Instructional Technology Specialist

Job Description

Reporting to the Senior Director of Academic and Instructional Technologies (Senior Director), the Specialist for Instructional Technologies provides hands‑on, operational support for learning management systems (currently Canvas and LXP), integrated instructional and AI‑enhanced academic technologies, and related platforms, products, and services.

Working under the guidance and direction of the Senior Director, the Specialist provides direct support for the portfolio of applications supporting academic programs, professional education, and business units that leverage similar services for outreach and education to the HGSE community and its constituents.

The role requires technical and analytical skills to support routine integration efforts, troubleshooting, incident resolution, and basic coding and configuration tasks to address customization, branding, accessibility, and visual identity requirements of HGSE. More advanced technical work is performed under the supervision of the Senior Director or a designated project lead.

The position is additionally responsible for providing standardized training to faculty and their support staff, including Digital Accessibility, the use of instructional and AI‑supported academic tools, both in group settings and through one‑on‑one appointments. All trainings, training materials, and user documentation must be designed and delivered in accordance with Harvard’s digital accessibility standards.

• Provides day‑to‑day operational support for instructional technology and AI‑enhanced services to the HGSE community.
• Ensures that instructional technology outputs (including course sites, documents, media, assessments, and other artifacts) and associated workflows meet Harvard’s digital accessibility standards.
• Responds to requests and assists with Canvas and other learning management system users to determine requirements for course websites and assists with:
  • selection and basic configuration of appropriate instructional and AI assisted tools,
  • site design and organization, and
  • design and formatting of course materials (e.g., documents, multimedia, assessment instruments), ensuring compliance with Harvard’s digital accessibility standards and WCAG 2.1 AA.
• Serves as a subject matter resource on Harvard learning management systems, integrated instructional tools, and related AI‑supported features and services.
• Delivers standardized training to the HGSE community, including faculty, teaching fellows, faculty assistants, PPE program administrators, and similar end users through regular training programs and consultations, including:
  • introductory and intermediate use of the LMS and integrated tools/LTIs,
  • basic use of approved AI‑supported academic tools (e.g., AI assisted content creation, quizzes, feedback or analytics tools) within institutional guidelines,
  • appropriate, ethical, and accessible use of AI in teaching and learning, following school and university policies,
  • effective practices for creating and maintaining accessible digital course content and activities that meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
• Ensures that all training sessions (in person and online), training materials, recordings, and handouts are accessible and conform to Harvard’s digital accessibility standards.
• Assists in installing, configuring and maintaining approved instructional and AI‑supported tools and plug‑ins/LTIs within the LMS and related systems, following established procedures and under the direction of the Senior Director, with attention to accessibility features where applicable.
• Partners with operations and infrastructure teams to share current experiences and contribute input to their strategic direction and future investments; escalates complex design or strategic decisions to Senior Director.
• Understands and executes escalation protocols for service issues that cannot be resolved by the service operations team. Communicates issues to HUIT, HGSE Service Owners, and others for resolution.
• Assists the HGSE service center team in categorizing and triaging instructional technology and AI‑related tickets and requests.
• Col…