Director of Pedagogy & Assessment

Department: Searle Ctr Advcng Learning & Teaching
Salary/Grade: EXS/11

The target hiring range for this position will be $115,000 - $123,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary:

The Director provides leadership for pedagogy, course design & delivery, and assessment & curricular change; shapes the vision, sets goals, designs leading-edge programs, and launches initiatives that align with the overarching commitment of Northwestern University to enhancing the quality of teaching and deepening the learning of all students. This specialized educational development role elevates the level of staff expertise in the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching. This is a high-level leadership position within the Center with four levels of impact-instructors, community, University, and culture.

The dynamic portfolio of initiatives is built on a scholarly foundation and is animated by bold thinking and strategic decision-making. The Director is a catalyst for innovation and impact in: 1) High-quality, evidence-based learning opportunities for instructors and signature programs; 3) Assessment and Higher Learning Commission Accreditation; 4) University-wide collaboration with partners in the student learning ecosystem; 5) Center leadership, including overseeing the work of three Assistant Directors and graduate student interns and assistants.

*Note: Not all aspects of the job are covered by this job description.

Specific Responsibilities:

Leadership for pedagogy, course design & delivery, and assessment & curricular change; shapes the vision, set goals, designs leading-edge programs, and launches initiatives that align with the overarching commitment of Northwestern University to enhance the quality of teaching and deepen the learning of all students

The Director is a catalyst for innovation and impact in:

• High-quality, evidence-based development opportunities for instructors and signature programs
• Enhance or design, assess financial feasibility, devise marketing strategies, and deliver or oversee signature programs
• Set meaningful and measurable goals, systematically evaluate, and report on outcomes in continuous cycles of improvement
• Leads the signature Searle Fellows program-a comprehensive, year-long, cohort and project-based program that seeks to foster critical inquiry and professional reflection on teaching
• Collaborates on Reflective and Effective Teaching, Course Design Institute, Course Delivery Lab, Program Assessment Cycle Badge, New Faculty Welcome

Assessment and Higher Learning Commission Accreditation

• Chair or co-chair the Assessment and Accreditation Council (AAC), responsible for developing the University's strategy and framework for assessment and accreditation and the University's reaffirmation of accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission
• Identify key assessment metrics to ensure that benchmarks are successfully attained and communicated in a timely and efficient manner
• Consult with faculty, department chairs, and other unit leaders to develop course-, school-, and program-level outcomes, evaluations, and assessments with quantitative and qualitative measurements as appropriate
• Build capacity for curriculum mapping to examine students' increasing mastery of knowledge, skills, and abilities and to inform curricular change
• Lead the assessment component of accreditation processes, partnering with the AAC to drive the institutional strategy to advance systematized, authentic, and sustainable assessment cycles
• Help build infrastructure to promote a culture of assessment, including the Assessment Gallery, the Program Assessment Cycle Badge, and High-Impact Practices

University-wide collaboration with partners in the student learning ecosystem

• Promote greater utilization of departmental/programmatic requests for customized workshops
• Build, sustain, and pursue new collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Coordinate activities, identify unmet needs across the University and advocate for the expansion of resources and services
• Collaborate with departments/programs and schools, administrators, and the Offices of the Provost on initiatives to enhance learning and teaching
• Represents the Searle Center on University committees and task forces relevant to expertise and related to priorities

Increase the Searle Center's profile, reputation, visibility Center leadership

• Serve as a key thought partner to the Senior Director of the Searle Center
• Oversee the work of the Senior Assistant Director for Equitable Assessment, the Assistant Director of Reflective Pedagogy, and the Assistant Director of Engaged Learning, and mentor other assistant directors
• Supervise the training of graduate student interns and assistants
• Manage recruitment, hiring, and staff professional development; conduct and review quarterly and annual performance objectives; review and guide projects under staff responsibility
• Ensure that day-to-day goals and objectives are appropriately resourced, managed, efficient and effective
• Determine budget priorities and annual funding requests based on priorities
• Set priorities, create metrics to measure success, assess programs, and implement changes that will invigorate and innovate as part of the Center's strategic planning processes

Offer a variety of pathways for advancing teaching at the university, for example:

• Develop workshops that encourage instructors to be intentionally and consistently reflective about their own identities and pedagogical choices
• Set up learning communities for instructors; facilitate discussions from different disciplinary standpoints; create space for the open exchange of ideas across campus
• Curate and synthesize literature to create resources to prompt reflection and to equip instructors with innovative strategies
• Provide confidential consultations for instructors and support their efforts to devise future action plans
• Stay current with trends in higher education and the latest advances in educational development; Share best practices with faculty developers and peer institutions
• Ensure that all initiatives are leading-edge, innovative, evidence-based, continually reinvigorated, and meaningful to participants
• Engage in scholarly inquiry that contributes to the field of educational development through invited talks, conference presentations, and scholarly publications, which amplifies the impact and raise the visibility of Searle Center initiatives.

Miscellaneous

Performed other duties

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD (Preferred Education/Fields of study related to job responsibilities/Specializations that expand the Center's range)
• Commitment to undergraduate education with a minimum of 5 years of experience teaching at the college level (Preferred 7+ years)
• Affiliation or work within a college or university teaching and/or learning center or leadership experience in a related area of higher education administration (Preferred 5+ years)
• Minimum 5 years of management, offering guidance and providing feedback to promote professional development (Preferred 7+ years)
• A strong record of developing and facilitating workshops and programs in a learning and teaching context that showcase scholarly and innovative approaches to educational development
• Project management, strategic planning, marketing, and website management
• Expertise in assessment, program evaluation, and qualitative and/or quantitative research methods
• A strong record of scholarly productivity (Preferred contributions to the field of educational development)
• Ability to build partnerships with diverse units across a complex organization and among faculty and staff at all levels

Desired Attributes:

• Represents the Center's values of critical reflection, multi-vocal evidence, and a collaborative spirit
• Exhibits deep curiosity, humility, and desire for continued professional growth
• Works in a highly professional manner as both a self-starter and as a collaborative team member
• Possesses effective organizational and time management skills, with the ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously
• Contributes to creating and sustaining an inclusive and collaborative work environment for persons of diverse backgrounds that promotes positive workplace engagement
• Incorporates a range of disciplinary approaches and interdisciplinary perspectives
• Communicates with excellence in both oral and written form
• Ability to facilitate nuanced and difficult dialogues
• Partners effectively with diverse units across a complex organization
• Demonstrate resourcefulness in managing budgets

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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