Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow

Title	Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow
School	Central Administration
Department/Area	Office of the President and Provost
Position Description	The Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow will research online learning through the edX platform to advance Harvard University’s core mission of teaching and learning. The Fellow will report jointly to the Director of the Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching (HILT) and a faculty mentor selected according to the incumbent’s academic training and at the discretion of the Chair of the HarvardX Research Committee. This position is intended for a dedicated scholar with exceptional research skills, a relevant background in behavioral science, social science, or education, and an interest in advancing higher education through evidence-based, innovative methods of online learning. The position’s competitive salary and unique opportunities for independent, high-impact research are intended to attract unusually talented candidates, including those interested in tenure-track faculty positions. The responsibilities of the incumbent fall under three main domains: original research into foundational issues of online instruction, synthesis and application of extant research to HarvardX courses and instruction, and the design, implementation, and analysis of assessments in HarvardX courses. An ideal candidate may have particular strengths and prior experience in one domain but should possess the skills to excel in all three. Original research. The Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow will design and conduct research into online learning to address general questions of scholarly and practical interest. This research must be methodologically rigorous, conducted in active collaboration with other researchers and faculty, and focused primarily on informing methods of online teaching and learning in higher education. The Fellow will have the opportunity to mine large datasets collected through the edX platform, test research hypotheses through the design of experiments and interventions, and shape the edX research infrastructure. Synthesis and application of extant research. The Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow will thoroughly and critically review evidence from relevant scientific literature to provide general pedagogical recommendations for online learning, as well as evidence-based advice specific to particular HarvardX courses based on their academic discipline, structure, and intended outcomes. The Fellow will be expected to locate, evaluate, and interpret evidence from academic disciplines relevant to online learning, including cognitive and educational psychology, psychometrics, instructional technology, human-computer interactions, economics, social psychology, and other fields of social, behavioral, and educational science. Assessment design, implementation, and analysis. The Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow will help faculty and administrators construct and implement valid assessments of intended educational outcomes for HarvardX courses, including measures of learning, retention, transfer, skill, interest, and attitude. Furthermore, the Fellow will analyze these assessment data, use them to make practical recommendations for improving online pedagogy, and clearly present these results and recommendations to members of the Harvard community. As appropriate, insights gained through the above activities will be disseminated through a mix of publishable academic manuscripts, internal reports, in-person presentations, posters, and conference proceedings.
Basic Qualifications	Candidates should have a Ph.D. or Ed.D. at the time of application or by the end of the current academic year. The degree should be in a relevant behavioral/social science, including but not limited to psychology, cognitive science, economics, statistics, and education. Candidates should have demonstrated expertise in behavioral/social science research methodology (including statistics and data analysis), a record demonstrating the ability to publish in scholarly journals, and teaching experience in higher education. Applicant must possess strong writing, presentation, interpersonal, and technical skills (particularly using data processing and statistical software like R, Matlab, or Stata), and be willing to work as part of a collaborative, diverse research team.
Additional Qualifications	Preference for candidates with experience working with large datasets.
Special Instructions	Appointment is yearly, renewable for up to three years. Salary is $75,000 per year. Position is available for immediate appointment, but spring, summer or fall 2013 start dates possible.
Contact Information	Julie-Ann Roberts
Contact Email	Julie_Roberts@Harvard.edu

Supplemental Questions

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Applicant Documents

Required Documents

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Cover Letter

Optional Documents

1. Publication 2
2. Publication 3
3. URL
4. Image
5. Transcript
6. Writing Sample

https://academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/4673