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Director of Educational Technology

Boston University, MA
Job Level
Senior position
Post Date
04/02/2019
Job Category
Director
Sector
  • Technology
Job Status
Areas of Responsibility
  • Instructional Technology
Link to Job Posting

Boston University seeks applications and nominations for the position of Director of Educational Technology. Reporting to the Associate Provost for Digital Learning & Innovation, the Director provides strategic leadership, vision, management, accountability for selection and deployment of enterprise-level educational technology services at Boston University. The Director and the Educational Technology group play an instrumental role in partnering with faculty in the transformation of teaching and learning at Boston University.

The office of Digital Learning & Innovation (DL&I) directly reports to the University Provost and comprises three units, Educational Technology being the largest. The other two units are the Center for Teaching & Learning (CTL) and the Digital Education Incubator (DEI). Working in a federated environment, the Director will collaborate with the directors of the other units in addressing innovation and transformation in the field of teaching and learning at the university.

The Educational Technology group is comprised of three units: Instructional Production Services (IPS), Educational Technologists (ET), and Educational Platform Administration (EPA). The managers of the three units report to the Director of Educational Technology.

  • As the most recent addition, the Instructional Production Services (IPS) group is in the process of establishing services to handle instructional media and digital content production for Boston University faculty, departments, grants, and so on. Comprising four Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff members, the team represents a seminal unit that will grow with increased demand for production services. IPS is led by a manager position.

  • The Educational Technologist (ET) group (5 FTE) offers consultation to faculty on using technology to effectively meet their teaching and learning goals. Each educational technologist is an expert in one or more specific technologies (e.g Blackboard Learning Management System, Digication ePortfolio, Turning Point audience response systems), while also keeping abreast of a broader array of technologies and instructional strategies. The ET group is managed by a Lead Educational Technologist.

  • Educational Platform Administration (EPA) (4 FTE) administers and maintains key educational technology platforms supported centrally by Boston University in collaboration with Information Systems and Technology (IS&T). This group handles integration of new and existing platforms and responds to support inquiries. Key platforms include Learning Management System (Blackboard Learn), Lecture Capture (echo360), Streaming Instructional Video Platform (MyMedia powered by Kaltura), Assessment Management System (Campus Labs Planning), and others. The unit is led by a manager. As the implementation and operation of digital educational technologies at Boston University is closely tied to IS&T, the Manager of the EPA group has a secondary reporting line into IS&T, due to their role as the Client Service Owner for the centrally-deployed digital educational technologies.

Diversity

DL&I and Boston University greatly value diversity of experience, thought, perspective, and people, and are actively committed to building and sustaining a culture of equity, inclusion, and respect within our staff and student body. Currently, BU’s student body is 26 percent international, 4 percent Black or African American, 9 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 13 percent Asian-American. At the university level, five of BU’s six most recent academic leadership appointments are people from groups historically underrepresented in the Academy, reflecting the University’s values as stated in the diversity statement: “Success in a competitive, global milieu depends upon our ongoing commitment to welcome and engage the wisdom, creativity, and aspirations of all peoples.” As an integralpart of DL&I’s Executive Team, the Director will be committed to providing excellent service to BU’s diverse communities and to increasing the diversity of the Ed Tech group. For more information on Boston University’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, please read the University’s Statement on Diversity [https://www.bu.edu/info/about/diversity/]; and Provost Jean Morrison’s statement, “Diversity at Boston University” [http://www.bu.edu/provost/diversity/].

The University

Boston University, a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), is one of the leading private research and teaching institutions in the world, with two primary campuses in the heart of Boston and programs around the globe. Chartered in 1869, the University is home to more than 33,000 students from over 130 countries, 375,000 living alumni, 10,000 faculty and staff, and 17 schools and colleges.

BU is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of the Boston area’s largest employers. The Charles River Campus, the university’s main campus, is located along one of the busiest thoroughfares in the City of Boston, and the city long has been considered one of the United States’ best cities for quality of life, fitness, and jobs. The growth of BU over the last forty years is profound, as it has evolved from a regional university with a focus on undergraduate and professional education, to an internationally-recognized, residential research university that performed more than $400 million of sponsored research last year.

