Teaching Support Specialist

Competition 1543

While this position welcomes applications from individuals external to the university, current Academic Teaching Staff are first notified of available positions and will receive first consideration in accordance with the terms of Schedule D of the Academic Collective Agreement prior to considering external candidates. Please log in to verify your internal candidate status.

This position is a part of the Association of the Academic Staff of the University of Alberta (AASUA).

Salary will be commensurate with experience in accordance with the Academic Teaching Staff (ATS) agreement.

Location - This role is in-person at North Campus Edmonton.

About the Faculty of Engineering and the University of Alberta

The Faculty of Engineering aims to maintain its position among the top schools in North America. We will do this through innovation and excellence from faculty members and staff who value collaboration, interdisciplinary work, and an engaging and positive work culture. We are dedicated to building a better future for society by:

Building the future through people in a collaborative, cross-functional environment

Developing minds and hands with heart by taking a holistic approach to provide an exceptional student experience through education and enrichment that strives to develop the highest-calibre engineers: those with both technical acumen and emotional intelligence, expanding the traditional definition of “engineering.”

Demonstrating the ever-expanding value of our contributions through community engagement, research impact, and value to society.

Uniquely positioning the engineering field to help uplift the whole of humanity

The University of Alberta exists to inspire and ignite the human spirit in pursuit of a better tomorrow. Its work is rooted in its commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion while honouring Indigenous identities, languages, cultures, and world views. As one of the world’s top 100 teaching and research universities, the U of A ranks among the top 5 in Canada, providing a $19.4 billion annual economic impact in Alberta alone. The U of A seeks to challenge, to change, and to always be Leading with Purpose. More than 44,000 students and 13,000 staff shape the U of A, with outstanding achievements in learning, research, creativity, innovation, and engagement across five campuses — including one rural and one francophone. The U of A attracts top talent in rigorous undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in 17 faculties across three colleges and more than $550 million in sponsored research revenue. The U of A has more than 300,000 alumni worldwide.

Working Here

Benefits, Health, & Wellness

We offer a health and wellness benefits package that includes a health spending account, parental leave, and pension benefits. This package includes an annual personal expense reimbursement plan of $1400 for items ranging from technology to wellness. The campus offers a medical clinic, and multiple childcare and housing options within steps of campus.

Position

If you are passionate about teaching, the Faculty of Engineering offers state-of-the-art research and instructional labs and a team of professors, instructors, and staff who value an exceptional student experience. Student education and well-being are at the core of what we do. As we look to continually improve the undergraduate engineering program, we are seeking a full-time Teaching and Student Support Specialist for a 3-year term, with the possibility of renewal. If you wish to focus your career on student learning and well-being, please apply! 

The Teaching and Student Support Specialist will instruct courses at the undergraduate level, advise and mentor undergraduate students, and work on initiatives to enhance the student experience and engineering undergraduate programs. They will be primarily responsible for a course for undergraduate students in the last term of their engineering degrees. The course focuses on the practice of the engineering profession, including and not limited to ethics, equity, diversity, and inclusion, sustainability, environmental stewardship, and safety. They will liaise with an alumni volunteer group to coordinate and host relevant and engaging guest speakers for the course. They will also lead Bridge 2 Engineering programming for students entering their first year of the undergraduate program that includes online synchronous and asynchronous refreshers on mathematics and science courses as well as well-being and university life content. They will also collaborate with others in the Teaching and Student Support Specialist role and other instructors to deliver first-year courses as required. They will supervise student staff in the delivery and administration of the Bridge 2 Engineering program and for the delivery and assessment of courses and students. They will report to the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs) and join a team of instructional and professional staff focused on the undergraduate engineering programs.

This position will be a 3-year-term appointment under the Academic Teaching Staff (ATS) Collective Agreement and comes with a comprehensive benefits package, see Academic Teaching Staff, Benefits Overview 

 Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience following the Collective Agreement.

Duties

Teaching of University Credit Courses:

• Provides instruction to undergraduate and/or graduate students.
• Design course syllabus; order textbooks and other course materials as required; prepare, administer, and mark final exams/assignments; complete records related to grades; may be required to prepare and/or administer deferred exams.
• Evaluate student performance progress and provide appropriate and timely feedback according to department protocols.
• May provide supervision to undergraduate students.
• Demonstrates scholarship and remains up to date in the discipline or profession of educational best practices and engineering education by keeping course syllabi and assignments relevant to the needs of the current students.
• Abide by Faculty and University Academic policies (including Department policies).
• Other duties normally required by ATS.

Teaching-Related Activities:

• Leads the Bridge2Engg program.
• Attends course-related orientations, meetings, and other activities related to teaching assignments.
• May be required to teach additional LAB/SEM with compensation for the additional FTE.
• May oversee  GSA TAs and administrative staff assigned to the course(s).
• Hold office hours as per department policy.
• Assists in the management of teaching assignments.
• Calls and chairs meetings.
• Other duties normally required by ATS.

Service Contributions: 

• Participates in the development of curriculum and design of courses (i.e. takes a co-lead role in the rollover to the new learning management system for engineering courses, the development of new course content for specialty courses and other initiatives related to teaching and pedagogy).
• Participate in program continual improvement and accreditation processes (i.e. provides course and student information as requested for program accreditation)
• Participates in the governance of the Department through committee membership.
• Disseminates knowledge to the general public by making available their expertise and knowledge of the discipline, such as the recruitment of prospective engineering students or outreach to kindergarten to Grade 12 students.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD degree in STEM education, STEM, or a related field
• Teaching experience and knowledge of pedagogy and curriculum design, including experience with course or program development
• Experience with course delivery in a variety of modalities, both in-person and online, synchronous or asynchronous, and traditional or flipped classrooms
• Ability to use Universal Design for Learning principles to make informed and equitable choices to remove barriers and enable equitable learning
• Demonstrated evidence of teaching, leadership, and communication skills
• Demonstrated knowledge in developing student engagement and assessment strategies
• Experience in the application of equity, diversity, and inclusivity to learning and educational contexts

Considered an Asset

• Knowledge of and experience with Indigenous ways of knowing, decolonization, Truth, and Reconciliation Calls to Action in adult learning and/or post-secondary programs
• Training or work experience in STEM fields or STEM education
• Experience with effective curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment for large university classes of up to 400 students
• Teaching at the undergraduate level in a post-secondary educational institution

Application Instructions

Please click "Apply" and submit the following documents:

• A Curriculum Vitae
• A Cover Letter that addresses how you will contribute to the Faculty’s core value of an exceptional student experience
• Under Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: A 2-page maximum teaching philosophy and experience (e.g. related training, recent courses instructed), including a statement on your philosophy and experience with universal design for learning, equity, and inclusion in teaching. 
• Under Other: Additional attachments of up to 3 recent course evaluations and up to 2 sample course outlines for courses you delivered.

Next Steps

Applicants will be accepted until Monday, October 23rd at 11:59 pm. University representatives will review application packages, and should the Hiring Committee advance your application, you will be contacted for an initial interview.

Please note that applications with missing information or components will not be considered.

For applicants selected for interviews, references will be requested after the interview. Details will be provided to those candidates selected for interviews.

The successful candidate will have an anticipated start date of November 15, 2024.