Research Support Opportunity
The Simon Fraser University Institute for the Study of Teaching and Learning in the Disciplines (ISTLD) invites applications for a Research Support appointment for the Student Learning Experience Grant project Developing, Implementing, and Assessing Discipline-Specific Canvas-Based 'Academic Success Kits', for Undergraduate Students 'Just-in-Time' Academic Success Skills and Study Strategies, to begin January 15, 2022 or earlier. The appointment will be concluded by April 2022.

This project, now in its final phase, is to develop, implement, and assess a Canvas-based ‘course’, Academic Success Kits 1.0 (A.S.K.s). A.S.K.s are the Student Learning Commons’ 31 most popular study and writing strategies and resources, essentialized down to bite-sized portions combining text, video, and audio, which undergraduate students can easily access in a self-enrollable Canvas ‘course’ environment. This phase of the project will integrate various media into the already created course content and investigate the effects and outcomes of media integration into the course, and assess student learning, motivation, and experiences. The current Canvas ‘course’ can be viewed by self-enrollment here: https://canvas.sfu.ca/enroll/L6RGEC

Research assistant responsibilities include:
• Working collaboratively with team lead to conceptualize and develop media (e.g., video, audio, and graphics) that exemplify the concepts and study strategies in the A.S.K.s;
• Using feedback to enhance student user experience using the A.S.K.s;
• Following a checklist of Universal Design for Learning and Accessibility principles, as applied to higher education content, and implementing in the media components for the A.S.K.s;
• Instrument design such as creating surveys, rubrics, interview protocols, self-reflection tools to solicit student feedback and input;
• Data collection such as recruiting participants, conducting surveys, conducting focus group interviews, etc. as appropriate to evaluate and assess effective media use and user experience;
• Quantitative data analysis (data cleaning, appropriate (statistical) analyses, drawing conclusions, data visualization), and summarizing qualitative data, such as transcribing and conducting thematic analysis on survey and interview data; and
• Attending regular meetings with the project lead in-person or remotely via Zoom or MS Teams.

Required qualifications and skills:
• Demonstrated working experience with design and interface principles;
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience working with others to conceptualize and develop media solutions for learning;
• Strong working knowledge of the CANVAS LMS environment;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including strong oral and written communication skill;
• Excellent demonstrated experience and knowledge of media creation and editing software, such as Adobe Suite, Audacity, Lightworks, GIMP, etc.
• Experience with quantitative data analysis, summarizing, and using feedback to inform design;
• Currently enrolled as a student at Simon Fraser University; and
• Ability to work independently, productively, and creatively.

Experience and skills that would be an asset:
• Awareness of Universal Design for Learning (USL) and Accessibility principles, as applied to higher education content.
• Experience with HTML5

Rate of pay: $24 - $27/hr (incl. vacation and statutory holiday pay, no medical or dental benefits) - based on experience and qualifications. Maximum 150 hours.

To apply: Applicants should submit a 1-page cover letter structured to address the qualifications, skills, and role responsibilities as listed above, a 1-2 page resume or portfolio, including relevant examples of previous projects. These items should be organized as one PDF attachment and addressed to Cynthia Wright, and emailed to cawright@sfu.ca with “ASK application” as the subject.

Application deadline: Deadline extended until January 19, 2022. We appreciate all replies to this position posting, however, we will only contact short-listed applicants.