In Fall 2018, the University implemented BU Hub, a university-wide general education program that emphasizes working across disciplines to prepare for a complex and diverse world. Rather than require students to take a specific set of courses, the Hub helps them to develop six essential capacities that will prepare them for a lifetime of learning and leading. In addition, Provost Morrison is chairing the University’s next Academic Strategic Plan, in which Associate Provost Dellarocas serves as co-chair of the subcommittee on digital education.

On behalf of DL&I and IS&T, the Educational Technology group is deeply involved in supporting the BU Hub, with special attention to the Digital/Multimedia Expression requirements, which are facilitated through the licensing of Adobe Creative Cloud to all students.

Duties and Responsibilities

DL&I’s Director of Educational Technology will have the following responsibilities:

  • Assess opportunities and formulate strategies for leveraging technology to transform teaching and learning at Boston University;

  • Collaborate with peer directors in the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Digital Education Incubator to achieve DL&I’s innovation and transformation goals;

  • Stay abreast of higher education and industry trends, new technologies, and developing instructional strategies;

  • Develop and lead the delivery of significant outreach on the topics of teaching with technology to the BU community at large and in specific subject areas, as determined by DL&I leadership; specific examples include the annual Educational Technology festival, Adobe Creative Jam, and xR in EDU conference;

  • Lead, oversee, and develop teams including educational technologists, platform administrators, instructional designers, and media/content producers in the Educational Technology organization; provide oversight for resource management, professional development, and performance guidance;

  • Consult with schools, colleges, and departments regarding educational technology needs and aspirations; coordinate solutions with Information Services &Technology and within Digital Learning & Innovation;

  • Work with key stakeholders and units, including the Associate Provost for Diversity & Inclusion, to significantly advance inclusive excellence in education with the goal of bolstering the full participation of all students, faculty and staff;

  • Represent DL&I within Boston University as well as in the wider field of educational technology and innovation in the U.S. higher education arena; work with the teams on creating presentations, articles, and media artifacts to represent and promote BU’s recognition in the field of digital education and teaching with technology.

  • Build dynamic partnerships throughout the University, the City of Boston and New England region, and with the larger communities.

Qualifications

This position requires a master’s degree from an accredited university; we prefer candidates who have earned a doctoral degree. In addition, we strongly prefer candidates who have demonstrated, advanced training or work experience in areas such as developing diverse technology products, services, communities, relationships, or environments. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who have advanced humanities training, teaching experience, along with the requisite technological experience.

All candidates must be authorized to work in the United States at time of application.

In addition, DL&I seeks a person with the following qualifications:

  • At least eight years of experience in positions of increasing responsibility and leadership for current and emerging digital technology in higher education or related industries or non-profit organizations, especially experience in identifying, deploying, or managing digital educational technologies and systems;

  • Demonstrated ability to build and lead complex and diverse teams;

  • Demonstrated collaborative and empathetic leadership skills;

  • Substantive and demonstrated knowledge of, ability to communicate effectively about, and ability to promote digital educational technologies with effective teaching as the leading principle;

  • Substantive and demonstrated ability to influence leadership and advocate for purposeful use of technology;

  • Substantive and demonstrated knowledge of trends in higher education and the educational technology field;

  • Strong and demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, respect, and inclusion; and

  • Proven record of accomplishment in completing technology implementation projects on time and within budget.

Compensation

DL&I will provide a competitive compensation and benefits package appropriate for a position of this scope, stature, and level of responsibility.

Applications

Interested candidates’ applications, consisting of a cover letter, resume, and list of references should be submitted through Boston University’s Human Resources web site at https://www.bu.edu/hr/careers/.

Review of applications will begin in April 2019 and continue until DL&I fills the position. DL&I will not contact references until the finalist stage of interviews.

Boston University is committed to fostering a diverse university community within a supportive and respectful environment. We believe that diversity is essential to our success as a leading research university with a global reach and that it is an integral component of excellence.

Boston University prohibits discrimination against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. Boston University strongly encourages minority group members, veterans, disabled individuals, and women to apply for positions for which they are qualified and that are of interest to them.