Department of Physics and Astronomy positions available under the Student Work Placement Program (SWPP*)

*Only students with Canadian Citizen and Permanent Resident status are eligible for SWPP

Position title / number of openings: Graduate Academic Assistant (GAA) / 28 positions

Hiring UBC department/contact information:

UBC Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy / Contact: Shiho Mehrhoff headasst@phas.ubc.ca

Please apply via the following link: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0fEPmGI7zDfEgLP

Position description:

The onset of COVID-19 required rapid changes to the way we, UBC Science faculty, teach science and mathematics. We moved from face-to-face instruction to online teaching in March 2020, with the goal of providing uninterrupted opportunities for student learning and experience. We are now preparing for the fall term, which will be offered online and will require significant course revision. We have secured UBC-internal funding to undertake this project, which includes more than 240 courses and will impact thousands of students.

Faculty members across all nine UBC Science departments are implementing best practices to make these new online courses engaging and inclusive for students. With the support of the Science centre for learning and teaching and other campus units, faculty members in the Department of Physics and Astronomy will be developing, adapting or adopting resources including (but not limited to) assessments and assignments, worksheets and various learning activities using learning technology tools. The summer terms will be spent on course development and the fall term will be spent on course delivery.

Graduate student involvement in this project is key to our success. It is important that we develop student-centered courses that address student learning needs. The best way to accomplish this is to hire students who bring their lived experiences, practical ideas and skills to the project.

The specific duties and responsibilities of this graduate academic assistant (GAA) role are designed to support the needs of the faculty during the course development phase. The successful applicant can expect to do some/most of the tasks from the following list depending on the needs of specific faculty members.

● Collaborate with faculty members, science education specialists and graduate and undergraduate students to support course development - that will have synchronous and asynchronous components.

● May work on one or more of these courses: PHYS119, PHYS131, PHYS117, PHYS159, PHYS200, PHYS210, PHYS219, PHYS309, PHYS259, PHYS301, PHYS304, PHYS407, PHYS352, PHYS409, ASTR101, ASTR200, ASTR300, ASTR310

● Prepare drafts for exams and assessment tools such as worksheets, homework problems, assignments, question banks, quizzes, open ended questions, etc.

● Review course materials and provide feedback to faculty members when needed

● Support the development of activities for active learning, worked examples, cases/scenarios

● Support Canvas site design, and populate course Canvas site and other learning technologies

● Support the management of the course design

● Search resources that are readily available for educational purposes and that can be used in the course (e.g., YouTube videos, cases/scenarios, worked examples, etc.)

● Screen for FIPPA-compliant materials and copyrights

● Provide direction to undergraduate academic assistants working on the same course(s)

● May work on multiple courses at a given time

The position will expose the graduate student to all aspects of course design and delivery. Importantly, the student will have the opportunity to be part of a dynamic team, working closely with faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and have published in peer-reviewed journals, with science education specialists, with other graduate academic or teaching assistants, and with undergraduate students. There will also be ample opportunity for the student to work with learning technology support personnel in Skylight and/or the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology.

We have had the privilege to work with graduate students in the past on several teaching and learning improvement projects. The students developed invaluable knowledge and skills in communication and teamwork; project life cycles; course design principles; domains; and instructional design and material development. The skills and knowledge students gain through this position will be transferable to many careers, and may support their teaching assistantship.

Preferred experience/background/requirement:

● Highly motivated, independent, and detail-oriented graduate student for a 2–month work term to support course design and potentially delivery in online settings

● Knowledge in physics or astronomy is an asset

● Experience with course material development, ranging from developing assessments to generating videos

● Experience with learning technologies such as Canvas, Zoom, Gradescope, Crowdmark, Proctorio, and Piazza; experience with Kaltura and other learning technologies is an asset

● Ability to manage competing priorities and work under pressure

● Strong communication, teamwork, and collaboration skills

● Familiarity with active learning practices; experience with these practices is an asset

● Previous hands-on experience with teaching and learning improvement projects is an asset

● Experience with active learning is an asset

● Prior experience as a teaching assistant is an asset

Estimated number of hours per week / Is the position remote? 12h/week until the end of August 2020 / Yes, the position is remote.

Approximate start and end date: As early as possible until the end of August 2020, possible extensions until Dec 2020.

Total hourly wage (including SWPP subsidy): $35.11 (including 4% benefits