Director, Student-Directed Learning Office

Location:

Metropolitan State University, Minnesota’s public, urban university, and recipient of the 2019 Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award is seeking to hire a Director, Student-Directed Learning Office.  This is a full-time probationary position within the Center for Educational Innovation. Work will begin remotely and shift to face-to-face as the university approves pandemic recovery measures.

Full/Part Time: Full Time

Employment Condition: Probationary

Job Description:

• Advance Student-Directed Learning (SDL) at the university to sustain and enhance innovative, student-centered education and learning recognition, and to address the university’s mission and strategic goals;
• Direct and manage the Student-Directed Learning Office and its programs and services, working in collaboration with academic Colleges and Departments and other units across the university to plan and implement policies, procedures, and operations that provide student-directed learning and assessment opportunities to students;
• Engage and advise students to develop and complete SDL in their academic programs;
• Coordinate and lead projects and teams, and provide functional supervision of support staff;
• Collaborate with the Center for Educational Innovation, Minnesota State System Office, Community Partners, Credit for Prior Learning Assessment Network [C-PLAN], and others to enhance the university’s contributions and reputation.

Required Qualifications:

The following qualifications are required of all applicants seeking consideration for this position. Only applicants whose resumes clearly demonstrate fulfillment of each of these minimum qualifications will be considered for the position:

• Master’s degree, plus 5 years of advanced professional experience involving post-secondary learning and assessment, or an equivalent combination of post-secondary training, education and/or advanced professional experience.
• Demonstrated competence serving a diverse student body and ability to work in and contribute to an institution committed to equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.
• Demonstrated ability to apply concepts, standards, and best-practices of competence-based and student-directed learning design and assessment, such as Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), and/or student-designed independent studies.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as authoritative expert for policies, procedures, and practices in adult and/or post-traditional learning, assessment, and competence-based credit.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate, and facilitate successful programs, services, initiatives, or project teams.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated successful experience leading or coordinating project(s)/program(s)/curriculum involving credit for prior learning, alternative learning strategies and assessment, and/or competence-based learning and assessment.
• University-level teaching and assessment experience.
• Demonstrated competence in instructional design for students, faculty and staff, and ability to provide information, training, and advising in-person, online/remotely, and through technical communications.
• Demonstrated knowledge and skills in the principles, practices, and procedures of academic advising and retention, particularly for adult/post-traditional learners.
• Demonstrated success in program/project management, coordination of faculty and staff work-teams, and functional staff supervision.
• Familiarity with program assessment, and student-records, data-collection and analysis in higher education.

Physical Requirements of the Job: This requires occasionally lifting such articles as file boxes and heavy hand tools or heavier materials with help from others and/or lifting and carrying light objects frequently. Even though the weights being lifted may only be a negligible amount, a job is in this category may require walking or standing to a significant degree or may involve sitting most of the time with a degree of pushing and pulling of arm and/or leg controls.

Other Requirements:

Salary:  This is a Minnesota State University Association of Administrative and Service Faculty (MSUAASF) Range D position with a salary range of $51,311 (minimum) to $94,744 (maximum).  Salary is commensurate with education and experience, and is determined by the collective bargaining agreement between Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (Minnesota State) and the MSUAASF organization.

* Employment for this position is covered by the collective bargaining agreement for the MSUAASF which can be found at: 

https://www.minnstate.edu/system/hr/labor_relations/documents/2019-2021%20MSUAASF%20Contract_Final.pdf

This position will start in a remote working, or work-from-home, environment and is expected to transition to a conventional, on-campus, workplace environment within the first year of employment.

Application:  To apply, go to https://metrostate.peopleadmin.com

*To comply with privacy and data practices requirements, please refrain from including personal information or photographs in your application materials.

Applications must be received by 11:59 PM on Closing Date:  February 1, 2021

Qualified applicants are required to attach the following documents to their online application:

• Cover letter of interest addressing how your qualifications align with the requirements of this position.
• Current curriculum vita or resume.

• Names of four (4) references with addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers.
• Transcripts – Valid unofficial copies of your transcript showing conferred/awarded date, your name and the academic institution’s name/logo are required.  We do not accept copy/paste word documents with a list of courses/grades or DARS reports.  If selected for hire, official original transcripts will be required.

If you have other questions related to this position announcement, please contact Human Resources, at 651.793.1275 or email at [email protected]

For TTY, call Minnesota Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS) at 7-1-1 or 1-800-627-3529.

Notice: In accordance with the Minnesota State Vehicle Fleet Safety Program, employees driving on university business who use a rental or state vehicle shall be required to conform to Minnesota State’s vehicle use criteria and consent to a motor vehicle records check.

About:

The University:  Metropolitan State University, a member of the Minnesota State, is a public, urban university located in Twin Cities Metropolitan area. The University provides an excellent, inclusive and engaging education to eliminate opportunity gaps and lead the Twin Cities community to a prosperous and equitable future.  Recognized as a Minority Serving Institution, its employees serve approximately 11,000 students, two-thirds of whom are from communities of color or American Indian nations, are first in their family to attend college or are eligible for Pell grants.  Metropolitan State is recognized by CollegeNet as a leading higher education promoter of social mobility for students (Ranked #21 out of 1380).  The university offers programs leading to baccalaureate, masters and doctoral degrees.  We provide accessible, high quality liberal arts, professional and graduate education with continued emphasis on marginalized groups, including adult learners. Recognized in 2008 and 2014 by the Carnegie Foundation for Community Engagement and named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the university is committed to academic excellence and community engagement through curriculum, teaching scholarship and services designed to support an urban mission.

Visit our web site at http://www.metrostate.edu

For campus safety information and crime statistics visit: https://www.metrostate.edu/students/support/safety

The School/Academic Department: The Student-Directed Learning (SDL) Office promotes, coordinates, and monitors alternative learning strategies including Credit for Prior Learning and Prior Learning Assessment, and Student-Designed Independent Studies.  The Office collaborates with college and academic departments to inform and advise students about SDL, and to coordinate development and assessment. The Director works closely with department chairs and faculty evaluators, and professional academic advisor, and coordinates with units across Academic and Student Affairs and Financial Management on SDL procedures and operations.

The SDL Office is an academic unit within the Center for Educational Innovation (CEI), led by an academic dean. CEI also includes the Center for Faculty Development, the Center for Online Learning, and the Credit for Prior Learning Assessment Network (C-PLAN), a Minnesota State collaborative that serves and supports the 30 colleges and 7 universities in implementing credit for prior learning (CPL) policy and practice. Metropolitan State is a partner campus and the management agent.