Job Analysis

Job Analysis

I am reviewing job descriptions obtained from University of South Florida, University of New Hampshire, Worcester Polytech Institute, University of Illinois, and Purdue University in order to help me develop a plan to obtain employment as an assistant professor. Below, I report on the likely job tasks, working conditions, required skills, and average starting salary of the positions named in the job descriptions. After that, I will present where I am at and what I need to do to prepare myself to be a competitive candidate for similar positions after graduation.

Likely Job Tasks

From the job descriptions, the following were the recurring job tasks for an assistant professor:

• Teach undergraduate and graduate courses (face-to-face, online, and blended formats)
• Recruit and supervise graduate students
• Research
• Seek external funding
• Support undergraduate and graduate programs
• Support college initiatives
• Support the field

Working Conditions

Professors work in a very social environment. They interact daily with students, fellow faculty, and administrators. The work is quite variable: teaching, grading, lesson preparation, researching, advising, participating in committees. It is definitely not a 9 to 5 job. Some work may need to be done in the evening or on weekends. Professors can have a lot of autonomy. They may be quite constrained on time with all the responsibilities that must be met. Work can occur on campus, from home, or in the field depending on research, conference, and consultation needs.

It is quite likely that I may take a job in another state. The positions I am examining are located in Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Illinois, and Indiana. Many of the programs in the field of instructional psychology, technology, and design are located in the East and South United States (if I plan on staying in the United States). The likelihood of relocation is important to consider when preparing for a faculty appointment.

Required Skills

From the job descriptions, the following represent the prerequisites of candidates applying for the position of assistant professor:

• PhD in instructional technology and design or related field
• Have an established record of teaching, researching, and service preferred (many would like to see research and presentation record in relevant journals and conferences)
• Expertise in relevant theories and research methodologies (specific expertise sought from the job postings: human performance, K-16 education, engagement, educational assessment and policy, technology development and integration, and cognitive psychology
• Robust Technical Skills

Average Salary for Assistant Professor

Location	Salary	Cost of Living (compared to Provo, UT)
University of South Florida	$71,367	slightly higher
University of New Hampshire	$82,006	slightly higher
Worcester Polytech Institute, MA	$83,020	over twice as high
University of Illinois	$83,790	slightly higher
Purdue University, IN	$88,178	comparable

*Information obtained from glassdoor.com and cityrating.com

From the above analysis, it is evident that living in the Provo area is pretty nice. I was quite surprised to see the Purdue position as having a comparable cost of living but also having the highest average salary. Brigham Young University’s average salary was listed as about $77,000 for an associate professor. University of South Florida’s salary does not seem as competitive when compared to the starting salaries of the other universities. Perhaps it has a better health care package or something to offset the difference. This information, however, was not available on glassdoor.com. Obviously, when seeking employment, it will be important to take these factors into consideration when deciding which position to take and where to live.

Preparation

Strengths

Below are some of the experiences and skills I already have that will help me be prepared to be a competitive candidate for an assistant professor position in instructional psychology and technology:

• Experience teaching at the university level with three years of undergraduate teaching experience
• Great familiarity with the K12 system from experience working as a tutor and substitute teacher
• Ability to analyze and help improve writing from my writing education background, and tutoring and teaching experience in writing (which will be useful when mentoring students in their theses and dissertations)
• Technical writing skills developed from my graduate program in English with a technical writing emphasis (which will be helpful in doing instructional design and in research writing)
• Mentoring experience from my work as a mentor for the Teaching Academy at UVU, a faculty development program for full-time and part-time faculty
• Experience in instructional design and technologies through higher education teaching experiences (working with LMS and designing my own courses for blended formats), and through my work as a program developer for High Performance Tutoring, a K-16 private tutoring company based in Salt Lake City.

Needed Education, Skills, and Experience

Below is a list of skills, education, and experience I still need to obtain to be qualified as an assistant professor of instructional psychology and technology:

• A doctoral degree
• Technology skills – while I have some experience with Photoshop, Flash, and other development software, I am weak in internet development skills and technology
• Publications – I need to establish myself as a researcher to prove my abilities to contribute in scholarship as a professor
• Conference presentations – I need to participate in conferences so that others can get to know my interests, strengths, and research experience, and to be able to network
• Education in research methodologies – I need more education in qualitative and quantitative research if I am going to be able to effectively contribute to educational research
• Education in instructional theory of my interest – I need to be able to contribute uniquely as a member of a community of faculty researchers
• Teaching experience in instructional psychology and technology courses
• Skills in grant writing

Education Plan

Following are specific plans that I have to develop in education, experience, and skill:

• Working as a teaching assistant in our department (this winter semester and beyond).
• Going to AECT conference next year in California.
• Going to the Sloan-C conference on blended learning in Milwaukee next summer as part of a research team with Dr. Graham from BYU.
• Working towards publishing a journal analysis article with Dr. West from BYU this winter, and a chapter on blended learning theories with Dr. Graham this winter as well.

The theme I would like to take for my dissertation and education at BYU is in improving higher education, specifically with online learning, blended learning, and other best-learning and teaching practices in higher education, I also want to focus on faculty development. I hope to get involved with helping faculty implement the best learning and teaching practices that are emerging in educational research. I think there are some exciting opportunities to study this at BYU in the coming years. Having a blended learning initiative at a university level is becoming more of a reality. I would like to get involved in helping that happen and studying change, implementation, and faculty attitudes and experiences. I plan on doing the three-article dissertation in the above-mentioned areas so as to take up as many publication opportunities. I plan on taking these ideas and presenting them at conferences as well.