for CES contacts and CELs to guarantee the successful deployment of course evaluations each semester.

Oversee the CES customer service and support model for students, faculty, and university administrators. Conduct research and resolve and escalate service requests promptly and with expertise.

Maintain expertise within a variety of support use cases.

Develop optimized customized audits and reports using course evaluation data for strategic planning and risk management.

Supervise, develop, and train at least one part-time Course Evaluation Assistant and seasonal course evaluation staff.

Assist the Assistant Vice Provost with OAT department initiatives during off seasons.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree. At least three years of experience in academic program administration, instructional technology, academic technology, instructional design, and design research or related area(s).

Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail. Demonstrated ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.

Experience managing or working in an environment with ongoing, high-stakes deadlines with the ability to maintain decorum and professionalism under pressure.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated ability to recognize and successfully resolve ambiguity with independence.

Commitment to learning by effectively seeking and implementing feedback. Willingness and ability to learn from errors and mistakes.

Experience working and communicating effectively across units with various project stakeholders and contributors. Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot, problem-solve, mitigate risk, and make and recommend timely decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree. More than five years of experience in project administration, instructional technology, academic technology, instructional design, or design research of related area(s).

Experience with higher education student information systems, admissions, academic scheduling, or course evaluation processes.

Salary Range

$70,000+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

Work performed in a standard office environment.

Repetitive use of keyboard at a workstation.

Required Materials

Resume / CV

3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers : You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications.

Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section;

you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.

Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers : As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs.

If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply.

This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume.

In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.

that were noted above.

Employment Eligibility :

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers.

Staff who are promotion / transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility :

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks :

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.