My GradSkills - Learning and Design Specialist, Dean's Office, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Position Overview

The Dean's Office within the Faculty of Graduate Studies is currently seeking a Full-time Limited Term My GradSkills - Learning and Design Specialist for approximately 15 months.

The My GradSkills - Learning and Design Specialist reports to the Manager, My GradSkills, Faculty of Graduate Studies, and will work collaboratively with multiple members of the diverse and specialized My GradExperience team. It requires an experienced and dynamic person who understands professional skills training and specializes in and supports a variety of educational and learning and instructional design initiatives, with a focus on communication and work-place readiness skills. This position will support the assessment and promotion of My GradSkills endorsed programming. The Specialist will integrate evidence-informed practices in the design, facilitation, and evaluation and delivery of workshops, programs, and creation of support resources. They will also coach numerous graduate students through various in-person and online means in support of the Images of Research (IoR) competition, 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, and Transformative Talent Internship program.

Within the research communications programming the Specialist will lead the expansion of existing 3MT and IoR programming, revolving around development of verbal/visual/written research communication skills to a general audience. Within the Transformative Talent Internship programming the Specialist will support organization and development of training and resources for Transformative Talent Internship non-credit courses (pre-internship, and during internship) and support the Graduate Intern Business Development Specialist in running the first cohort of the non-credit course (spring/summer 2022). The Specialist will support development of other My GradSkills programming as time permits.

The result will be a coordinated suite of workshops and resources. This role will deliver workshops and host one-on-one feedback sessions, direct graduate students to additional support, training, resources and opportunities as needed, and respond to follow-up emails as necessary. The My GradSkills, Learning and Design Specialist will also assess the effectiveness of programming.

Position Description

Summary of Key Responsibilities (job functions include but are not limited to):

• Develop an approved plan to buildout professional skills training, research communications training and internship readiness training.
  • Investigate and evaluate current and new educational technologies to enhance learning, instructional and course design approaches, and learning environments within the post-secondary context.
  • Connect with people and campus groups (e.g. Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, Career Services) to learn and assess University of Calgary best practices in program design and delivery.
  • Develop a proposal and timeline to build upon general graduate student professional skills training, research communication skills and internship readiness programming that incorporates a variety of learning styles, and instructional and course design strategies and approaches for online, blended, and face-to-face environments.
• Develop, deliver and assess workshops, resources, and initiatives to build capacity in research communications training.
  • Design, develop, and facilitate approved, specific short-term (e.g. 1-3 hour) workshops related to research communications training.
  • Develop and lead workshops and lead one-on-one feedback sessions for all research communications training (i.e. Images of Research, 3 Minute Thesis, others as required).
  • Evaluate the impact and success of workshops, programs and approaches, with a focus on continuous improvement, using appropriate evaluative methods.
• Develop, deliver and assess training, resources, and initiatives to build capacity in internship readiness training.
  • Developing online and digital/print-based resources to support internship readiness training.
  • Support the development of internship readiness modules to support graduate students looking for internships, and graduate students who are participating in internships.
  • Evaluate the impact and success of workshops, programs and approaches, with a focus on continuous improvement, using appropriate evaluative methods.

Qualifications / Requirements:

• Master's degree is required, ideally in Education, Instructional Design, Educational Technology or Communications.
• Two or more years of instructional design experience in higher education.
• Knowledge of University culture, context, and strategic plans.
• Knowledge of professional skills training within the graduate student context is an asset.
• Demonstrated excellence in quickly understanding a project, extrapolating its needs, and proposing solutions and evaluating effectiveness.
• Must be results oriented, showing initiative and creativity to identify areas for improvement and to implement potential solutions.
• High level of personal effectiveness and strong organizational skills, together with the ability to work to deadlines while managing multiple tasks is required.
• Demonstrated understanding of pedagogical theories, evidence-informed learning and instructional design practices in a university context.
• Skilled knowledge and ability to support online, blended, and face-to-face learning environments in interdisciplinary university contexts.
• Teaching and/or coaching experience; teaching experience in higher education is strongly valued.
• Strong facilitation skills, including experience designing, delivering and evaluating workshops, programs, projects, and consultations.
• Strong written and oral communication and presentation skills, including an ability to summarize technical information to a non-technical audience, and deliver constructive feedback to a diverse audience.
• Demonstration of exceptional ability to communicate concepts through visual means.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and competency with graphic design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, as well as digital tools like Hootsuite, LiveWhale and Marketo is an asset.
• Proficiency using learning management systems (preferably D2L Brightspace), web technologies, and a variety of learning technologies.

Application Deadline:  December 8, 2021

We would like to thank all applicants in advance for submitting their resumes. Please note, only those candidates chosen to continue on through the selection process will be contacted.

Additional Information

This position is part of the AUPE bargaining unit, and falls under the Specialist/Advisor Job Family, Phase II.

To find out more about management and staff opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Management and Staff Careers website. 

COVIDSafe Campus Strategy

The University has implemented a new Vaccination Directive that requires all faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January 1, 2022. You will be required to upload proof of vaccination prior to commencing your duties. Please review the COVIDSafe Campus website for further information and access to additional resources.

About the University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is Canada’s leading next-generation university – a living, growing and youthful institution that embraces change and opportunity with a can-do attitude. Located in the nation’s most enterprising city, the university is making tremendous progress on its Eyes High journey to be recognized as one of Canada’s top five research universities, grounded in innovative learning and teaching and fully integrated with the community it both serves and leads. The University of Calgary inspires and supports discovery, creativity and innovation across all disciplines. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy in line with the foundational goals of Eyes High, committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

The University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their professional success while they are here. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, however preference will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Canada.