Academic Tech. Director - Simmons (HR Title: Academic Technology Director III)

Company: Southern Methodist University
Location: Dallas
Posted on: April 25, 2025

Job Description:

Description

Salary Range:

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

About SMU

SMU's more than 12,000 diverse, high-achieving students come from all 50 states and over 80 countries to take advantage of the University's small classes, meaningful research opportunities, leadership development, community service, international study and innovative programs.

SMU serves approximately 7,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students through eight degree-granting schools: Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, Cox School of Business, Lyle School of Engineering, Meadows School of the Arts, Simmons School of Education and Human Development, Dedman School of Law, Perkins School of Theology and Moody School of Graduate and Advanced Studies.

SMU is data driven, and its powerful supercomputing ecosystem - paired with entrepreneurial drive - creates an unrivaled environment for the University to deliver research excellence.

Now in its second century of achievement, SMU is recognized for the ways it supports students, faculty and alumni as they become ethical, enterprising leaders in their professions and communities. SMU's relationship with Dallas - the dynamic center of one of the nation's fastest-growing regions - offers unique learning, research, social and career opportunities that provide a launch pad for global impact.

SMU is nonsectarian in its teaching and committed to academic freedom and open inquiry.

About the Position:

This role is an on-campus, in-person position.

Assigned to SMU Simmons School of Education & Human Development, the Academic Technology Service Director (ATSD) directly designs, delivers, and continually advances technology solutions and strategies required to support the instruction, research, scholarly output, and online programs of the school as defined by SMU and the Simmons community of students, faculty, and dean. This position serves as the primary faculty contact and project manager for supporting and coordinating academic technology initiatives and needs. SMU seeks a self-motivated, team-oriented, creative, and analytical thinker with strong communication skills to leverage SMU's technology portfolio of services to meet Simmons' short and long-term needs. The role is responsible for curating and leading Simmons' instructional and research service efforts through implementation and provides direct faculty support and technology service for the Simmons community.

Essential Functions:

• Maintain on-going strategic-planning awareness and documentation for Simmons School. Partners with high-level Simmons Dean/Associate Deans and Faculty Technology Council faculty representative to identify and prioritize school's short/long-term academic technology needs and priorities. Compiles and delivers regular updates and "progress reports" on state of Simmons' academic technology.
  
• Serve as technology change agent to Simmons. Assists Simmons' academic community in managing technology changes relating to hardware and software solutions, cloud services, classroom technologies, audio/video standards, and learning management systems by leading regular communications, workshops, and one-on-one consultation appointments to academic unit faculty members, departments and leadership.
  
• Keeps abreast of the health and stability of operational IT desktop support and classroom technology service issues impacting the school, facilitates OIT communications and projects, and leads business and service-level improvements as necessary. Identifies opportunities to improve and align more efficient operations, support times and collaborations between OIT and academic unit.
  
• Influences academic unit's faculty members, students, departments and leadership as required. Provides tech. leadership and resourcefulness in identifying and integrating innovative technology solutions that meet unit-specific pedagogical, research and program needs. Provides consultation to faculty members and students to support technology usage that advances learning and research outcomes.
  
• As appropriate, manages unique Simmons technology solutions team of student employees (STARS), dedicated to providing technology solutions for the facilitation of academic tech activities in Simmons (primarily through consultation and direct assistance with digital initiatives for faculty). Deploys/assigns Simmons student team members toward faculty member or student technology projects throughout Simmons.
  
• Provides primary "front line" and "first contact" support to Simmons faculty for using the SMU learning management system (Canvas) and other instructional technologies. Helps promote learning management system adoption and instructional design services relevant to Simmons faculty and Simmons curriculum. Consults with faculty to determine pedagogical needs, identifies appropriate technologies, develops requirements, and plans and assesses implementation.
  
• Establishes and nurtures productive lines of communication between the Academic Technology Team, the Office of Information Technology (OIT) departments, SMU Libraries, SMU Center for Teaching Excellence, Online Production Services, as well as other, campus communities. Serves on campus-level initiatives and projects.
  
• Serves the entire University community as part of OIT's Academic Technology Services team. Assists Academic Technology team members by being a cross-functional shared resource that can partner with, or backup other academic team members as required. Reinforces and utilizes shared service capabilities available across SMU's colleges and schools, arranging for access and collaboration when sharing is necessary or possible. Collaborates and leads projects for Academic Technology Services team as assigned by Associate CIO.
  
• Learns new applications, technologies, and skills through hands-on experimentation and direct application and provides mentoring, training, coaching, and assistance to faculty members and students within the academic unit. Enhance professional knowledge/skills by attending seminars, workshops, and reviewing published literature in addition to establishing collaborative relationships with other higher education institutions.
  
• Responds to & communicates classroom technology issues of Simmons faculty in various buildings on campus. In more intricate situations, this position will spend time verifying technology failures to communicate to other OIT areas and vendors on how an issue needs to be corrected. Responsible for learning various Simmons classroom technologies when updated and for communicating to end-users about training & best practice for successful teaching.
  Qualifications
  
  Education and Experience:
  
  Master's degree is required. A degree in technical instructional design, research support and/or data sciences is preferred.
  
  A minimum of three (3) years of experience is required.
  
  Candidate with advanced experience leading technology practices or conducting computational research related to education in Higher Ed is preferred. Familiarity with current and emerging trends in online/tech solutions relevant to education and online instruction needs, on-line education, and educational technology is preferred. Experience leading and consulting on technology projects is required.
  
  Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
  
  A candidate with a strong technical background is required. Candidate with road knowledge of technologies utilized across learning environments such as, Microsoft Office, Google Apps., Adobe Creative Suite, Apple solutions, Canvas, Qualtrics, Poll Everywhere, and comfort with online quality and accessibility standards is essential. Candidate with current knowledge of trends relating to new educational technology products, online education, teaching/research applications and platforms as potential academic solutions is preferred. Candidate with experience supporting faculty throughout an end-to-end online course production process is preferred.
  
  Candidates must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies. Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills.
  
  Candidates must possess strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions. Must also have strong organizational, planning and time management skills.
  
  Physical and Environmental Demands:
  • Sit for long periods of time Deadline to Apply:
    
    Priority consideration may be given to those submissions received by March 7, 2025.
    
    Open until filled.
    
    EEO Statement:
    
    SMU will not discriminate in any program or activity on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. The Executive Director for Access and Equity/Title IX Coordinator is designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies and may be reached at the Perkins Administration Building, Room 204, 6425 Boaz Lane, Dallas, TX 75205, 214-768-3601, accessequity@smu.edu.
    
    Benefits:
    
    SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefits. In addition to traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, SMU offers a wide range of wellness programs to help attract, support, and retain our employees whose work continues to make SMU an outstanding education and research institution.
    
    SMU is committed to providing an array of retirement programs that benefit and protect you and your family throughout your working years at SMU and, if you meet SMU's retirement eligibility criteria, during your retirement years after you leave SMU.
    
    The value of learning at SMU isn't just about preparing our students for the future. Employees have access to a wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities, including tuition benefits.PandoLogic. Keywords: Director of Diversity Affairs, Location: Dallas, TX - 75201 , PL: 597424841

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