Assistant Director, Innovations in Testing and Learning

Location: Evanston, Illinois
Department: Office of the Provost
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Expected salary: The expected salary for this position is between $68,000-$72,000 per year, in alignment with departmental equity and market data.

The Office of Undergraduate Education invites applications for the position of Assistant Director in the Office of Academic Support and Learning Advancement (ASLA) to establish a new flexible testing and learning space on the Evanston campus. As alternative testing arrangements grow, and AI brings changes to teaching and learning, the University is exploring ways to broaden testing infrastructure while also supporting innovative approaches to assessment and study.

Co-located with ASLA on south campus, this new space aims to serve this range of needs. This position will work under the Director of ASLA to design and implement day-to-day operation of this incubator space while helping to build the future of assessment and learning at Northwestern in close coordination with faculty, the Office of Testing Services, and the Office of Undergraduate Education.

This role is part of a larger initiative to expand capacity for testing at Northwestern while creating new opportunities to advance student learning in the age of AI. As such, the role entails the development and administration of a proctored testing site, coordination of religious accommodations, and assessment of future testing infrastructure possibilities at Northwestern, Additionally, the Assistant Director will work closely with the Director of ASLA and the Office of Undergraduate Education to partner with faculty and students on developing, managing, and assessing focused uses of the space.

Such partnerships might include innovative computer-based testing trials, practice exams followed by workshops with undergraduate peer mentors, tech-free group study sessions, and more.

The Assistant Director of Innovations in Testing and Learning will be responsible for building operations for this new site from the ground up while supporting the development of new approaches to assessment and learning at Northwestern.

• Develop, implement, and manage procedures for scheduling, administering, and tracking accommodated and alternative exams not currently covered by existing Northwestern Testing Services, but that may eventually integrate with existing procedures for disability-related accommodations currently managed by Testing Services.
• Establish and maintain exam security protocols, testing procedures, and operational standards, again maintaining consistency with current Testing Services procedures.
• Oversee communication with faculty, students, academic departments, and campus partners regarding testing operations.
• Monitor and evaluate performance, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement.

• Recruit, hire, train, schedule, and supervise a team of proctors, which will be primarily comprised of undergraduate students.
• Develop training programs and operational manuals to ensure consistent, high-quality testing administration.
• Create staffing plans to address fluctuations in testing volume throughout the academic year.

• Collaborate with faculty interested in piloting innovative assessment approaches and models for study and exam preparation.
• Establish, implement, and maintain security protocols and operational standards for newly designed assessments.
• Coordinate and publicize programming that encourages studying in community with other students within the new space.

• Coordinate development of naming, marketing strategy, and assessment of the new space, including market…