Job DescriptionBoston University Virtual (BUV) is a unit at Boston University focused on the creation of high-quality online degree and certificate programs. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President, Digital Architecture and Technology Platforms, the Educational Technology Innovation Specialist will play a pivotal role working across BUV and Boston University to leverage educational technology to enable a world-class, global online student experience. The Educational Technology Innovation Specialist is a forward-thinking professional dedicated to enhancing the learning experience across the BU Virtual online program portfolio through strategic use of emerging educational technologies. This role is ideal for a creative and analytical technologist who thrives on experimentation, is deeply familiar with the higher education learning technology ecosystem, and can deliver scalable, sustainable solutions that improve teaching, learning, and student engagement. Working across a broad matrixed environment and in close collaboration with faculty, academic leadership, instructional designers, operations specialists and central IS&T, the Educational Technology Innovation Specialist will evaluate the learning experience ecosystem to leverage existing tools and identify emerging tools necessary for engaging online students in a remote setting. This role will work closely with stakeholders to expose technology features, configure templates for efficiency and standardization across programs, and ensure that tools are integrated into the ecosystem to allow for a seamless student experience. This role will be responsible for monitoring tool usage, build business justifications for new tools, and maintain the strategic roadmap used to drive strategic learning experience investments. Key Responsibilities: Technology Innovation and Experimentation: • Research, evaluate, and pilot new and emerging educational technology tools, platforms, and approaches • Identify opportunities to apply innovations that enhance pedagogy, accessibility, and learner engagement • Foster culture of experimentation, prototyping, and iteration Learning Experience Enhancement: • Collaborate with faculty, instructional designers, and academic leadership to integrate technology solutions that align with curricular goals • Develop and deliver templates, frameworks, and toolkits to enable scalable adoption of new technologies • Provide consultation and support for course design and delivery in online and hybrid environments Ecosystem Integration and Optimization: • Maintain a strong understanding of institutional learning technology ecosystem (ex: LMS, SIS, assessment, proctoring, collaboration, engagement, and badging tools) • Ensure new tools integrate effectively into broader technology landscape, meeting standards for data security, accessibility, and compliance • Partner with central IS&T, academic technology, and faculty development teams to streamline workflows and processes and ensure tool training is available to maximize features and functions Scalability and Continuous Improvement: • Build reusable models and templates for course design, assessment, and student engagement that can be applied across the online portfolio • Collect and analyze data on tool adoption and impact to inform continuous improvement • Contribute to governance and strategic planning processes for educational technology across BU Virtual and BU
Required Skills- Bachelor's degree required; master's in education, Instructional technology, learning design or related IT field preferred.
- 3-5 years of experience supporting academic technology, either in educational technology, instructional design, or digital learning environments in higher education.
- Proven ability to evaluate and implement emerging tools in online and hybrid learning contexts.
- Strong knowledge of content management systems, learning management systems, and related academic technology ecosystems.
- Excellent communications, collaboration, and project management skills • Ability to balance innovation and scalability, sustainability and institutional alignment.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.
