Senior Academic Developer (N000473) (Re-Advertisement) at North West University

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION

To coordinate the Induction programme for newly appointed academics at the North-West University and lead the Mafikeng Campus team on activities within the Directorate for the Disciplinary Literacies Programme Team, and CHE Institutional Audit Team. This position is also linked to becoming the CTL Lead in the Faculty of Humanities. As a Lead, all teaching and learning developments from CTL are represented by this person. The Candidate will also need to show leadership in research in the field of higher education and teaching by engage in scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL) within the directorate. They also need to advice and offer academic support for academic professional development of academics as teachers to enable quality and innovative teaching to improve retention and student success.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Induction & CPD:

• Facilitate APD opportunities tailored for academic community in advancing disciplinary literacy.
• Conduct Induction Programmes with specific themes on Disciplinary Literacy practice.
• Facilitate curriculum conversations with academics to support acquisition of disciplinary literacies.

Disciplinary Literacies (DL):

• Coordinate Disciplinary Literacy programme across directorate.
• Advance Disciplinary Literacy at NWU through curriculum conversations, induction for new lectures and community professional development opportunities. 
• Collaborate with faculty to develop discipline specific reading tools for reading competency development. 
• Support academics and students on:

• Navigating online resources.

• Use of digital tools for scholarly practice.

Faculty Lead:

• Attend Teaching and Learning Committee meeting with the faculty of Humanities. 
• Submit Leads reports of teaching, learning and assessment key functional areas to CTL. 
• Attend FTLS and CTL faculty leads and directors meeting.
• Attend to all e-request by faculty of humanities. 
• Support in the development of teaching and learning integrated plans and support requests from faculty. 
• Lead faculty consultation meetings on DL including signature pedagogies, digital literacy and multilingualism.

Internal Academic Programme Evaluation Processes Coordination:

• Faculty panel in IPE’s
• Analyse outcomes of the IPE’s.
• Attend the meetings involved IPE’s.
• Give input during the whole IPE processes.

Minimum requirements

• An Honours degree/ PGDip in Academic Development, Education, or related field (NQF level 8).
• A minimum of five (5) years’ work experience as a specialist in a relevant field of Teaching, Learning and Research in a higher education institution.

ADDED ADVANTAGE:

• A Master’s/PhD degree (NQF level 9/10) in Education.
• Professional registration with SACE.
• Membership with HELTASA and/or SAERA.
• A minimum of three (3) years’ teaching experience as a specialist in a relevant field of Teaching, Learning and Research in a higher education institution.

KEY FUNCTIONAL/ TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES:

• The ability to plan, deliver, and evaluate professional development sessions for teachers focused on disciplinary literacy strategies and techniques.
• Proficiency in evidence-based literacy instruction practices, including strategies for reading comprehension, writing, vocabulary development, and critical thinking across different subject areas.
• The ability to design and adapt curriculum materials that integrate literacy instruction seamlessly into the content areas. This involves aligning instructional materials with academic standards.
• Research Skills: The capability to stay current with research on disciplinary literacy and best practices in literacy instruction, and to apply this research to curriculum development and instruction.
• Research Skills: The capability to stay current with research on disciplinary literacy and best practices in literacy instruction, and to apply this research to curriculum development and instruction.
• Data Management: Competency in organizing and managing data related to student literacy progress, program effectiveness, and resource utilization.

KEY BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES:

• Leadership qualities such as vision, motivation, and the ability to inspire and guide others are essential.
• Collaboration skills to build positive working relationships.
• Awareness and sensitivity to the cultural backgrounds and experiences of students and lecturers.
• Openness to feedback from lecturers, colleagues and others and willingness to reflect on their practices.