Associate Director, Curriculum and Instruction

Department
 

HUM Staff: Digital Studies

About the Department
 

The University of Chicago’s Program in Digital Studies of Language, Culture, and History offers a one-year MA degree as well as a joint BA/MA, an undergraduate Minor, and a Graduate Certificate for MA and PhD students in other programs who take a specified set of Digital Studies courses. This Program provides students specializing in the humanities and the humanistic social sciences with computing knowledge and programming skills relevant to research and scholarship on a wide range of topics and materials pertaining to language, literature, history, culture, and the arts. Graduates of this Program are equipped for non-academic jobs in software development or software-related marketing, communications, and technical writing; or they may pursue doctoral studies and apply their computational skills to research and teaching in the humanities; or they may take on an academic support role in digital humanities at a college, university, or cultural institution. In addition to offering formal courses for degree credit, the Program is enriched by visiting speakers, conferences, and other events of interest to both faculty and students. The Program is further enriched by technical support and software training provided by Program staff to help students apply what they have learned in the classroom in their MA thesis projects and in the context of faculty research projects in which students may participate as research assistants and thereby acquire valuable practical experience.

Job Summary
 

Reporting to the Faculty Director of Digital Studies, the Associate Director of Curriculum and Instruction assists with student recruitment through advising; teaches two digital studies courses per year; supports software training / documentation for faculty and students; may conduct research, serves as a Principal Investigator on grants, and other related work. The successful candidate for AD of Curriculum and Instruction is to attach all documents as listed in the Required Documents section below.

Responsibilities

• Teaches two Digital Studies courses per year (normally DIGS 20002/30002, Data Analysis for the Humanities I, in Autumn Quarter and DIGS 20006/30006, Data Analysis for the Humanities III, in Spring Quarter).
• MA thesis advising for Digital Studies MA students.
• Assists the Faculty Director of Digital Studies in the administration of the Program in Digital Studies of Language, Culture, and History and participates in student recruitment and admissions, student orientation, and student advising for this Program.
• Provides technical support, software user training, software programming, and software documentation for faculty and student research projects using the OCHRE computational platform and other software, as directed by the Director of Technology for Digital Studies.
• May perform computer-assisted research, attend academic conferences, author or co-author academic publications, and/or serve as a PI or co-PI on a funded project within their own area of academic specialization, in collaboration with relevant UChicago faculty and as approved by the Faculty Director of Digital Studies.
• Investigates, analyzes and resolves day-to-day technical problems using standard procedures.
• Works with stakeholders to gather and analyze requirements for developmental programs.  Receives a moderate level of guidance to design applications to meet University and business requirements.
• Uses in-depth knowledge and experience to administer the delivery of services to program participants and/or beneficiaries such as communicating with programs sponsors and academic advising for undergraduate students.
• Develops and communicates program priorities and performance standards and assesses operations using these criteria. Plans and conducts quality assurance reviews and recommends changes as appropriate.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 5-7 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• PhD in the humanities or social sciences is strongly preferred.

Experience:

• Computer programming using a variety of programming languages.
• Teaching at the college or university level.
• Performing technical support and software training for research in the humanities and/or social sciences, including research that entails quantitative methods of data analysis.
• Juggling multiple and complex projects simultaneously.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Computer programming using the Python, R, and JavaScript languages.
• Use standard productivity software (Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint; Adobe Photoshop).
• Work with specialized software employed in research in the humanities and social sciences, including statistical software and software for machine learning and big data visualization.
• Perform complex computational tasks and software programming involving digitized representations of both textual and non-textual materials used in humanities research.

Preferred Competencies

• Work effectively in a complex administrative structure, working independently while also being part of a team.
• Understand research and scholarship in the humanities.
• Excellent writing skills in English with proofreading and editing accuracy.
• Skilled at understanding separate cultures with the ability to provide services to students, faculty, and staff in the Digital Studies Program and to others outside of the Program.
• Recognize when faculty and student needs should be referred to others.
• Organized, efficient, and know how to prioritize.
• Strong attention to detail while also maintaining perspective on the overall needs.
• Be of service to all constituents of the Program.
• Meet deadlines, maintain confidentiality, and anticipate and resolve problems.

Working Conditions

• Office environment.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Letter of Interest in this position (required)
• References Contact Information (3)(required)
• Response to the following - What is your experience in providing computational research consultation, technical support, and training for research involving quantitative methods of data analysis in the humanities or social sciences? (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Administration & Management

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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