Associate Director of Research, Center for the Advancement of Teaching

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching (CAT) at Wake Forest University (WFU) welcomes applications for a newly established Associate Director of Research. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Associate Director will support the mission and purpose of the CAT by developing and managing our educational research program; leading collaborative efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of CAT programming; and supporting educational research throughout the institution.

WFU is committed to advancing inclusive, evidence-informed teaching on campus and seeks to lead national and international conversations about teaching, learning, and educational development in higher education. The CAT has become a nascent hub for this work, supporting educational research across the institution and contributing to our collective knowledge through research, public scholarship, and professional service. In line with their mission and numerous institutional initiatives, the CAT has been especially eager to expand our support for research projects that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our classrooms. 

With this hire, we aim to formalize and extend this work. We seek a colleague with expertise in social-scientific research design and data analysis, and significant experience in educational research or program evaluation. Candidates whose research programs align with our interest in DEI, who have experience securing external funding, and who have experience working with teaching centers are particularly welcome. The successful candidate will help us develop and implement a formal research program; design and implement a plan to evaluate the effectiveness of CAT programming; and support educational research at Wake Forest through consultations, programming, and grants. 

This is a staff position with the potential for a joint, non-tenure-track faculty appointment. In keeping with the expectations of all WFU faculty members, the Associate Director will have (reduced, but no less significant) expectations to participate in teaching, research, and service. Please submit a resume and cover letter explaining your relevant experience. Review of applications will begin on the morning of Monday May 10th. Start date and initial working arrangements are negotiable.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Developing & Managing the CAT Research Program (30%)

-Establishes a shared vision for a new educational research program within the CAT.

-Serves as Principal Investigator (PI) for collaborative projects, seeks out and secures external funding as needed, navigates IRB, and oversees the publication process.

-Develops, leads, and maintains organizational structures to support collaborative research (e.g., setting goals, establishing reading and writing groups, and maintaining shared libraries).

-Facilitates conferences, institutes, and workshops to both relay the latest research and facilitate the translation of theory into practice.

Assessing & Evaluating CAT Programs (25%)

-Works with the CAT team to identify key outcomes for CAT services and programming, develop quantitative and qualitative measures of those outcomes, and implement systematic processes for collecting relevant data.

-Improves CAT data management by establishing processes for data collection and collaborating with Information Systems to develop and extend database capabilities.

-Analyzes quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate the effectiveness of CAT services and programming.

-Communicates findings and recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders via oral, visual, and written reports.

-Provides regular supervision and work direction for graduate student workers.

Support for Educational Research (20%)

-Consults with institutional partners and individual instructors seeking to evaluate the impact of educational initiatives and classroom interventions across campus.

-Develops programming (e.g., conferences, institutes, and workshops) to build capacity for the scholarship of teaching and learning.

-Cultivates a supportive, interdisciplinary community of scholarly teachers via reading groups, faculty learning communities, and informal networking opportunities.

-Coordinates small-scale research grants for instructors engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Independent Research, Public Scholarship, and Professional Service (10%)

-Maintains a limited but active research program in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) or the scholarship of educational development (SoED).

-Contributes to national and international conversations about teaching through invited presentations, blog posts, podcasts, and an active social media presence.

-Participates in service to local, regional, and national organizations advancing evidence-informed teaching in higher education.

Teaching (10%)

-Develops and sustains practical expertise by teaching at least one course every two years.

Professional Development (5%)

-Maintains professional knowledge by attending educational workshops, establishing personal and professional networks, and participating in professional societies.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required:

-Ph.D. and record of publication in relevant academic discipline (e.g., education, STEM education, psychology, or other quantitative social science)

-5+ years experience with educational research or program evaluation in higher education

-Experience teaching at the university level

-Expertise in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method research design and data analysis, particularly in contexts where data collection and experimental controls are difficult

-Familiarity with institutional review board (IRB) policies and procedures

-Ability to use statistical software (e.g., SAS, SPSS, STATA, or R) to analyze and report quantitative data (e.g., programming multivariate regression analyses and generating frequency distributions)

-Demonstrated commitment to fostering diverse, equitable, and inclusive working and learning environments

-Experience working collaboratively with a wide range of constituencies, including students, faculty, staff, and administrators

-Excellent organizational and time management skills, including the ability to juggle competing demands, work efficiently, and deliver high quality work while adhering to deadlines

-Exceptional written, oral, and visual communication skills

-Demonstrated ability to manage projects and lead teams with diverse memberships to successful outcomes

Preferred:

-Experience working on projects that support efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion

-Experience securing external funding through public or private grants

-Experience working in a teaching center or in the field of educational development

-Experience with survey and database software used to collect and manage data (e.g., Qualtrics and Airtable)

-Familiarity with software used to analyze qualitative data (e.g., MaxQDA)

-Experience designing assessment plans and/or assessment instruments