Kent State University
School of Library and Information Science
Information Architecture and Knowledge Management Program
User Experience Design concentration
Kent State University is seeking a Non-Tenure Track Assistant Professor or Lecturer for the User Experience Design (UXD) concentration within the Information Architecture and Knowledge Management (IAKM) Program in the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS). The non-tenure track appointment is renewable annually contingent on performance and budget, with third-year reviews and possibility of promotion in rank.
The successful candidate will have knowledge of, and experience in, the fields of Information Architecture, User Experience Design, Interaction Design and related fields. The individual will participate in programmatic and curricular planning, and will manage the development and redesign of courses. The individual will be designing and teaching courses for the online UXD program.
Qualifications
The successful candidate should have:
Exceptional interpersonal communication and writing skills;
An earned advanced degree in a field related to User Experience Design;
At least three to five years of experience in the practice of Information Architecture and/or User Experience Design;
An ability to mentor students;
A successful, proven teaching record at a University or in industry;
Experience with online teaching or experience working with remote, collaborative online teams;
A commitment to academic excellence and student success;
A commitment to sustaining and building a premier User Experience Design program;
An ability to recruit adjunct faculty for teaching the User Experience Design program;
An ability to effectively represent the User Experience Design program at conferences and at speaking engagements.
The User Experience Design Concentration
The User Experience Design Concentration at Kent State:
Has been operating since 2001, and is one of the few, and oldest programs that offer degrees in User Experience Design;
Is offered in a fully online format;
Is a program identified by Kent State University as a “Strategic Initiative” and is thus in a position to receive university resources in the form of instructional design and educational technologists;
Is heavily based on the “information side” of User Experience Design, i.e., is strongly focused on the following subject areas:
Information Architecture
Usability
Content Strategy
User and Stakeholder Research
Knowledge Organization and Metadata
Currently has roughly 60 students enrolled, with the goal of 175-200;
Has produced more than 100 graduates, many of whom are serving in businesses, organizations and agencies in the capacity of User Experience Designers. Employers of our graduates include:
U.S. Bank
Marriot Hotels
The Eaton Corporation
Ernst and Young
Google
American Greetings
Westfield Insurance
Precision Dialog
Progressive Insurance
T.D. Ameritrade
Moment Design
Is part of a school that is characterized by a creative, innovative, diverse, collegial, collaborative and highly productive faculty, with an excellent record in scholarship and grantsmanship.
Is a member of a dynamic, unique college, the College of Communication and Information, whose other schools are Communication Studies, Journalism and Mass Communication, and Visual Communication Design, with demonstrated success in collaboration and inter-disciplinary research;
Is a leader on campus in the use of information technologies for pedagogical innovations and online course delivery.
Kent State University
Northeast Ohio’s No.1 choice among public universities.
Northeast Ohio college students choose Kent State more than any other university.
Ranked one of the top-tier Best National Universities by U.S. News & World Report.
Programs, schools and colleges ranked among the world’s best.
Ranked by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching among the nation’s top 74 public high-research universities.
Generated $1.96 billion in added income to the Northeast Ohio economy.
More than 200,000 graduates worldwide.
Celebrating more than 100 years of excellence.
Kent State University is committed to the creation and nurturing of a diverse community of individuals through inclusive excellence. Diversity involves recognizing the value of differences and the inclusion of all members of the community. This is one of several core values we embrace as we strive for a culturally diverse student body, faculty and staff that reflect the multicultural nature of Ohio, the nation, and our world. Our diverse community reflects the unique strengths and abilities, which contribute to our pursuit of a distinctive Kent State.
Salary and Benefits
Salary is competitive, and benefits are excellent. Kent State offers a full range of benefits.
Application Instructions
Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The search committee will begin reviewing applications on April 30, 2014. The preferred starting date is Aug. 1, 2014.
A letter of interest and vitae should be submitted online at https://jobs.kent.edu . Names of at least three references should be provided with the application.
When applying online:
Follow the steps under “Applying for any open position at Kent State University (all campuses) is a two (2) step process.”
Then click on “Search Postings” in the left navigation.
Select Position Number: 990684
For additional information, questions or nominations, interested parties should contact:
David Robins, PhD, Search Committee Chair
Associate Professor
User Experience Design Concentration Coordinator
School of Library and Information Science
Information Architecture and Knowledge Management Program
Email: drobins@kent.edu
Phone: 330-672-5852