Student Engagement Specialist

Center for Teaching & Learning

At the UMSL Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), we believe education transforms lives-and we work every day to make that transformation possible. We empower faculty, staff, and students to create learning experiences that are engaging, relationship-rich, and deeply meaningful. The CTL is a collaborative space where innovation meets support; we champion active learning and student success through programs that connect educators and learners in powerful ways. If you're passionate about shaping the future of teaching and helping students thrive, we encourage you to apply.

The Student Engagement Specialist contributes to high-impact learning experiences across the university by supporting student-facing instructional development and academic engagement initiatives. Working in close partnership with and reporting to the Assistant Director for Student Support Programs, the Coordinator will assist with training, mentorship, instructional observations, and ongoing program evaluation and improvement for programs supporting undergraduate and graduate students. This position supports UMSL's commitment to student-centered learning, retention, and academic excellence by strengthening peer learning, graduate student preparation for teaching, and other student academic support efforts. Because our programs continuously evolve to respond to campus needs, this role requires a high degree of flexibility and collaboration to navigate the constantly changing higher education landscape.

Key Responsibilities

Program Development & Training

• Contribute to developing and updating educational resources, workshops, and materials that support effective peer learning and student academic engagement.
• Support the teaching skill development for graduate teaching assistants and other graduate student educators.
• Design, implement, and evaluate embedded student programs.

Student Employee Support & Mentorship

• Mentor and provide day-to-day guidance to student employees in embedded support roles (e.g., Supplemental Instruction Leaders, Active
• Learning Assistants, and graduate student educators).
• Identify and respond to emergent training needs based on student employee experiences.
• Support communication and ongoing development of student employees.

Teaching Observations & Feedback

• Conduct classroom observations for embedded student employees and graduate teaching assistants.
• Provide supportive, strengths-based feedback grounded in evidence-based instructional practices.

Faculty & Campus Collaboration

• Consult with faculty, staff, and campus partners to strengthen student engagement and integrate active learning approaches.
• Support CTL outreach, presentations, and communications across campus to highlight available resources and opportunities.

Program Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

• Assist with collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data related to program activities.
• Contribute insights that help refine recruitment, implementation, and evaluation, while identifying emergent student needs.

Competencies

• Instructional Coaching & Feedback - Ability to observe teaching practices and provide actionable, strengths-based feedback.
• Program Design & Facilitation - Skilled in creating engaging training and professional development experiences.
• Data-Informed Decision Making - Competence in collecting and analyzing data for program improvement and dissemination to a wide variety of audiences.
• Collaboration & Relationship Building - Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with faculty, students, staff, and campus partners.
• Welcoming & Student-Centered - Commitment to fostering learning environments that help all students succeed and reduce learning challenges.

Supervision

• Received: Reports to the Assistant Director for Student Support Programs.
• Exercised: Provides mentorship and functional supervision to student employees in embedded support roles.

This position currently has the possibility to function as a hybrid position working 3 days in the office and 2 days remotely. This hybrid position is subject to change based on the needs of the role, CTL department, or university.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. The University will not sponsor applicants for this position for employment visas.

40 hours/week. Monday thru Friday.

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 3 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

* Master's degree in education, higher education, curriculum and instruction, or terminal degree in related field.
* At least 2 years of experience in educational programming or training.
* Basic understanding of active learning and student engagement strategies.
* Strong communication and collaboration skills.
* Familiarity with data collection and analysis for program evaluation.
* Commitment to student success and student retention strategies in teaching and learning including support of graduate student teaching development.
* Experience supporting graduate students in course design or student engagement.
* Knowledge of active learning, peer-assisted learning, or supplemental instruction models.
* Experience mentoring or supervising student employees.
* Background in graduate student professional development or early-career educator support.
* Understanding of learning analytics or assessment practices in higher education

Salary Range: $65,000 per year
Grade: GGS-010
University Title: Senior Educational Program Coordinator
Internal applicants can determine their University title by accessing the Talent Profile tile in myHR.

• Application materials include a cover letter and resume. Finalists will be asked to provide references at a later date.
• Applicants must combine all application materials into one PDF or Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment to the UMSL Careers: https://www.umsl.edu/services/hrs/careers/index.html
• Limit document name to 50 characters. Maximum size limit is 11MB. Do not include special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.). For questions about the application process, please email employment@umsl.edu. If you are experiencing technical problems, please email umpshrsupport@umsystem.edu.

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please email the Office of Human Resources at umslhr@umsl.edu.