Department, Unit or Project Description:

The mission of the MacPherson Institute is to collaborate, enhance, support, and recognize teaching and learning experiences at McMaster. Specifically, the Institute partners with, supports, and connects diverse groups of educators by: 1) creating and delivering professional development that engages educators throughout their careers in teaching and learning in order to enhance the student learning experience; 2) facilitating curriculum development and revision that fosters continuous enhancement and engagement in learning; 3) supporting, conducting and recognizing teaching and learning scholarship that has the capacity to develop, inform, and enhance educational initiatives and student learning; and 4) encouraging and elevating the pedagogical use of educational technologies and creative solutions to enhance teaching and learning.

The successful candidate will join the course outline portal implementation team and will be responsible for responding to support tickets, developing online support and training resources as well as identifying opportunities and ways to improve service.

Job Summary:

Responsible for providing front-line phone, email, and in-person learning technologies support. Provides support for moderately complex technical issues and initiatives that use software to improve teaching and learning across the campus community.

Accountabilities:

• Provide learning technologies technical assistance to clients.
• Assist clients with course-level configuration settings, enrolment verification and student activity, content correction and access problems and errors.
• Evaluate, analyze, research and troubleshoot help and consultation requests that cannot be resolved by support staff.
• Confirm and investigate issues identified by the course request system and determine possible sources of failure.
• Test and implement new technologies, add-on systems and system updates.
• Conduct application testing for major system changes and updates on the development server.
• Liaise with University Technology Services (UTS) on behalf of users regarding problems related to MAC ID setup and activation issues.
• Decide whether to approve, modify or delete course requests for final processing while taking into account intellectual property rights and departmental hierarchy structures.
• Write reports and materials for submission to software vendors detailing the problem and steps to replicate.
• Create, update, evaluate, research, and modify quick help articles and videos based on evolving needs of the system.
• Use an on-line ticketing program to manage support requests and communications and to coordinate with other staff to resolve technical issues and requests. Log help desk activity via the in-house ticket system.
• Assign student assistants low-level tickets with required completion dates. Escalate complex tickets to appropriate support contact.
• Develop presentations and deliver information and training sessions to faculty, support staff and end-users.
• Conduct training, presentations and information sharing sessions related to the use of the supported learning technologies and their various tools.
• Customize training materials for specific workshop sessions. Update training materials to reflect changes in functionality and usage.
• Create eSupport resource articles and streaming video versions of workshops.
• Compose and update internal documentation such as processes, instructions, workflow and support issues.
• Develop and update programming code documentation.
• Create process documentation for technical solutions.
• Maintain regular community communications via system announcements, bulletins and instructor email messages.
• Gather and compile data on persistent performance issues and identify patterns that require review.
• Schedule student staff shifts and monitor attendance.
• Remain current with frequent changes to new learning and information technologies.
• Keep abreast of online communities of practice such as listservs and vendor related forums in order to assist in resolving technical problems.

Supervision:

Ensures adherence to quality standards and procedures for short-term staff. Occasionally provides orientation and shows procedures to others.

Requirements:

Education: 3 year Community College diploma in Computer Science or related field.

Experience: Requires 3 years of relevant experience.

Assets:

To apply for this job, please submit your application online.

McMaster University is located on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee and Mississauga Nations and within the lands protected by the “Dish With One Spoon” wampum agreement.

The diversity of our workforce is at the core of our innovation and creativity and strengthens our research and teaching excellence. In keeping with its Statement on Building an Inclusive Community with a Shared Purpose, McMaster University strives to embody the values of respect, collaboration and diversity, and has a strong commitment to employment equity.

The University seeks qualified candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion, who will contribute to the diversification of ideas and perspectives, and especially welcomes applications from indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit) peoples, members of racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, and persons who identify as 2SLGBTQ+.

As part of McMaster’s commitment, all applicants are invited to complete a confidential Applicant Diversity Survey through the online application submission process. The Survey questionnaire requests voluntary self-identification in relation to equity-seeking groups that have historically faced and continue to face barriers in employment. Please refer to the Applicant Diversity Survey - Statement of Collection for additional information.

Job applicants requiring accommodation to participate in the hiring process should contact:

• Human Resources Service Centre at 905-525-9140 ext. 222-HR (22247), or
• Faculty of Health Sciences HR Office at ext. 22207, or
• School of Graduate Studies at ext. 23679

to communicate accommodation needs.

The University is committed to providing and maintaining healthy and safe working and learning environments for all employees, students, volunteers and visitors. The University’s Vaccination Policy-COVID-19 Requirements for Employees and Students (the “Vaccination Policy”), requires all McMaster community members, including employees, accessing a McMaster campus or facility in person to be fully vaccinated or to have received an exemption from the University for a valid human rights ground. While the Policy will be currently paused, this Policy may resume quickly and on short notice, as informed by public health advice and direction. As a result, failure to achieve and maintain fully vaccinated status or an approved human rights-based exemption may result in termination of employment. This is a term and condition of employment. The University will continue to follow the guidance of public health organizations to define fully vaccinated status.