Graduate Research Assistant - Online Learning Innovation and User Experience

Job Posting

Title:

Graduate Research Assistant - Online Learning Innovation and User Experience

Hiring Department:
School of Nursing

Position Open To:
All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled

Hours:

20

FLSA Status:
Exempt from FLSA

Earliest

Start Date:

Immediately

Position Duration:
Expected to Continue Until Aug 31, 2027

Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

The School of Nursing seeks a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) to support the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative online course materials. The GRA will collaborate with faculty, instructional designers, and technology staff to improve the usability, accessibility, visual consistency, and learner experience of online courses. The ideal candidate will combine an interest in education and technology with strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

This position offers experience in instructional innovation, user-centered design, educational technology, and the evaluation of online learning approaches. This is a 20-hour-per-week graduate research assistantship for Spring and Summer 2027. The position will be supervised by Jacki Hecht, MSN. Appointment and compensation will follow university policies and are contingent upon eligibility, satisfactory academic progress, and extended appointment contingent on availability of funding.

• Collaborate with faculty to translate course content and learning objectives into effective online learning experiences.
• Review online courses and recommend improvements to navigation, organization, visual presentation, and overall user experience.
• Build and revise course pages, modules, assignments, assessments, discussion activities, and multimedia resources within the learning management system.
• Apply consistent design standards across courses to make materials intuitive, engaging, and easy to use.
• Incorporate active-learning strategies, simulations, case studies, interactive exercises, and other technology-enhanced learning approaches.
• Assist with evaluating the usability, accessibility, effectiveness, and student outcomes associated with redesigned course materials.
• Ensure that course materials follow accessibility standards, copyright requirements, university policies, and best practices for inclusive online education.
• Create templates, guides, and other resources that faculty can use to develop and maintain online course content.
• Document design decisions, implementation processes, evaluation findings, and recommendations for continued improvement.
• Contribute to presentations, reports, manuscripts, conference abstracts, and other scholarly products arising from the project.

• Develop and produce the center’s quarterly electronic newsletters in collaboration with center leadership and faculty.
• Identify and organize content related to center activities, research accomplishments, faculty and student highlights, upcoming events, funding opportunities, and community partnerships.
• Draft, edit, proofread, and format newsletter content for accuracy, clarity, consistency, and audience engagement.
• Create visually engaging newsletter layouts that are consistent with university and center branding.
• Maintain an editorial calendar and production schedule to support the timely distribution of newsletters and announcements.
• Manage newsletter distribution lists and assist with electronic distribution.
• Monitor newsletter engagement metrics, such as open rates and link activity, and recommend strategies to improve audience reach and engagement.
• Ensure that newsletters meet applicable accessibility, privacy, branding, and copyright requirements.

• Maintain and regularly update…