Hiring Department: Technology Solutions

Location:  Chicago, IL USA

Requisition ID: 1028430

Posting Close Date: January 3, 2025

Salary: The budgeted salary range for the position is $110,000 to $120,000 

About the University of Illinois Chicago

UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best Colleges” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the nation and among all national universities. UIC has over 300,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also considering internal equity. Benefits eligible positions include a comprehensive benefits package which offers: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability & AD&D insurance; a defined benefit pension plan; paid leaves such as Vacation, Holiday and Sick; tuition waivers for employees and dependents. Click for a complete list of Employee Benefits.

Position Summary

The Assistant Director of Instructional Design and Academic Technology plays a pivotal role in leading and supporting UIC’s educational technology ecosystem. This includes supporting the use of our learning management system (LMS) for UIC and all centrally managed learning applications and tools.

The Assistant Director will utilize their learning design expertise to facilitate strategic planning and engage stakeholders in promoting, adopting, analyzing, and evaluating both current and emerging academic technologies that enhance the teaching and learning process. The Assistant Director collaborates with instructional designers, faculty, and staff across various colleges and units to assess student and faculty needs, as well as student success and engagement. This role involves integrating current and emerging technologies into educational practices, providing technical assistance, creating documentation, and reporting on trends and insights.

Duties & Responsibilities

Leadership and Project Management

• Engage in the planning, testing, piloting, and implementation of new releases and upgrades for educational technology applications. 
• Create comprehensive documentation and communication strategies for all educational technologies.
• Collaborate with instructional designers, both within and outside of LTS, to support centrally supported learning technologies.
• Contribute to the planning of current and future resource utilization concerning technology in teaching and learning.
  

Administration

• Coordinate and ensure the delivery of academic technology services through effective administration, support, and security assurance.
• Evaluate new features and applications for functionality and accessibility, while that align with the latest version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and Title II.
• Create and review content and deliverables in various formats to ensure the production of user-centric and accessible guides/assets.
• Act as the dedicated steward of all external LTS communications, ensuring clarity and consistency in our messaging.
• Analyze confidential data on student engagement and application usage, usability, etc., summarizing findings to recommend changes and/or improvements.
• Actively pursue professional development to remain informed about current issues in instructional design within higher education.
  

Training

• Develop and facilitate training sessions and workshops focused on the technologies supported by LTS for teaching and learning.
• Collaborate with various units and departments to enhance content delivery during workshops and training sessions.
• Work alongside the internal LTS team to uphold the organization’s mission and vision.
• Partner with the LTS Infrastructure Team to address accessibility concerns and assist with the rollout of new LTI/applications.
• Serve as a liaison for LTS by participating in campus meetings and events, as well as serving on campus committees and IT governance.
• Represent UIC and LTS at regional, national, and international conferences through attendance and presentations.
• Collaborate with vendors to articulate the university’s needs, foster long-term relationships, and provide valuable information and data to drive product improvements.
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Instructional Design or related discipline. Doctorate degree or the equivalent years of experience is preferred.
• Minimum of five years’ experience in instructional design, interactive courses design, or programs for university or higher education that includes leading complex or specialized projects.
• Expert knowledge of instructional design principles and educational theory.
• Effective needs analysis, training, project management, course development and evaluation skills.
• Demonstrated fluency using and training users in one or more LMS platforms (Blackboard preferred), video streaming platforms (e.g., Echo 360 Panopto, Zoom), and e-learning authoring tools (e.g., Articulate, Camtasia).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience teaching face-to-face, online and/or hybrid courses in higher education
• Experience hiring, supervising, and mentoring employees
• Working knowledge of designing for accessibility in compliance with ADA / WCAG requirements.
• Experience applying quality rubrics for course design. QM certification
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Strong leadership, customer relationship and interpersonal skills.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

The university provides accommodations to applicants and employees. Request an Accommodation