Postdoc Opportunity for Grad Students in Education
The Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology <http://ctlt.ubc.ca/> (CTLT) at the University of British Columbia is seeking a full time postdoctoral teaching and learning fellow to work with the Alma Mater Society, Graduate Student Society and the Office of the Vice President Students on research and evaluation related to student voice and UBC’s Flexible Learning Initiative. Specific components of this project are outlined below:
The teaching and learning fellow (TLF) will liaise with Faculties and individual project leads collect existing plans related to the evaluation of flexible learning projects. Concurrently, the TLF will develop and oversee a focus group process to discern themes around flexible learning that students deem important for future research and evaluation. The TLF will synthesize data from both groups to develop recommendations for project owners and, pending approval of recommendations, work with the project lead to develop a comprehensive research and evaluation plan. The TLF will play a key role in implementing this plan. It is expected that the play will include the development of both a survey type tool and a focus group process (details below).
The TLF will research existing validated tools designed to gather student feedback and both develop and validate a UBC specific tool to gather student perceptions of how their learning has been impacted by courses transformed via the Flexible Learning (FL) Initiative. Details regarding the logistics and specific foci of the survey will be informed by the data collected through measures listed above. The TLF will train and supervise a research assistant (RA) who will analyze individual course responses and provide faculty with course specific feedback. The TLF and RA will work collaboratively to evaluate the data across courses, develop recommendations, and share the findings with key FL stakeholders.
The TLF will develop a focus group process to both provide formative feedback to faculty teaching FL transformed courses and inform the research and evaluation themes identified by students. The TLF will train and supervise a group of research assistants who facilitate the focus groups, analyze the data and provide targeted feedback to faculty. The TLF will be tasked with identifying themes that emerge across the focus groups and sharing that data with key FL stakeholders.
The TLF will also design and oversee the research component of a multiyear, undergraduate journaling project documenting students’ reflections on their own learning and the impact of flexible approaches to the design of their learning environments.
Research and publication related to these projects is encouraged and will be supported through the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. The TLF is expected to attend regular meetings focusing on teaching and learning practice with other Flexible Learning TLFs across UBC.
To qualify for the fellowship, applicants should have a Ph.D. in Education or a related area with a strong background in both qualitative and quantitative methods, or a Ph.D. in a quantitative discipline, such as statistics, with a strong interest in education and experience in qualitative research. The appointment is initially for one year, with the option for renewal dependent on performance and funding.
To apply, please submit a recently updated C.V., a short (2 page) statement of interest that details how your previous experience relates to this position, and the names and complete contact information (including phone and email) of two references to:
Andrea Han, Senior Manager, Curriculum Services and Special Projects
andrea.han@ubc.ca