OVPIUE Research Assistant Application

The Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education (OVPIUE) invites applications for the position of Research Assistant with primary research interests in curriculum development, educational development, and/or higher education policy. The OVPIUE supports institutional initiatives that enhance the educational experience of students in the University’s seven direct-entry undergraduate academic divisions. The OVPIUE administers, advises, or partners on critical institutional teaching and learning programs and services including, but not limited to: 

• The Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation 
• All institutional teaching awards and grants. 
• Enterprise-level educational technology systems, platforms, and projects (Learning Management System, learning analytics, student academic success analytics). 
• Institutional experiential learning and undergraduate research initiatives. 
• Engagement with external organizations on teaching and learning-related matters  

The OVPIUE is one in a range of Vice-Provostial offices that support the Vice-President & Provost oversee the academic activities of the Tri-Campus academic divisions. 

This position will provide research support for a project investigating the ways in which academic units at the University of Toronto undertake curriculum development initiatives.  The primary objective of the project is for the OVPIUE to better understand how departments engage in curriculum development, and compile and assess different models/approaches to curriculum development across the university. The intended impact of the project is to provide more relevant guidance to and develop more relevant resources for academic units undertaking curriculum development. 

Reporting to the Curriculum Development Specialist, OVPIUE, the candidate will engage with the research through project management and activities including but not limited to: questionnaire design, data collection and analysis, and writing reports. The research assistant will be responsible for conducting interviews and/or focus groups with faculty in leadership positions in academic units who have recently (within 3 years) engaged in curriculum development / academic program change initiatives; leadership positions may include Department Chairs, Associate Chairs (graduate or undergraduate), Program Directors, and similar. The research assistant will then be responsible for coding and analyzing the data, and producing a final report for the Office of the Vice-Provost, Innovations in Undergraduate Education. 

Qualifications: 

The successful candidate will be pursuing a Ph.D. in a relevant field (e.g. higher education, curriculum studies, etc.) with experience with qualitative research, with demonstrated evidence of experience developing interview and/or focus group protocols and subsequent coding and analysis. 

Key Responsibilities: 

• Collaborate with the Curriculum Development Specialist in the OVPIUE to develop research questions and a project plan 
• Develop semi-structured questionnaire and interview guide 
• Conduct interviews and/or focus groups with faculty 
• Conduct data analysis  
• Report findings in a clear manner 

Applications should include a cover letter which describes the applicant’s role in a recent qualitative research project, a curriculum vitae which highlights relevant course and research experience, and two references with names, positions, and contact email addresses. Any questions regarding this position should be directed to Jessie Richards at jessie.richards@utoronto.ca. 

Closing Date: May 21st, 2021, 11:59PM ET 

Schedule: Project period will span from early June to September, and will require approximately 10 hours of work per week  

Pay: $30/hr.