Closing Date: 15 August 2024
Our client in the Education sector is looking to recruit a Virtual Campus: Academic Head who plays a crucial role in shaping the academic experience for virtual students and ensuring the success and growth of the Virtual Campus.
Permanent position
Location: Johannesburg
Working conditions: Hybrid
Working hours: 12:00 – 21:00 during semester; 08:00-17:00 outside of semester
Minimum Requirements:
The successful applicant will meet the following requirements:
- A minimum of a relevant Master’s degree is a prerequisite, a Doctorate is preferred.
- A minimum of 7 years working experience in the relevant field, which should include at least 5 years’ experience in academic management within a tertiary environment.
- Significant experience in higher education administration, preferably in an online learning environment
- Proven leadership and collaboration skills.
Ideal Competencies:
The successful applicant will have the following competencies:
- Have a critical understanding of the most effective teaching, learning and behaviour management strategies, including how to select and use approaches that personalise learning to provide opportunities for students to achieve their potential in a virtual or blended learning environment.
- Deep understanding of online pedagogy and best practices in online education.
- Have an extensive and deep knowledge and understanding of curriculum design and related pedagogy gained through, for example, involvement in wider professional networks associated with curriculum areas.
- Excellent ability to guide students and staff with timely, accurate and constructive input, feedback and development that promotes overall progress.
- Familiarity with learning management systems and educational technologies.
- Commitment to student success and fostering an inclusive learning environment.
- Ability to analyse data and make data-informed decisions.
- Collaborative and innovative mindset.
- The Virtual Campus: Academic Head plays a crucial role in shaping the academic experience for virtual students and ensuring the success and growth of the Virtual Campus. The ideal candidate will be a visionary leader committed to delivering high-quality online education and supporting the unique needs of faculty and students in a virtual learning environment.
Duties:
Professional Academic Leadership:
- Provide academic leadership and vision for the Virtual Campus.
- Stay current with emerging trends and technologies in online education.
- Build and promote an active community of best academic practice on the Virtual Campus.
- Manage the timetable for Learning Pathway 3 (Virtual Evening).
- Recruit full-time academic staff and independent contractors for the Virtual Campus in conjunction with the respective Programme Coordinator.
- Ensure that new staff are trained efficiently in order to understand their role, processes, policies and procedures.
- Responsible for the teaching line management of Head Lecturers and Tutors on the Virtual Campus. Within this, see to the clear communication of roles and responsibilities of each academic team member.
- Supervise all learning and teaching activities throughout the Virtual Campus.
- Oversee the Academic Programmes of the Virtual Campus and report lapses/ weaknesses to the Head Teaching and PCs.
- Oversee the implementation of learning and teaching strategies and quality assurance procedures.
- Supervise and coordinate all academic affairs and ensure a high level of excellence as regards academic activities on a daily basis.
- Collaborate with IT and instructional design teams to integrate innovative tools and practices.
Performance Management and Assessment:
- Create and manage the implementation of the Virtual Campus academic delivery plan with the Head: Learning & Teaching, Head: Assessments & LMS, Programme Coordinators, Head Lecturers (Virtual Campus), and Tutors (Virtual Campus).
- Implement Virtual Campus Head Lecture and Tutor scheduling (timetables and monitor attendance of Head Lecturers/Tutors.
- Ensure that the stipulated curriculum is available and fully implemented.
- Ensure the effective performance of all academic staff.
- Oversee and monitor the adequate planning of lesson plans by the Lecturers and Tutors.
- Ensure equity of academic delivery across all sites of delivery, by liaising with other Campus Academic Heads and the Programme Coordinators.
- Ensure that the academic standard of the IMM Graduate School is of the highest quality and excellence.
- Regularly appraise the Head Lecturers, Tutors, Librarian and Guidance Counsellors and submit reports to the Dean: Learning, Teaching & Assessment.
- Conduct regular formal classroom visits for both lectures and tutorials.
- Ensure that all academic staff update their knowledge and keep abreast of developments in their respective discipline through active participation in skills development on the Academic Community, 1st Tuesdays, seminars, workshops and
- Facilitate greater student success via an ongoing analysis of academic results, reporting on and addressing areas of risk, implementing early academic intervention measures.
- Ensure the improvement of student retention rates through the management of student support interventions and strategies to improve student perseverance/resilience.
- Monitor and measure the effectiveness of academic support interventions on an ongoing basis.
- Be held accountable for compliance with the policies and procedures of the IMM Graduate School.
- Ensure the compliance of students and academic staff to policies, rules and
- Handle Virtual Campus student disputes and complaints.
- Facilitate professional development opportunities for faculty to enhance their online teaching skills.
- Encourage faculty engagement and promote best practices in online
- Address faculty concerns and provide guidance and support as needed.
Administration Management:
- Timetable for the Virtual Campus (Learning Pathway 1 & 3)
- Coordinate the activities of all Virtual Campus academic staff relating to their performance and yielding good academic results.
- Maintain and update all records pertaining to Virtual Campus academic
- Responsible for deploying human resources effectively to meet specific
objectives in line with the organisation’s objectives.
- Ensure that all materials required for the smooth operation of Virtual Campus academic activities are available and used efficiently.
- Ensure the Virtual Campus platform is user-friendly, accessible, and supports learning outcomes.
- Ensure the Virtual Campus Administrator does the following:
- Prepares Student Confirmation Letters for your sign-off.
- Prepares Student Graduation Confirmation Letters for your sign-off.
- Proforma Invoices for Learning Pathway 3 and 1 students.
- Identifies students who qualify for distinction bursaries on the Virtual Campus and processes their application forms.
- Manages the student attendance register for Virtual Campus.
- Assists with the Registrations of Learning Pathway 3 students.
- Loads the Head Lecturers and Tutors on SIMS for invoice processing before the semester starts and prepares the invoices for approval.
Communication and Relationship Management:
- To ensure that constructive working relationships are formed between Virtual Campus staff and students.
- Responsible for coordinating orientation activities, ensuring smooth transition of new Virtual Campus students into the system.
- To provide feedback to the Programme Coordinators, the Head: Teaching and the Head: LMS & Assessment required on the performance management of academic staff.
- Communicate directly with parents as required.
- Provide monthly reports to the Head: Teaching on key responsibility areas.
- Promote the Virtual Campus and its offerings to prospective students and
- Develop and implement strategies to support student success in the online learning environment.
- Monitor student progress, retention, and completion rates.
- Collaborate with Academic Support and Student Support services to provide comprehensive support for virtual students.
- Foster a sense of community and engagement among Virtual Campus
Lecturing:
- Head Lecturer one module on one of our main programmes.
- Supervise Postgraduate students.
Research & Scholarship:
- Promote a culture of scholarship on the Virtual Campus and report to the Executive Academic Head and the Dean: Postgraduate Studies & Research on the research points achieved and qualifications completed by the permanent academic staff and independent contractors.
- Plan, manage and review the research target deliverables on the Virtual Campus, and make the necessary adjustments throughout the year to ensure that the required research outputs are achieved.
- Contribute to research output by achieving the prescribed annual research output unit/s target.
Institutional Committees:
The Virtual Campus: Academic Head will serve of the following committees:
- Academic Executive Committee (AEC)
- Community Engagement Committee