Educational Technology Specialist

About University at Albany:

Established in 1844 and designated a University Center of the State University of New York in 1962, the University at Albany's broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research and public service engages a diverse student body of approximately 17,900 students in nine schools and colleges across three campuses.

Located in Albany, New York, New York State's capital, the University is convenient to Boston, New York City and the Adirondacks.

Job Description:

Information Technology Services (ITS) at the University at Albany seeks applicants for an Educational Technology Specialist. The successful candidate is responsible for collaborating with colleagues from across the campus to ensure the smooth delivery of instruction and learning to meet the evolving needs of a dynamic R1 university. This is a unique opportunity to work in a diverse, multidisciplinary environment in one of four University Centers in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.  

Reporting to the Associate Director of Educational Technology Services, the Specialist plays a key role in managing and recommending improvements in the daily administration and support for the University's teaching and learning systems and services. Under the direction of the Associate Director of Educational Technology Services, the incumbent provides operational and direct user support for teaching and learning services. She/he/they will periodically interact with faculty, staff, and campus stakeholders to define needs, evaluate, recommend, and implement new or enhanced technology services. She/he/they have a broad skill set, including excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the technical acumen to support, analyze and resolve issues in coordination with other technology professionals. She/He/They communicate clearly and concisely with a wide range of audiences, including faculty, students, service teams, and other campus stakeholders. 

The Specialist is self-motivated and comfortable working under limited supervision, either independently or as part of a team. She/He/They are expected to be a subject matter expert in the continuous improvement of teaching and learning technology, services and solutions.

Primary Responsibilities:

Coordinate operational and technical support for the University's teaching and learning systems and services:  

• Perform administrative, management, configuration, and support activities in coordination with IT service teams to ensure the delivery and continuous improvement of teaching and learning services, including academic technology (classrooms, computing labs, and virtual environments), digital learning environment, lecture capture, assessment systems, and e-portfolio systems.  
• Assess and recommend new or enhanced technology or services which align with faculty and learner needs.
• Create and curate customer-facing knowledgebase of procedures, support materials, and internal service documentation. 
• Assist with collection and analysis of utilization data for teaching and learning services.  
• Conduct testing of applications and systems to verify functionality and ensure stable and reliable performance. 

Provide customer support for the University's teaching and learning systems and services:

• Provide direct support to users, resolve incidents and problems, fulfill service requests, and conduct operational activities for teaching and learning services in accordance with ITS work management practices.  
• Coordinate problem resolution with vendors and service providers as it pertains to the application portfolio for teaching and learning.
• Facilitate knowledge-sharing of solutions which facilitate teaching and learning.
• Stay well-informed of product development roadmaps and trends in educational technology.  
• Coordinate with IT staff, faculty, and campus stakeholders to assess services and define requirements for improvement. 
• Periodically deliver and/or coordinate vendor-provided software/process training, demos, or presentations to support the implementation and use of educational technologies.   

Other Activities:

• Be available to provide scheduled support and consultation outside normal business hours, including occasional evenings, holidays, or weekends, within reasonable professional obligation and expectation. 

Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor's degree from a college or university accredited by a U.S. Department of Education (DOE) or internationally recognized accrediting organization.  
• 2 years of professional experience managing and supporting educational technologies, such as learning management systems, educational software, academic computing, and audio-visual technologies for the classroom.   
• Proficient computing skills, including Microsoft 365 and web conferencing/collaboration applications such as Zoom and MS Teams.    
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to develop inclusive and equitable relationships within our diverse campus community.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to support diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and belonging relative to their role.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience administering learning management systems (knowledge of plugins/LTI extensions is a plus), lecture capture tools, classroom AV technologies, or other instructional application/systems.  
• Experience with SaaS/cloud delivery models and virtual computing services.  
• Knowledge of diverse operating systems.
• Awareness of electronic and information technology accessibility standards (web content, digital content, learning spaces). 
• Knowledge of IT work and project management practices (ITIL 4, PMP, certifications are a plus).  

Additional Information:

This is a promotional opportunity for current UAlbany employees.

Eligibility for Consideration:

• You must be employed at the University at Albany campus.
• You must be in a State funded UUP professional position (MC employees are not eligible).
• You must have a permanent, term, or probationary appointment (temporary employees are not eligible).

For details concerning the University's Promotion Policy for Professional Employees, please see HR Memorandum 88-4 .

Professional Rank and Salary Range: Senior Staff Assistant, SL3; $65,000-70,000.

Special Notes: This position has the potential for telecommuting up to 50%. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, mandates that all Title IV institutions, without exception, prepare, publish and distribute an Annual Security Report. This report consists of two basic parts: disclosure of the University's crime statistics for the past three years; and disclosures regarding the University's current campus security policies. The University at Albany's Annual Security Report is available in portable document format [PDF] by clicking this link http://police.albany.edu/ASR.shtml

Pursuant to NYS Labor Law 194-A, no State entity, as defined by the Law, is permitted to rely on, orally or in writing seek, request, or require in any form, that an applicant for employment provide his or her current wage, or salary history as a condition to be interviewed, or as a condition of continuing to be considered for an offer of employment, until such time as the applicant is extended a conditional offer of employment with compensation, and for the purpose of verifying information, may such requests be made.  If such information has been requested from you before such time, please contact the Governor's Office of Employee Relations at (518) 474-6988 or via email at [email protected] .

THE UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY IS AN EO/AA/IRCA/ADA EMPLOYER

Please apply online via http://albany.interviewexchange.com/candapply.jsp?JOBID=173320

Application Instructions:

Applicants MUST submit the following documents:

• Resume
• Cover letter stating all the required minimum qualifications and any of the applicable preferred qualifications
• Contact information for three professional references

Note: After submitting your resume, the subsequent pages give you instructions for uploading additional documents (i.e. cover letter etc.).

See the FAQ for using our online system. Please contact us if you need assistance applying through this website.

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Closing date for receipt of applications: March 20. 2024