Social Science Research Assistant 3 - Mandel School

Case Western Reserve University, United States

Updated: 3 months ago
Location: Campus, ILLINOIS
Job Type: FullTime

POSITION OBJECTIVE

Working under limited supervision, the Social Sciences Research Assistant 3 will coordinate the day-to-day research and evaluation activities of the Office of Educational Outcome Assessment. This position will be primarily responsible for coordinating the collection of student outcome data from coursework, field education, and post-graduation surveys. The research assistant will also analyze these data and prepare summary reports and other dissemination materials. The research assistant will assist the Office Director and Senior Research Associate in the creation of curriculum maps, assessment instruments and matrices, and other tools used to evaluate implicit and explicit curricular outcomes associated with the Master’s degrees offered at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences. Finally, the research assistant will provide support to the Mandel School’s Educational Outcome Assessment subcommittee, and the Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) taskforce. This work is critical to the operation of the office and will provide necessary data to support the Mandel School’s application for re-accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), due December, 2025.

 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

  • Coordinate routine educational assessment activities of the office. Create embedded assessment data collection instruments in Excel and coordinate data collection, cleaning, preparation and analysis for required courses at the generalist level, as well as provide training materials to, and interact with, faculty around these assessments. Manage the retrieval of field instructor assessments from the Tevera database. Produce and maintain a matrix of all embedded assessment points in the curriculum. Assist the senior research associate in the collection and analysis of program outcome data (e.g., completion rates, graduation rates, employment rates, licensure pass rates). These data may be combined with other assessment data and used as the basis of scholarly presentations or articles and may provide opportunities to gain experience in submitting an IRB application and co-authoring scholarly manuscripts. Carry out day-to-day relationship management functions with internal/external stakeholders by attending meetings, taking calls to update on research, discuss research problems and address stakeholder needs. (40%)
  • Manage routine student and post-graduate student surveys, including: mid-course generalist survey; graduate exit survey; and 6-month follow-up survey. (15%)
  • Analyze data and produce summary reports. Analyze embedded assessment data and field instructor ratings and prepare summary reports to be shared with faculty, and submitted to our accrediting body, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Conduct preliminary analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from student and post-graduate students. In consultation with the senior research associate execute a research dissemination strategy. Contribute to research reports, journal articles, briefings, and other written documentation of the research. Conduct additional comparative analyses within the student survey data and prepare summary reports to share with faculty, staff, and students. (20%)
  • Assist in the development of instructions and/or guidelines for research activities. Manage protocols and techniques for research projects involving a high degree of skill and training, including database development and maintenance. Work closely with the director and the senior research associate to devise new protocols and techniques for the holistic assessment of competencies in the specialized curriculum; code and analyze data obtained using these holistic assessments. Develop a new student survey to collect data after completion of their generalist training; compile materials and create summary documents (e.g., curriculum maps, matrices, syllabi, etc.) required for reaccreditation application. (15%)

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    NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

  • Provide support to the Mandel School’s Educational Outcome Assessment subcommittee and the Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) taskforce. (5%)
  • May supervise graduate and/or undergraduate student employees. (3%)
  • Perform other duties as assigned. (2%)

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    CONTACTS

    Department: Frequent contact with supervisor and/or senior research staff to plan and discuss assessment and evaluation activities and maintain workflow. Regular contact with faculty and Field Education staff regarding student assessment and outcome data-related activities. Occasional contact with faculty and administrative staff regarding reaffirmation activities and materials.

    University: Infrequent contact with other departments to share information or dissemination materials.

    External: Limited or no contact with vendors or the public.

    Students: Occasional contact with student employees to supervise basic data analytic activities and the production of dissemination materials.

     

    SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

    May train new staff and/or occasionally supervise undergraduate and/or graduate student employees.

     

    QUALIFICATIONS

    Experience: 3 to 5 years of related work experience required.

    Education: Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in a social or behavioral science. Master’s degree in a social or behavioral science preferred.

     

    REQUIRED SKILLS

  • Highly organized with strong project management and data analytic skills (qualitative and quantitative).
  • Intermediate-level experience with MS Excel (e.g., data entry, import data, compute and summarize data using functions and pivot tables, generate basic graphs) and proficiency with other MS Office Suite applications, email, and internet applications. Prior experience with statistical packages (e.g., SPSS) and survey software (e.g., Qualtrics) preferred.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills and strong interpersonal skills.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a small team environment with faculty, staff, and students.
  • Ability to work with limited supervision; relies on instructions and established guidelines to administer and track existing data collection and analysis activities.
  • Ability to seek out effective solutions for common data management and project management problems.
  • Knowledge of social work education preferred.
  • Ability to meet consistent attendance.
  • Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors and customers face to face.

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    WORKING CONDITIONS

    General working conditions. May be required to attend evening and weekend meetings.

    In employment, as in education, Case Western Reserve University is committed to Equal Opportunity and Diversity.  Women, veterans, members of underrepresented minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

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    Case Western Reserve University provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.  Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Equity at 216-368-3066 to request a reasonable accommodation.  Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicant will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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