LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES ANALYST

Unit/Project Description:

The Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching is looking to fill the Learning Technologies Analyst position which is a continuing appointment that has recently been left vacant. The MacPherson Institute is a central service unit which supports McMaster University instructors, students, and staff in improving and enriching teaching and learning. Its mandate is to partner with, support, and connect diverse groups of educators by:

• Encouraging and elevating the pedagogical use of educational technologies and creative solutions to enhance teaching and learning.
• Creating and delivering professional development that engages educators throughout their careers in teaching and learning in order to enhance the student learning experience.
• Facilitating curriculum development and revision that fosters continuous enhancement and engagement in learning;
• Supporting, conducting and recognizing research on teaching and learning that has the capacity to develop, inform and enhance educational initiatives and student learning.

The MacPherson Institute is seeking a Learning Technologies Analyst with specific expertise in educational technologies. The focus of the Learning Technologies Analyst position will be supporting and administering Brightspace/D2L, McMaster’s Learning Management System (branded as Avenue to Learn), as well as other institutionally supported tools including Simple Syllabus and Kaltura. The individual will work closely with the Lead, Learning Technologist, other Learning Technologies Analyst(s) and Senior Systems Administrator to evaluate configuration changes and identify impact of planned vendor updates. They will develop and/or deliver how-to training sessions, workshops and training documentation around a variety of subjects related to effective use of Avenue to Learn and other supported learning technologies.

The Learning Technologies Analyst will plan and conduct complex assignments and develop and apply new methods and procedures to resolve a variety of service incidents which deviate from planned or expected information system behavior. The individual will provide a rapid response inquiry service to users and customers to solve problems they have in using the relevant features and functions of the University's educational technology products and services. The Learning Technologies Analyst understands Service Desk metrics and will analyze reports to determine service and support trends required to plan and implement new service approaches within the department. The individual will actively engage with, and participate in, campus projects and committees aimed at advancing learning technology use and integration.

Job Summary:

Responsible for supporting teaching & learning programs. Responsible for designing, developing, supporting and delivering campus-wide educational development activities. Promotes a scholarly approach to enhance teaching and learning initiatives within the University for staff, students, and faculty.

Purpose and Key Functions:

• Manage daily and long-term work assignments of internal staff and schedule and monitor adherence to procedures, protocols, and standards.
• Act as an on-site project manager, responsible for managing projects from inception to completion.
• Plan and establish project framework and identify project milestones to ensure the project is completed according to project specifications and within specified timelines.
• Identify, initiate, and lead various projects.
• Plan and coordinate a variety of events and activities.
• Act as the primary Client Services point of communication to provide critical notifications of unplanned outages and planned system updates.
• Act as a liaison between the Service Desk team and other units.
• Establish and maintain service standards for the Service Desk.
• Monitor existing and propose new and enhanced service levels through the development and analysis of service level metrics and reporting.
• Establish and implement procedures for problem referral and escalation procedures.
• Establish and implement methods for problem prioritization.
• Monitor and analyze service records for trends and common problems.
• Recommend and implement service and product improvements and participate in planning meetings with management team.
• Ensure user support staff are advised of systems updates, errors, and features.
• Proactively address problem areas by recommending effective and appropriate solutions.
• Create and disseminate surveys to determine client and staff needs.
• Analyze call records and recommend solutions for problem areas.
• Review and resolve client behaviour and inappropriate service provider responses and act as the first level of escalation and complaint handling for the department.
• Investigate newly reported problems and document solutions.
• Administer site licensed software for the University community.
• Respond to and resolve Level I client issues such as hardware and software problems, and installations.
• Respond to escalated problems from working level staff and customers.
• Document and update accurate and consistent records of all calls.
• Check progress on referred problems and keep users informed.
• Apply escalation procedures for problems with unsatisfactory progress.
• Provide users with routine information such as system updates, errors, and features.
• Carry out practical assignments supporting routine operations.
• Respond to Level II requests such as hardware, software, networks, training, and installations.
• Elicit additional information from clients and colleagues to diagnose issues.
• Refer complex situations to relevant area with accompanying diagnostic information.
• Provide the leadership required to ensure the maintenance of accurate records and preparation of statistics for reports.
• Develop, verify, and maintain service desk procedures.
• Monitor call records, service levels and status.
• Monitor progress on problem resolution and advise users on status.
• Set priorities and escalate problems not being solved.
• Ensure users receive services that were committed.
• Ensure users receive information on systems updates, errors and features.
• Train users on a large number and type of software applications on an ad-hoc basis.
• Learn about new technologies in advance of their introduction to the University community in order to effectively respond to help-desk inquiries.
• Plan, schedule, and monitor own work within short time horizons.
• Organize individual time, work and resources to accomplish objectives in the most effective and efficient way.
• Understand and use appropriate methods, tools, and applications to complete work tasks.
• Demonstrate a rational and organized approach to work and identify development opportunities.
• Absorb technical information when it is presented systematically and apply it effectively.
• Use measurement methods to monitor progress toward goal attainment, tenaciously working to meet or exceed those goals, while deriving satisfaction from the process of goal achievement and continuous improvement.
• Ensure that the internal and external customer perspective is a driving force behind decisions and activities.
• Follow service practices that meet customers’ and University needs.
• Interact with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the University.
• Work collaboratively with others to achieve departmental and institutional goals. Actively participate as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals.
• Perform a range of varied work activities in a variety of structured environments.
• Successfully engage in multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Apply and enforce department change control policies and procedures.

Supervision:

Provide direction to others in how to carry out work tasks.

Ensure adherence to quality standards and procedures for short-term staff and volunteers.

Requirements:

• 3 year Community College diploma in Computer Technology or related field of study.
• Requires 4 years of relevant experience.

Assets:

Applicants are expected to have experience in educational technology, ideally supporting undergraduate teaching and learning at a post-secondary institution.

 Applicants should have:

• Expertise in providing advice and recommendations to faculty and staff regarding effective practices with using learning management systems (D2L Brightspace), course outline management (Simple Syllabus), JIRA ticketing software, Office 365 and other teaching technologies
• An ability to translate education theories, learning technologies practice and information technology policies for a variety of audiences
• Knowledge of current and emerging learning technologies from a variety of perspectives (security, privacy, accessibility and diversity)
• Proven experience in dealing with a high volume of support requests with competing deadlines and priorities
• Experience in collaborating on the development of training materials and documentation to support the use of technologies for end users
• Skilled at identifying, analyzing and mitigating common user errors and knowledge gaps
• An ability to communicate benefits and drawbacks of general Artificial Intelligence in educational contexts