Online Courses Associate, Duke University, Durham NC

Posted May 20, 2014

Duke’s Online Education Initiative encourages innovation, experimentation, and learning from new approaches and tools for online teaching and learning. The Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) supports Duke faculty to advance these goals – developing over 20 massive, open, online courses (MOOCs) with over 1.6 million enrolled students.

The Online Courses Associate (OCA) plays a key role in the development and delivery of high quality learning for Duke’s online initiatives. Working closely with world-class Duke faculty and CIT staff, the OCA assists with online course development, contributes to instructional technology support, and collaborates on innovative uses of technology in the academic community.

To excel in this role, you will need to be a curious problem-solver with the ability to communicate in both technical and non-technical terms. If you are excited about technology and its uses in education, then we’d love to talk with you.

Responsibilities

Course Projects:

• Work with instructors to understand online course plans including necessary materials, teaching approaches, and student assessment
• Upload materials to online course platform, monitor deployment of course materials, and troubleshoot problems
• Monitor online course forums in assigned courses; help identify and resolve technical problems that occur while the course is active
• Edit, review, test, and manage course video segments and other online course assets, including the copyright status of course assets
• Maintain high quality assurance standards in the online course materials and course delivery
• Track progress of course development timelines and maintain awareness of important aspects of each assigned project 

Instructional Technology Support:

• Provide support for evaluation of online courses, including documenting best practices, collecting and summarizing statistics about course activities, and creating presentation materials about courses
• Collect, review, update and supplement documentation for online course tools
• Collaborate with the CIT technical team to test, document, and demonstrate software tools for online course development to faculty and staff
• Train TAs and other support personnel to use the online course platform to prepare and manage courses
• Other duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None

Qualifications

All Duke University Library staff members are expected to demonstrate exceptional workplace behaviors in the execution of their specific position responsibilities. These behaviors include: customer focus, collaboration, creative problem solving, continuous learning, respect, and a commitment to diversity. 

Education

Required: Master’s degree or Bachelor’s degree with additional academic credentials which provide the knowledge required to effectively support faculty with the online course initiatives  

Experience

Required: One year of work experience relevant to job; detail oriented; highly organized and capable of managing a complex task schedule with minimal oversight; excellent communication skills; ability to work effectively with university instructors.

Preferred: Knowledge of Coursera and/or other online course development tools; teaching experience in a college or university setting; proficient in Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Google Documents, ScreenFlow; video production experience; initiative in identifying and solving challenges, developing new project ideas, and improving current processes.

Working Conditions

• Must be able to work in an environment in which exposure to materials containing dust and mold is possible
• Normal office environment

These statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the employee in this position. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of a person in this position.

Salary and Benefits                                        

Salary dependent on qualifications and experience.  The position is not eligible for University fringe benefits or moving, housing, or relocation expenses.

Hours

This position is a temporary, full-time position available forty hours per week between July 2014 and June 30, 2015. 

Environment

Since its founding in 1924, Duke University has grown into one of the most prestigious private universities in the world and its medical center ranks annually among the top in the nation. The Duke University Libraries are the shared center of the university’s intellectual life, connecting people and ideas. The Libraries consist of the William R. Perkins Library and its branches: Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Lilly, Music, and the library at the Duke Marine Laboratory in Beaufort.  Duke’s library holdings of 6.1 million volumes are among the largest of private universities in the United States.

Duke’s hometown is Durham, North Carolina, a city with vibrant research, medical and arts communities, and numerous shops, restaurants and theaters. Durham is located in the Research Triangle, a growing metropolitan area of more than one million people that provides a wide range of cultural, recreational and educational opportunities. The Triangle is conveniently located just a few hours from the mountains and the coast, offers a moderate climate, and has been ranked among the best places to live and to do business. 

Duke offers a comprehensive benefit packages which includes both traditional benefits such as health insurance, leave time and retirement, as well as wide ranging work/life and cultural benefits. Details can be found at:  http://www.hr.duke.edu/benefits/.

Application

Send cover letter, detailed resume and the names, addresses (mailing and e-mail), and telephone numbers of three references to: Teresa Tillman, Library Human Resources, at [email protected].  Please include ASSOC in RESEARCH in the subject line.  Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

Applications which are missing any of the components listed above will not be reviewed.

Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, color, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. The Duke University Libraries have a strong commitment to Affirmative Action and is actively seeking to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of our staff.