Job Title: UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION & INSTRUCTIONAL RESEARCHER - Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA

Deadline Date: July 15, 2009

Starting Date: Negotiable

Institution: Penn State’s Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence has an opening for an educational researcher. This is a full-time academic appointment (non-tenure track), not a technical position. The successful candidate will be committed to student success and teaching enhancement. Title, rank, and salary commensurate with experience.

For more information about the Institute, please visit our Web site.

Job Duties:
Responsibilities:
* Work with other researchers, faculty, and administrators on research projects that support and promote learning, teaching, and student success.

* Collaborate with a committee focused on research on undergraduate education to develop a coherent and prioritized research agenda that informs and improves decision-making within the Office of Undergraduate Education and the university.

* Design and develop research studies in support of Undergraduate Education and Schreyer Institute strategic priorities.

* Collaborate with faculty on SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) projects and foundational studies that are aligned with Undergraduate Education and Institute priorities.

Activities and Expectations:
* Interact and consult regularly with faculty, administrators, and staff at all Penn State locations to cultivate and support internally and externally funded SoTL, assessment, and undergraduate research projects. Evaluate, design and develop various research methodologies, surveys, and instruments to improve models of student success.

* Use SQL to access Penn State data and write routines to combine and reshape data from various sources.

* Use statistical software to write procedures for statistical analysis and modeling that will provide useful data, facilitate interpretation, and guide decision-making.

* Prepare and deliver executive summaries, reports, and presentations on research analyses and results.

* Actively participate in Institute strategic planning, meetings, and decision-making activities.

Qualifications:
Preferred Experience and Skills:
Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively with diverse constituencies including faculty, administrators, and staff.

Ability to translate a general query into a research question, including clarification of requestor assumptions and identification of relevant variables.

Expertise in research designs, methods, statistical programming, applied statistical analysis, including probability theory and statistical reasoning.

Ability to solve data analysis problems independently, yet work effectively with multi-disciplinary teams to identify and prioritize research projects.

Ability to effectively present and communicate statistical data and conclusions to a variety of audiences.

Experience extracting relevant data from large and/or complex databases.

Professional Qualifications:
Master’s degree required, Ph.D. preferred.

Salary/Benefits:

To Apply: Applications should include a Cover Letter and Curriculum Vita or Resume. Screening will begin July 15, 2009 and will continue until the position is filled. Please send materials via e-mail or:

Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence
The Pennsylvania State University
Attn: Instructional Researcher Search
301 Rider Building
University Park, PA 16802

EEO/AA: Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity and the diversity of its workforce.