Academic Technology Analyst II

Job Title

Academic Technology Analyst II

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Academic Affairs Recruiting Office

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff by promoting a culture that embraces inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability.  Diverse perspectives, talents and identities are vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values .

Who we are  

The Office for Academic Innovation is a new initiative within the Office of the Provost, created to centrally support Texas A&M University’s strategic growth in online and hybrid delivery. Texas A&M currently offers 46 online degrees and 24 online certificates, and we are working in collaborative partnership with the 17 Schools and Colleges, Branch Campuses, and McAllen Higher Education Center to continue to expand the reach of the university. The Office for Academic Innovation is committed to inspiring innovation in line with Texas A&M’s strategic focus on transformational teaching and learning. We seek to impact student learning by creating: pathways for improved student retention in an era of digitally-native students; pathways for delivery supported by the diverse education technology landscape; and pathways for enrollment that are designed to be accessible to students across the state of Texas, nation and world. Our iterative philosophy allows us to learn our way forward while remaining grounded in Texas A&M’s traditions of excellence. 

The Academic Affairs Recruiting Office assisted with the creation and posting of this job requisition for the Office for Academic Innovation.

What we want

The Office for Academic Innovation is seeking an Academic Technology Analyst II to perform complex and specialized support functions for the testing, training, and analysis of learning technologies within the university's centrally-supported learning management system (Canvas). This position will join a growing team dedicated to project management of the digital learning environment at Texas A&M University. Time management, attention to detail, and strong organizational skills are crucial for success in this position. The idea candidate will have specialized skills in analyzing, communicating, and visualizing data produced by the digital learning environment. We are looking for a creative and innovative professional who thrives in a fast-paced and student-oriented environment. We directly support faculty in all that we do in the Office for Academic Innovation. As such, the ideal candidate will seek to connect learning technologies and data to support faculty in achieving student learning outcomes. Our selected candidate will subscribe to our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) as stated above. If this description appeals to you, we encourage you to apply to be considered for this great opportunity.

What you need to know

Salary: Compensation will be commensurate to selected hire’s qualifications.

Cover Letter & Resume:A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended.

COVID-19 information :  Texas A&M University monitors local, state and federally mandated health guidelines to keep students, employees, prospective employees, and visitors as safe as possible. For the latest information regarding Texas A&M’s COVID-19 response, please visit the University’s COVID-19 website . For COVID-19 employment-related information, please visit the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness’ COVID-19 website .

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Three years of experience in academic technology and/or business analysis

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of advanced troubleshooting, client relations, formulating and contributing ideas
• Knowledge of the instructional design process and application of third-party tools to support teaching and learning
• Ability to work in a collaborative team environment
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others
• Ability to communicate effectively with data
• Provides on-call support on nights and weekends as needed

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master’s degree in Information Systems and/or Data Analytics
• More than three years of experience in academic technology at an institution of higher education
• Experience overseeing project implementation, including projects related to a learning management system
• IT quality assurance experience and/or associated certification
• Experience managing information or software systems
• Experience working with and reporting on data
• Experience working with learning technologies that comprise a contemporary digital learning environment
• Experience working in an educational environment
• Experience providing support to faculty and support staff

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• High level of attention to detail and accuracy
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and in a timely manner across teams in verbal and written formats
• Knowledge of Canvas learning management systems and a wide range of contemporary third-party tools
• Knowledge of survey design and administration
• Proficiency in data analysis and communication with data
• Understanding of faculty training strategies and techniques
• Strong interest in innovating the digital learning environment
• Ability to seek out opportunities to leapfrog current applications of learning technologies

Responsibilities:

• Testing: Defines and implements a rigorous learning technology testing strategy, which includes defining and applying various testing protocol (regression, integration, user tests, validation, performance, automation). Participates in monitoring test execution, documents completed objectives, and reports status. Coordinates with learning management system administrative team, training team, and communication team to develop work plans and time schedules for test campaigns including outlining phases, identifying personnel, equipment requirements, and implementation calendar. Leads testing working groups to develop test planning documentation required.  Participates in the planning and testing of system configuration and maintenance. Implements complex upgrade testing. Implements complex testing of reports and scripts. Maintains and reviews corrections to system data. Coordinates the implementation of security and accessibility functions in testing procedures. Provides assistance with developing change management plans.  Provides technical oversight for all third-party tools that integrate into the LMS, and their compliance with university and industry standards. Serves as a key link between the Office for Academic Innovation’s training and support teams, ensuring that these teams can both train faculty to use the learning technologies while also troubleshooting faculty support.
• Reporting & Communications: Contributes to developing training and communication for end-users, including faculty, staff, and students, and internally within the LMS implementation teams. Designs data reporting methods and identifies communication outlets. Develops regular status reports for University administration to inform policy and budgetary decision-making. Reviews and creates frequent and easily digestible reports and summaries for management and leadership will include project status reports, problem reports, and usage analytics for all learning technologies supported by the Office for Academic Innovation.
• Documentation: Collects, analyzes, reviews, documents, and defines the testing scope based on business needs and requirements. Assesses end-user needs through direct interaction, mapping of current and future business processes, and looking for opportunities to develop and improve teaching and learning at Texas A&M University through effective use of learning technologies. Creates detailed functional and technical system specifications. Documents current business process and prepares business and technical requirements for new or existing individual applications or module functions. Documents test statistics, metrics and results.
• Representative: Liaises with client departments and IT staff. Serves as point of contact for complex questions or work requests. Attends internal project meetings and may externally represent Office for Academic Innovation at university-level meetings. Champions student success in a digital learning environment. Works with key internal and external stakeholders across the higher education community to optimize the digital learning environment at Texas A&M. Performs other duties as assigned.

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University and TAMHSC, must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

In accordance with the federal contractor vaccination mandate , specific facilities at The Texas A&M System may be considered a covered contractor workplace with covered contractor employees. Therefore, successful applicants for this position may be subject to the federal mandate and will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment unless an approved medical or religious accommodation is in place.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/AffirmativeAction/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.