The College of Arts and Letters, and College of Natural Science at Michigan State University seek an Academic Specialist – Research to fill the Researcher/Grant Writer position with the Enhanced Digital Learning Initiative (EDLI). This is a full-time 12-month position with an initial appointment period of 2 years. The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator with outstanding organizational skills, experience conducting educational research and a track record of success in grantmaking.

This position works to support the Enhanced Online Education Initiative and will conduct outreach to the academic community at MSU to support research and work associated with new models for teaching and learning. In addition, it will focus on supporting and facilitating grantmaking by identifying and applying for funding opportunities aligned with projects’ missions and activities. The successful candidate is expected to hold an Ph.D./Ed.D. or equivalent, with a successful track record of grantmaking and research in education. Expertise in research on evidence-based teaching practice, action research and/or scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) in online environments is desired. The position reports jointly to the two colleges, with a majority appointment in the College of Arts and Letters. Specifically, you will:

• Provide professional expertise on the team for grant seeking,

• Read and review relevant grant opportunities,

• Collaboratively write and submit grant applications,

• Interface with program officers and grant agencies at MSU and more broadly,

• Consult with faculty members to design and develop research projects focused on teaching and learning

• Conduct research studies in collaboration with faculty and team members

• Lead training sessions, workshops, and seminars related to conducting action research and scholarship of teaching and learning work in online courses, and

• Collaborate with faculty, staff, student employees, learning designers, platform providers, and colleagues on matters related to research and grant making.

Minimum Requirements

The demands of this job require that you have a combination of skills surrounding grant writing, educational research, teaching and instructional design. You should have facility interacting with both students and faculty members, and you should have experience in both grantmaking and educational research. You should be confident in working with diverse populations and should understand dynamics of instruction at the university level. It is required that you:

• Hold a doctoral degree in an academic field.

• Demonstrate a history of successful research program development and grantmaking in online learning, assessment, online programming, and/or evaluation in STEM, Business, or Humanities education

• Have strong knowledge of the funding environment surrounding online education, STEM education, business education, and/or humanities education

• Familiarity with federal, foundation, and association funding programs for discipline based educational research, improvements in post-secondary education and general educational research

• Have strong knowledge of and demonstrated productivity in the scholarship of teaching and learning, preferably regarding online learning and/or educational technology

• Are fluent in current and emerging issues in teaching, learning, and assessment.

• Are an excellent communicator.

• Have experience working with and across disciplines, specifically working with arts/humanities and the sciences.

Desired Qualifications

Ideally you will have the expertise, dedication, and passion to elevate the university's instructional environment and improve the student experience. The following skills and competencies are especially desirable:

• PhD in instructional design, instructional technology, education, higher education, or other graduate degree related to the job responsibilities.

• Experience in instrument development for the evaluation of online teaching tools and/or pedagogies.

• Experience in evaluating course and program effectiveness.

• Experience in the development of learning outcomes and the implementation of assessment tools.

• Experience in evaluating instructional technologies and/or pedagogical practices.

• Publication and/or presentation in the scholarship of teaching and learning.

• Productivity in discipline-based education research.

• Ability to coordinate and communicate with members of a team to promote common goals and outcomes.

Qualified applicants should submit

a) a cover letter

b) current curriculum vitae or résumé

c) a statement that highlights your alignment with our goals for the initiative

d) a summary of the candidate’s experience with diversity in the classroom and/or in past or planned research endeavors, experience mentoring diverse students or community outreach 22 initiatives, and an explanation of how the candidate will advance our goals of inclusive excellence

e) Names and email addresses of 3 potential references.

For more information, contact Scott Schopieray, Search Committee Chair, schopie1@msu.edu Applications must be submitted electronically to the Michigan State University Human Resources web site at http://careers.msu.edu (posting #677445).

The College of Arts & Letters recognizes that only an academic and organizational culture, which actively seeks out and strengthens diverse voices and perspectives among its members results in true excellence. We are an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. The College of Arts & Letters is particularly interested in candidates of all backgrounds who are committed to the principle that intellectual leadership is achieved through open access and pro-active inclusion.

Persons with disabilities have the right to request and receive reasonable accommodation.

MSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. MSU is committed to achieving excellence through cultural diversity. The university actively encourages applications and/or nominations of women, persons of color, veterans, and persons with disabilities.