Learning Resource Curator & Research Specialist

Western Governors University • Full-time • Hybrid in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States • $49,800 - $74,600 / year • 1w ago

Fast Facts

WGU is seeking a passionate Learning Resource Curator & Research Specialist to curate and maintain high-quality educational resources for its online programs, ensuring accessibility and relevance to enhance student learning experiences.

Responsibilities: The specialist will collaborate with school partners to curate learning resources, maintain an asset tracker, evaluate resource suitability, and streamline course development processes to ensure timely and effective content incorporation.

Skills: Strong organizational skills, knowledge of Open Educational Resources, familiarity with accessibility standards, excellent communication, and collaboration abilities, along with project management and instructional design experience.

Qualifications: A Bachelor's Degree with 2 years of relevant experience in fields related to technology, health, education, or business; online education experience preferred.

Location: Salt Lake City, United States of America

Compensation: $49800 - $74600 / Annually

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Professional 304Pay Range: $49,800.00 - $74,600.00

Job Description

Summary

The Learning Resource Curator will play a pivotal role in curating and maintaining learning resources (LRs) for our educational programs in collaboration with the assigned school and Lead Program Development Owners (PDO). Primary responsibility will be to ensure the availability of high-quality, relevant, and accessible resources that support our students' learning experiences. This role involves maintaining an organized system for tracking learning resources, determining the balance between curated and custom-created content, and facilitating smooth transitions from program design to development.

Job Duties

Collaborates with Schools and Lead PDOs to curate a comprehensive collection of learning resources aligned with program objectives and student needs.
Establishes and maintains a centralized asset tracker to monitor the learning resource lifecycle from proposal through execution, ensuring timely updates and accessibility.
Evaluates the suitability of existing resources versus the need for custom-created content, considering factors such as learning experience, affordability, reading level, integrability, and accessibility.
Provides the design organization with a curated list of vetted resources, enabling designers to make informed choices and streamline course development processes.
Ensures approved learning resources and experiences are relevant and ready for immediate inclusion in course development, facilitating a smooth transition from design to development phases.
Collaborates with program development staff and School partners to optimize testing and access to curated resources through learning management systems or educational platforms.
Maintains integrity to the program through the ongoing review of relevancy, currency, and value of LRs in the context of industry and student expectations and needs for a full product lifecycle inclusive of redevelopment and continuous quality improvement cycles.
Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

KSAs

Strong organizational skills with the ability to maintain detailed asset-tracking systems.
Knowledge of Open Educational Resources (OER), library resources, textbook publishers, simulations, labs, and third-party learning materials.
Familiarity with accessibility standards and practices in educational content
Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams.
Ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Ability to successfully complete complex projects using a collaborative work model.
Experience with online instructional platforms, learning resource analysis/development, or instructional design/development.
Ability to stay "in the know" of advancements and changes in the assigned School’s industry to ensure curated resources are up-to-date and relevant.
Be an in-house expert in industry certification trends and business to keep PDOs aware of changes that will impact programs.
Be continually aware of Learning Resource provider's catalog, capabilities, and innovations to make sure WGU is always taking advantage of best-in-class resources for our students.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree
2 years of related experience
Subject matter knowledge in one or more of the following areas: technology, health, education, or business.
Previous experience with online education, learning resource strategy, and project management.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in Publishing, Instructional Design, Online Higher Education, or Library Science.
Experience with educational technology platforms and learning management systems.
Knowledge of accessibility standards and guidelines for digital learning materials.

Job Description Disclaimer: This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require.

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@wgu.edu.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.