Instructional Technology Specialist

For questions regarding this position, please contact Carter Dorsett at carter.dorsett@montana.edu or 406-994-6812.

About the Role

The Instructional Technology Specialist serves as a campus expert and strategic partner in the effective use of MSU’s learning management system (LMS) and related instructional technologies. This position combines LMS administration, technical problem-solving, faculty consultation, instructional technology support, and training to help faculty, staff, and students create effective, accessible learning experiences.

The Instructional Technology Specialist is a member of the ECAT team within the Teaching and Learning Technologies group in Academic Technology and Outreach. The ECAT team provides enterprise administration and support for the University’s LMS, ensuring a reliable, accessible, and effective teaching and learning environment for faculty, staff, and students. This position serves as both a technical specialist and a consultative partner, working directly with instructors, campus departments, and other stakeholders to support the effective use of the LMS and related instructional technologies.

The ECAT team also supports the University’s use of the LMS for non-credit instruction, employee training, and other institutional learning initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct technical support and hands-on troubleshooting for users, including faculty, staff, and students, in the use of the campus learning management system.
• Escalate and monitor complex, system-level issues to vendor technical support.
• Work with users 1-on-1 to provide recommendations for course design and best practices in instruction conducted through the learning management system.
• Support administrative utilization of the learning management system through processing course merges, enrollment changes, and account creation.
• Monitor vendor-driven changes to the learning management system and integrated tools, analyze potential impact on system and users, create relevant documentation, and develop communication as necessary to ensure end-users understand impact.
• Escalate issues, document solutions, and share successes with colleagues within the LMS support team and in partnering administrative units when appropriate.
• Maintain accurate and useful how-to documentation and tutorials on using the learning management system and integrated tools.
• Support the use of external learning tools within the learning management system, including initial integration, documentation and resource development, training, and ongoing technical support.
• Pull and share relevant data from the learning management system when accessible.
• Administer, manage, and maintain the learning management system including structuring accounts and sub-accounts, user roles and permissions, feature options, authentication, and tool access.
• Monitor and audit incoming data from the campus student information system and process manual changes to enrollment as required.
• Provide consultation to administrative stakeholders on campus regarding the governance of the learning management system and the selection and integration of associated learning tools.
• Develop and deliver workshops and trainings for utilization of the learning management system. Partner with colleagues in the Center for Faculty Excellence and Academic Technology and Outreach when possible and beneficial.
• Collaborate and participate in discussions regarding technical issues, product procurement review, and policy setting with other campuses in the Montana State University system as necessary.
• Support the use of the learning management system to provide training and other non-credit programming.
• Train and support non-credit sub-account administrators on how to build and operate a staff, faculty, and/or student training program within the LMS.
• Administer MSU’s LMS course archive and fulfill requests for data retrieval.
• Support faculty with digital accessibility in LMS content and course materials.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in a technology field, education, or related field or an equivalent combination of relevant experience and education.
• Hands-on experience with learning management systems.
• Demonstrated experience providing support to a diverse population of users with varying levels of technical proficiency, including the ability to communicate complex information clearly and maintain professionalism in high-pressure or high-volume support situations.
• Demonstrated ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues, including skill in managing competing priorities and de-escalating conflict professionally.
• Experience consulting with instructors, faculty, staff, or other professional users to identify needs, recommend solutions, and support the effective use of instructional technologies.
• Experience communicating technical and instructional concepts clearly through individual consultations, presentations, workshops, training, or written documentation.
• Working knowledge of instructional design, pedagogy, online course development, and/or digital accessibility.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional work experience in systems administration, educational technology, and user support, preferably in a higher education setting.
• Experience working with Canvas LMS.
• Project management experience with LMS/educational system projects.
• Experience working with Student Information Systems such as Ellucian Banner.
• Experience developing and delivering professional development or training for faculty or staff.
• Experience with instructional design and pedagogy as applied to online/blended course development within an LMS.
• Experience supporting digital accessibility and applying accessibility best practices to online course materials.

The Successful Candidate Will

• Troubleshoot system issues from identification through resolution, developing clear documentation to support future issues.
• Ask probing questions, listen to a user’s needs, and translate that information into requirements and a strategy to solve problems.
• Collaborate and negotiate effectively with a wide variety of constituents, often with competing needs.
• Be forward-looking, able to anticipate system and technology needs and proactively address them.
• Embrace and adapt quickly to changes in priorities, processes, and work environment with a positive attitude.
• Be highly organized with great attention to detail and a high level of accuracy in work product.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with multiple offices, co-workers, and managers in a diverse, team-oriented environment; represent the department and the University in a positive, professional manner.
• Demonstrate excellent, professional verbal and written communication skills.
• Exercise initiative and independent judgment in solving complex problems and in interpreting and applying policies and procedures.
• Build productive working relationships with faculty, staff, and campus partners through professionalism, diplomacy, active listening, and a collaborative, consultative approach.

Benefits

This position is benefits eligible.

Pay

Salary range of $28.80 to $33.00 per hour, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications.

Schedule

Full-time (1.0 FTE), fiscal year contract.