Teaching and Learning Specialist

Teaching and Learning Specialist

About Us

Georgia College & State University is the state's designated public liberal arts university. As a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), Georgia College is committed to fostering a liberal arts environment that values interdisciplinary inquiry, diversity and inclusion, and academic excellence. The College enrolls approximately 7,000 students –5,800 undergraduate and 1,200 graduate students-- and is prominently cited for excellence in teaching, undergraduate research, nursing education, and high impact practices outside the classroom in a number of leading publications. 

The university's beautiful and historic campus is located downtown in Milledgeville, Georgia, a charming, diverse college town of approximately 19,000 residents in Central Georgia, approximately 90 miles southeast of Atlanta. Milledgeville is also the home of noted American author and alumna, Flannery O’Conner, and the college community enjoys many exciting literary arts programs at O’Connor’s former home, the Andalusia Institute, now owned by the College.  Milledgeville is also located on the banks of beautiful Lake Sinclair and Lake Oconee, allowing faculty, staff, and students to take full advantage of the environmental and recreational benefits of being part of a lake community. For cultural, educational, and leisure opportunities beyond Milledgeville, Macon and Atlanta are located within easy driving distances. 

Georgia College takes great pride in combining the educational experience of private liberal arts colleges with the affordability of a public university. The university's main campus is a residential learning community focused on undergraduate education and a select number of graduate programs. Faculty and staff are dedicated to engaging students through high-impact pedagogies that foster intellectual curiosity, reasoned inquiry, and critical thinking. We strive for excellence in the classroom and beyond. We nurture collaborative leadership and global citizenship, and we value diversity and inclusion in all of its forms. 

Georgia College seeks faculty and administrators who understand and embrace our public liberal arts mission, who are committed to respecting and fostering diversity and inclusion inside and outside of the classroom, and who are dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through teaching, scholarship, and service. All Georgia College faculty share the responsibility of teaching our core curriculum and providing foundation courses for majors and non-majors alike. To carry out our public liberal arts mission, we seek faculty with the desire and ability to provide a first-class learning experience for our students, one that will prepare them to be competent, thoughtful, and well-rounded leaders who make transformative contributions to their communities and to the world. 

Department Information

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Georgia College focuses on faculty success by creating a single entity that encompasses faculty development, and instructional design and support. It addresses the rapidly evolving role of technology in teaching and learning. CTL coordinates existing and new initiatives, replacing multiple structures to improve efficiency and effectiveness. It will also interact closely with the University Library and IT. CTL is a one-stop shop that advances faculty success.

Job Summary

The Teaching and Learning Specialist:
- works as a part of a team and plays a leadership role for instructing faculty in teaching and learning
- Provides andragogical/pedagogical support to faculty members in the face-to-face, online, and hybrid environments.
- Develop and implement programming in the support of GC Journeys, High-Impact Practices, and Innovative Pedagogies.

Responsibilities

Training - 70%

-Responsible for developing faculty teaching skill workshops, online and blended learning courseware, focused on the education setting.

-Serves as contact for individual faculty members seeking advice on matters related to teaching; conducts individual faculty coaching and mentoring.
-Collaborates with campus and program leadership to identify faculty needs and deliver evidenced-based educational offerings to advance classroom effectiveness and faculty development.
-Provides leadership and expertise in working with individual faculty to consult and assist them with the planning and development of their instructional approaches to promote teaching effectiveness and enhance student learning.
-Plans and conducts seminars, workshops, courses, or in-services on various teaching and learning related topics for faculty and staff.
-Assists faculty and administrators in the design, development and evaluation of face-to-face, online and blended learning instructional methods and materials for synchronous and synchronous programs and curriculum.
-Exhibits an in-depth working knowledge of the GeorgiaVIEW/D2L application functionality. Research, and test functionality issue for students, faculty, and staff.
-Supports the development and implementation of GC Journeys, High-Impact Practices, and innovative pedagogies.

Researching - 15%
- Research, locate, and test a variety of approaches, applications, and processes to fit the needs of faculty.
- Maintain current knowledge of emerging trends and technologies in the teaching and learning field.
- Staying up to date in latest teaching and learning theories and practices, focusing on High Impact Practices

Coordinating - 15%
- Acts as backup to primary GeorgiaVIEW administrator as required.
- Undertakes routine maintenance and resolving user issues.
- Tests system upgrades and patches as required (backup to primary admin)
- Maintains effective communication with users regarding potential issues or the interruptions of services pertaining to the LMS (GeorgiaVIEW)
- Assists Director in developing and conducting assessment of office functions and determine impact on campus community
- Serve as proponent of Quality Matters and assist instructors with onboarding into the QM system

 

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements
Master's Degree in Education field and 3-5 years of related experience, including instructional design, adult education, and/or teaching, preferably in higher education.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred Educational Qualifications
Master's degree in Education (Higher Education, Adult Education, etc.), Instructional Design, Instructional Technology, or related field; AND at least five years of experience of teaching in higher education; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Required Documents to Attach

• Resume
• Cover letter
• List of References
• Teaching Philosophy

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

ABILITIES
- Ability to provide instruction and serve as an individual faculty consultant.
- Ability to create effective learning environments and assess their impact
- Ability to easily assess applications, determine accessibility of application Ability to learn new software quickly.

KNOWLEDGE
- Knowledge of best practices in facilitation of learning in face-to-face, hybrid, and online environments.
- Knowledge of course development, design to support active learning, in face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning environments.
- Expert knowledge of a variety of classroom and programmatic assessment techniques
- Must have a working knowledge in the institution's student registration system (PAWS/Banner)
- Knowledge of Office 365, Adobe Suite, graphics applications (ex. Photoshop or Illustrator) (intermediate level), audio applications, screen capture software, and video recording software. Ability to easily assess applications
- Web-based applications (Padlet, Quizlet, PollEverywhere, Qualtrics, etc.)
- Knowledge of LMS software such as Blackboard, Desire2Learn, Moodle, etc.

SKILLS
- Technology skills and development that support the needs of the department. Examples are described below.
- Excellent problem solving skills.
- Strong organizational skills. Ability to work well with people (Interpersonal skills).
- Excellent communication skills (written & oral).

Equal Employment Opportunity

Georgia College is committed to the fundamental principle of equal opportunity and equal treatment for every prospective and current employee and strives to create a campus environment which understands, fosters, and embraces the value of diversity. No person shall, on the grounds of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or genetic information, be excluded from employment or participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination, under any program or activity conducted by Georgia College. It is the policy our institution to recruit, hire, train, promote and educate persons without regard to race, color, national or ethnical origin, age, disability, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or veteran status as required by applicable state and federal laws (including Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, Sections 503, and 504, AREA, ADA, E.O. 11246, and Rev. Proc. 75-50). Georgia College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution.

Other Information

This is not a supervisory position.
This position does not have any financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position will not travel
This position does not require security clearance.

Background Check

• Position of Trust