Jobs (2) - Educational Support Specialist, Washburn University, Topeka, KS

Dale Rusche, IDT alum and Production Coordinator with Information Technology Services-Instructional Services at Washburn Univ. sent the following position announcements for 2 Online Educational Support Specialist Positions at Washburn.  If you are interested in applying, information about how to apply is located at the end of each position announcement.  Review of applicants will begin, February 3^rd.

Position 1) Online Education Support Specialist I, Recruitment No. 6180114

Applications are being accepted for an Online Education Support Specialist I position in Information Technology Services.  This position reports to the Online Education Support Coordinator. 

RESPONSIBILITIES

TRAINING

Schedule and provide group and/or one-on-one training sessions to help new and existing faculty effectively learn to use Washburn's learning management system and ancillary technical components supporting online educational programs, e.g., integration of online systems, testing software, mobile applications, analytics software.

USER SUPPORT (Faculty, Students, Staff)

Respond in a timely manner to phone calls, e-mail, and tickets, to assist students, faculty and staff with specific questions and issues related to online education. Meet with students, faculty and staff to provide personal, face-to-face instruction in the use of online course tools and the learning management system to ensure a successful experience with online education at Washburn University and Washburn Institute of Technology.

Assist Faculty in building, modifying and maintaining their online course(s) in the learning management system (LMS) to ensure they have provided a quality online course to students and have used the tools (LMS) effectively for teaching online courses.  Assist faculty in importing materials (files) to their online course(s) from third party software such as Respondus and/or StudyMate to provide quality online courses to students.

OTHER

Develop and improve existing online materials that outline common procedures for online courses and/or resolutions to common issues to assist faculty and students with their use of online course tools.

Document procedures, changes and other relevant information for use and reference by other Online Education staff providing assistance to system users.

Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED:  Graduation from high school or GED.  Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.  Ability to work effectively with faculty and students with different levels of technical skills.  Ability to work independently, finding solutions to issues.  Customer service experience.  Knowledge of learning management systems (LMS).  

PREFERRED:  Post-secondary or higher education courses and/or college degree.  Customer service experience working with technology.  Troubleshooting skills in relation to PC hardware or software.  Experience working in an educational environment.  Experience with a learning management system - either completing an online course or supporting a learning management system.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Submit a completed Washburn University Employment Application (available at www.washburn.edu/faculty-staff/human-resources/forms) to getajob@washburn.edu or to Washburn University Human Resources, 263 Morgan Hall, 1700 SW College, Topeka, Kansas  66621.  RESUMES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.  Review of applications will begin February 3, 2014.  Entry rate is $15.01 per hour.  Excellent fringe benefits package.  Employment at Washburn University may be conditioned upon satisfactory completion of a background check.

TO ENRICH EDUCATION THROUGH DIVERSITY, WASHBURN UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.  CANDIDATES FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. 

Position 2) Online Education Support Specialist II, Recruitment no. 3790114

Applications are being accepted for an Online Education Support Specialist II position in Information Technology Services.  This position reports to the Online Education Support Coordinator.  The Online Education Support Specialist II is expected to have a full-time presence on campus.

RESPONSIBILITIES

TRAINING

Schedule and provide group and/or one-on-one training sessions to help new and existing faculty effectively learn to use Washburn's learning management system and ancillary technical components supporting Online educational programs, e.g., integration of Online systems, testing software, mobile applications, analytics software.

Work with Instructional Designer to create and update system training materials for faculty; and to develop, update and maintain resources/documentation for faculty and student reference, outlining common guidelines and/or best practices and procedures for Online courses.

USER SUPPORT

Respond in a timely manner to phone calls, e-mail, and tickets to assist students, faculty and staff with specific questions and issues related to online education. Meet with students, faculty and staff as needed to provide personal, face-to-face instruction as needed.

Communicate learning management system status to faculty, staff and students to keep them updated on system availability and issues that might impact their schedules and ability to use online education resources.

Apply an advanced knowledge and level of expertise in regard to the learning management system and online educational tools, analyze and troubleshoot complex problems escalated from Online Education Support Specialists. 

LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (LMS) ADMINISTRATION

Serve as backup to the Online Education Support Coordinator in assisting with general administration of the LMS including: creating new groups; adjusting course settings, accounts and/or enrollments; course backup and retrieval; and working with vendor(s) to resolve system issues in a timely manner.  Work with the Online Education Support Coordinator and other ITS staff to resolve integrated system issues, plan system upgrades, and outages for maintenance.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Research new software and tools pertaining to Online Education, subscribe to appropriate user groups and list-serves, attend conferences and training to remain apprised of new technological developments that might impact Online education.  Applying knowledge and understanding gained from research and education activities, assist in future planning for improvement of Online education at Washburn University.

Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED:   High school diploma or GED and 3 years of experience supporting a learning management system, or a bachelor's degree in a field such as Computer Science, Educational Technology, Technology Administration, Mass Media, or Communication with completion of an online education course or experience supporting a learning management system.  Computer skills including proficiency using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point).  Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills are essential.  Customer service experience. 

PREFERRED:  Experience working in higher education and providing training in the use of computer software.  Knowledge of databases and queries; and in web page creation, maintenance, and conversion of documents for web pages. 

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Submit a completed Washburn University Employment Application (available at www.washburn.edu/faculty-staff/human-resources/forms) to getajob@washburn.edu or to Washburn University Human Resources, 263 Morgan Hall, 1700 SW College, Topeka, Kansas  66621.  RESUMES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.  Review of applications will begin February 3, 2014.  Entry rate is $16.40 per hour.  Excellent fringe benefits package.  Employment at Washburn University may be conditioned upon satisfactory completion of a background check.

TO ENRICH EDUCATION THROUGH DIVERSITY, WASHBURN UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.  CANDIDATES FROM UNDER-REPRESENTED GROUPS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.