Research Assistant Opportunity - Research Assistant for the Teaching and Learning Development Grant project, Building a Learning Community with Motivational Learning Activities, SFU Institute for the Study of Teaching and Learning in the Disciplines, Burnaby, BC

The Simon Fraser University Institute for the Study of Teaching and Learning in the Disciplines invites applications for a Research Assistant for the Teaching and Learning Development Grant project, Building a Learning Community with Motivational Learning Activities, to begin May 10, 2021 or earlier.

During the last few months of remote teaching, I have experienced various issues such as sustaining student learning motivation, low discussion participation rate, heavy workload, etc. Upon reflection, students did not seem to be integrating well in the online learning environment and this appears to have affected their learning. For this project, I want to conduct an action research project to investigate ways to build a stronger bond in an online learning community that will ultimately enhance their remote learning experience.

Research assistant responsibilities include:

• Undertaking literature reviews pertinent to the project;
• Assisting in survey and interview question design;
• Conducting recorded individual semi-structured interviews with participants;
• Transcribing and cleaning interview data;
• Assisting in data analysis and write up; and
• Attending regular meetings with the project lead in a virtual meeting environment, (e.g., Zoom).

Required qualifications, skills, and experience:

• Currently enrolled as a student at SFU;
• Experience conducting literature reviews;
• Experience in research instrument design such as creating surveys, interview protocols, and interview questions;
• Experience coordinating, conducting, recording and transcribing interviews;
• Expertise with analyzing and summarizing data;

• Strong interest in motivational instruction in a higher education setting;
• Time to commit to the project (5 to 10 hours per week);
• Excellent interpersonal skills, including strong oral and written communication skills;
• Experience in academic writing as demonstrated in assessments or previous projects; and
• Completion of at least one linguistics course.

Additional experience or skills that would be considered an asset:

• Conducted / participated in research project(s)
• Wrote / published research papers
• Knowledge in quantitative and qualitative research
• Strong desire to learn more about educational research

Rate of pay: $22-$26/hr (including vacation and statutory holiday pay, no medical or dental benefits) based on experience. 

Duration and time commitment: May to August 2021 to Up to 80 hours, with the possibility of additional hours.

To apply: Applicants should submit: including (1) a 1-page cover letter highlighting qualifications, skills, role responsibilities, and previous applicable experience as listed above, (2) a 1-2 page resume. These two items should be organized as one PDF attachment and addressed to Dr. Claudia Wong, and emailed to weiwahw@sfu.ca, with the subject header: TLDG RA Position.

Note: References will only be requested from short-listed applicants.

Application deadline: Monday, April 26, 2021, 4:00 PM. We appreciate all replies to this posting; however, we will only contact short-listed applicants.

Please direct all queries about this posting to: Dr. Claudia Wong (weiwahw@sfu.ca)