Director of Curricular Innovation

Position Summary

The College of Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis seeks an experienced, forward-thinking, interdisciplinary-minded, and collaborative leader to serve in the newly-created role of Director of Curricular Innovation. The position of Director strengthens Arts & Sciences’s role as a model for excellence in undergraduate teaching and learning by directing, facilitating, and managing the process of executing initiatives pertaining to curricular innovation, especially as articulated in the Arts & Sciences strategic plan. The Director works in partnership with faculty across the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences in high-level conceptualization and strategy to design the intellectual foundations and pedagogical practices for implementation of new curricular approaches in all A&S courses. In particular, in close collaboration with A&S leadership, staff, and faculty, the Director is responsible for realizing plans for innovative educational approaches to and teaching practices in the liberal arts and will contribute to the design and implementation of strategic priorities around inclusive pedagogy, integrative modes of learning, and the development of a distinct and robust infrastructure to support faculty teaching.

The Director supports the A&S academic mission and strategic direction through development of innovative pedagogical practices across the A&S undergraduate curriculum. Additionally, the Director plays a critically important role in fostering an inclusive and equitable environment of continuous learning and development that promotes connections among all faculty and establishes a welcome culture for students at all levels. This position, which requires a high level of expertise in liberal arts education, pedagogical innovation, and change management, serves as an essential collaborator to the Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs, who leads the largest undergraduate division at Washington University and its educational mission. Reporting to the Director of Academic Initiatives & Special Advisor to the Vice Dean, this role also works closely with units across Arts & Sciences, including A&S academic departments, cultivates and sustains the school’s relationship with the Center for Teaching and Learning, and serves as a liaison to University-wide collaborations.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

1. Facilitate and manage the intellectual development and pedagogical implementation of and provide ongoing support to Literacies for Life and Career.

• Understand and articulate the value of a liberal arts education to student lives and careers, including how the liberal arts can assist in addressing workplace challenges, as well as how it impacts the development of critically engaged citizens who are informed, responsible, and ethical agents in society.
• Work closely with the initiative co-leads and the Literacies Fellows on the intellectual development and pedagogical rationale and implementation of Literacies for Life and Career, including the configuration of a list of relevant literacies that serve as content tags for all A&S courses.
• Partner with Literacies Fellows to develop flexible but rigorous definitions of the literacies that position faculty to integrate them in meaningful ways into their courses. Draft guidelines for course implementation and pedagogical strategy, including devising design standards and methodologies based on innovative pedagogies and best practices that result in high-quality teaching and learning experiences.
• Provide orientation for and consult with early adopters of the literacies on course implementation, including specific pedagogical and course content integration. Work with faculty in subject-specific areas to ensure consistent application of the literacies in each course.
• Provide expertise on effective assessment methodology and direct measures of student learning, instrument design, student work samples, data analysis, and reporting for continuous improvement with regard to Literacies for Life and Career in courses.
• Collaborate with A&S leadership to revise and update the course evaluation template to reflect course integration of literacies.
• Co-create, implement, and assess faculty-led learning communities, including training faculty on learning community facilitation. Socialize the literacies and work of the early course adopters through learning communities, workshops, events, and retreats.
• Monitor faculty engagement with and professional development around integrating literacies into pedagogical practice and new course development for courses associated with the Literacies initiative.
• In collaboration with the co-leads, work with Student Academic Affairs (SAA) in the College of A&S to develop an integrative capstone experience to enable students to self-assess, articulate, and reflect on their acquisition of literacies and articulate the value of their liberal arts education. Serve in an advisory capacity to the leadership of SAA and its efforts to integrate literacies into the comprehensive A&S four-year advising practice.
• Work with the co-leads to establish standards for assessment and rubrics for curricular and co-curricular activities and program reviews. Facilitate actionable project plans for curriculum and course delivery revisions.
• Act as an integrator and knowledge broker across A&S to maximize the impact of Literacies learning strategies and deliverables, as well as support innovative teaching and learning beyond the implementation of the Literacies initiative.

• In collaboration with A&S leadership and staff, design and build an infrastructure that centers innovative pedagogical practice and cultivates opportunities for faculty to explore new ways to achieve excellence in teaching.
• Work closely with key partners, including but not limited to the Center for Teaching and Learning, A&S education technology staff, A&S Coordinator of STEM Diversity Initiatives, and A&S academic units, to design, implement, and assess evidence-based pedagogical practices that foster inclusivity through the incorporation of diverse perspectives in course content, a classroom supportive of students’ backgrounds and identities, and innovative approaches to engagement and assessment.
• Operate as a highly valued and embedded partner within the College of A&S to understand teaching and learning in the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, and articulate learning needs towards achieving impactful educational outcomes and goals.
• Contribute to teaching development efforts across the university through service as an A&S representative on various university-wide initiatives, educational developer groups, and committees.

• May teach one course per year.

Required Qualifications

Master’s degree in related field and three years related experience or Bachelor’s degree in related field and eight years related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a liberal arts discipline.
• 5-7 years of experience in university-level teaching, curriculum development, and faculty development, including building and leading learning communities.
• Experience using interdisciplinary methods in teaching, research, and practice.
• Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in teaching and learning.
• Demonstrated experience as a collaborator across a variety of units and project types, in particular with faculty, staff, and administrators on projects that innovate undergraduate education.

Applicant Special Instructions

For more information and to apply, please visit https://jobs.wustl.edu and search under Job ID JR67763. Please provide a cover letter & resume with your application.