Assistant/Associate Professor - College of Education - REMP

Job no: 517690
Work type: Faculty Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: Educ Policy Research & Admin
Union: MSP
Categories: College of Education, Faculty

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Description

The College of Education invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Educational Policy, Research, and Administration at the level of Assistant or Associate Professor, expected to start in September 2023. Candidates at the Associate level should have a track record of successful external funding of their research. The College offers a comprehensive program leading to master’s and doctoral degrees. We share a fundamental commitment to social justice and the pursuit of educational excellence.

Faculty members in the Research, Educational Measurement, and Psychometrics (REMP) doctoral concentration contribute to the core courses for the psychometrics doctoral program (e.g., test development, item response theory, classical test theory, structural equation modeling), but also teach other courses for students throughout the College of Education, such as courses in research methods, statistics, evaluation, and educational assessment policy. These faculty members also comprise the leadership of the UMass Center for Educational Assessment, which conducts research on the most pressing issues in educational assessment and education reform, especially related to culturally sustaining assessment, technology-based assessment, and psychometric modeling.

REMP faculty members are prolific researchers who have served the educational research and psychometric communities in many ways, such as serving as officers for national and international professional organizations, publishing in premier journals, and securing external funding for graduate students. We are seeking a colleague who will help us continue this tradition of excellence while contributing to the College of Education’s mission of supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the areas of educational assessment and assessment policy. In addition to the Center for Educational Assessment, the Department of Educational Policy, Research and Administration also includes the Center for Education Policy and the Center for International Education.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• teach undergraduate or graduate-level courses in statistics, psychometrics, education policy, or program evaluation with an emphasis on how the methods can be used to promote policies, practices, and partnerships that support diverse, just, meaningful, and impactful educational communities and maintain a program of influential research in these areas.
• advise graduate students.
• seek external funding.
• engage in outreach.
• use blended learning technologies.
• broaden participation among members of underrepresented groups.
• demonstrate through their research, teaching, and/or public engagement the richness of diversity in the learning experience
• integrate multicultural experiences into instructional methods and research tools.
• demonstrate leadership in developing pedagogical techniques designed to meet the needs of diverse learning styles and intellectual interests.

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctorate in Education, Psychology, or a related discipline with application to educational measurement, educational assessment policy, or evaluation by the starting date of the appointment.
• Established publication record or indication of considerable promise.
• Experience teaching or strong potential to teach at the graduate level.
• The ability to work effectively with learners of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• Strong background in statistics and psychometrics, with an interest in supporting the use of socially just assessments in education.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in program evaluation.
• Expertise in educational assessment policy.
• Expertise in quantitative or qualitative research methods.
• Emphasis on diversity and social justice issues in higher education, race/racism in higher education, and/or critical approaches to the study of higher education.

Additional Information

• Academic Year appointment.
• Expected start date is September 2023.

Application Instructions

Along with the application, please submit the following materials (in .pdf format). Applications will be reviewed starting in February 2023.

For more information about the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, please visit our website at www.umass.edu/education.

The University is committed to active recruitment of a diverse faculty and student body. The University of Massachusetts Amherst is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities and encourages applications from these and other protected group members. Because broad diversity is essential to an inclusive climate and critical to the University’s goals of achieving excellence in all areas, we will holistically assess the many qualifications of each applicant and favorably consider an individual’s record working with students and colleagues with broadly diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds in educational, research or other work activities. We will also favorably consider experience overcoming or helping others overcome barriers to an academic career and degree.

Advertised: Feb 2 2023 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close: