Meet Kevan Kivlan, MS, who serves as a Director for the US General Services Administration in New England. Kevan is responsible for the overall regional stakeholder program management where he oversees a team who provides program, project and acquisition advice to federal, state and local governments. In 2010, Kevan received an M.S. in Project and Program Management from Brandeis University after completing his undergraduate studies at Assumption College in Worcester, MA in 2002.
By Lance Eaton
That’s always the first question I get when I tell people that I am an instructional designer (an ID for those of us “in the know”).
It all started when I was 6 years old, and my dad asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I peered up into his face and said with an earnest seriousness that no child should muster, “I want to be an instructional designer.”
Welcome to the first
SPOTLIGHT ON JOBS!
Members of the Brandeis GPS Community may submit job postings from within their industries to advertise exclusively to our community. This is a great way to further connect and seek out opportunities as they come up. If you are interested in posting an opportunity, please complete the following form found here. To stay in touch and receive further SPOTLIGHTS, make sure to subscribe to our blog
Title: Assistant Professor in the University Tenure Line (UTL)
Where: Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine in Stanford University, to be identified as the optimal home department of the successful candidate.
Qualifications: Interested in candidates who have a doctoral degree in computer science, electrical engineering, bioinformatics or related field and who have research interests in clinical or translational informatics, bioinformatics, or related subdisciplines, and who have or will develop an independent research program in the computational sciences. The predominant criterion for appointment in the University Tenure Line is a major commitment to research and teaching. The successful candidate will conduct a vigorous, independent research program, teach in the classroom, and advise students in any of a number of graduate programs in computational sciences. Faculty members appointed as Assistant Professors will have completed one or two years of postdoctoral research experience. Their accomplishments during graduate and postgraduate training should already have stamped them as creative and promising investigators. Preference will be given to candidates who have experience in developing novel analytical tools to analyze the cellular composition of organs and/or tissues and who can complement and enhance existing strengths in stem cell biology, cancer biology, developmental biology, bioinformatics, and bioengineering within the Institute and the University.
We expect the successful candidate to establish an innovative research program studying fundamental stem cell biology. Responsibilities include teaching graduate students and research-oriented medical students in an area that would complement the Institute’s existing strengths.
The activities of the Division/Department are diverse and include basic, translational and clinical applications in embryonic stem cells, reprogramming, cancer stem cells and adult stem cells. The stem cell biology and regenerative medicine activities offer unique opportunities for the successful candidate to build a strong program of independent research complemented by collaborative efforts across different departments.
How to Apply: Interested candidates should send a copy of their curriculum vitae, a brief letter outlining their interests and the names of three references to:
Dr. Michael F. Clarke
Chair, Stem Cell Computation Search Committee
Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine
Lorry Lokey Stem Cell Research Building, Room G2021A
265 Campus Drive West
Stanford, CA 94305-5461
Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty. It welcomes nominations of and applications from women, members of minority groups, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, as well as from others who would bring additional dimensions to the university’s research, teaching and clinical missions.
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by Ariel Garber
The development of learning analytics will help shape a new model for teaching and learning, creating a system that provides insight and information to support student success. The field of learning analytics, defined by EDUCAUSE, is “deciphering trends and patterns from educational big data, or huge sets of student-related data, to further the advancement of a personalized, supportive system of higher education.” Learning analytics evaluates student behavior in order to determine learning efficiency, creating conversations with students about learning strategies and how well they feel learning has occurred. Technology allows us to study learning experiences through the capture and analysis of learning and performance data.
“Analytics provides a new model for college and university leaders to improve teaching, learning, organizational efficiency, and decision making and, as a consequence, serve as a foundation for systemic change,” said George Siemens and Phil Long in their article about learning analytics.
A key feature of learning analytics is its learning-centric focus, analyzing student performance outside of the classroom in order to gain a new understanding of the efficiency of students, teachers and the curriculum. Beyond basic retention and completion, learning analytics produces students with both inquiry and analysis focus and critical and creative thinking skills.
The implementation of learning analytics requires restructuring academic institutions, to include re-evaluating the flow of data between departments, increasing personal student support, reshaping course design, delivery and more. These changes will be felt by the faculty, students and the institution as a whole. Collaborative and creative leadership is essential in fostering an academic environment that can support and utilize learning analytics.
The Online Instructional Design & Technology program at Brandeis GPS offers foundational skills through the study of instructional design principles, educational technology, and adult learning theories. Students gain the experience needed to solve a variety of instructional challenges and, ultimately, create and deliver high-quality online programs and interactive courseware.
In large part because of the continuous growth in online programs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics data demonstrates that jobs in instructional design and technology have grown 20.8% since 2004, and project above average growth as high as 20% for instructional design jobs between 2010 and 2020. In the next four years alone, the bureau projects over 36,000 new jobs will become available in instructional design and technology.
This reveals the growing forum for learning analytics and Strategic Analytics, also offered at Brandeis Graduate Professional Studies. Brandeis GPS is hosting an Analytics 360 Symposium on Wednesday, April 8, 2015 from 9am-4:30pm at Hassenfeld Conference Center of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.
The day-long symposium will focus on promoting a discussion of the growing field of analytics and how organizations can leverage big data to make more strategic decisions. Panelists will engage in a conversation that places analytics in the context of big data, education, health, marketing and business.
Register here for the Analytics 360 Symposium on April 8, 2015 at Brandeis University. The cost for NERCOMP members is $135 and the cost for non-members is $265. Submit this form to learn more about special pricing available to members of the Brandeis community. For more information, email analytics360@brandeis.edu or call 781-736-8786. You can also find us on Twitter using #GPSAnalytics.
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By: Ingah Davis-Crawford, Student in the M.S. in Instructional Design & Technology program
The fall semester 2014, was my first semester at Brandeis GPS. The last time I had attended grad school was in 2009, when working on my Master’s in Distance Education from the University of Maryland University College.
Believe me when I say that I had no plans to return to school. But, in the five intervening years I began to think that maybe I should advance my knowledge 
of instructional design. At the same time I did very much enjoy not having to spend time studying. I had gotten back into the swing of having a social life and just being able to watch television or read when I wanted was great and let’s not even mention sleep. Still, every now and again I would surf the net looking for an online grad instructional design program.
That’s what I was doing when I found the Online Instructional Design and Technology program at Brandeis. I saw it was a new program and that the first cohort would begin studies in the fall. It was one of those “now you don’t have any excuses” moments for me. If I didn’t apply who could I blame? My friends and family would understand. I could dvr my favorite TV shows. And sleep, well I have gone without it before and survived.
I enrolled in two courses, Principles of Online Instructional Design and Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. I was beginning to get the hang of things when real life intervened. During the third and f
ourth weeks of the semester , our father, who had been sick for quite some time, was taken into hospice care and began his journey home. Needless to say that meant I had to put my classes on the back burner, Dad was the priority. Of course, I messaged my professors to inform them of my circumstances and they were both very understanding. However professor Salerno was particularly kind and encouraging. In the end after returning my attention to studying, I made the decision to drop Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in favor of concentrating on Principles of Online Instructional Design (ID).
I really enjoyed the ID course, and it was no walk in the park either. The course offered an education on two levels – first, it was a thorough overview of the methodology behind instructional design. Second, it was very enlightening to be able to observe and experience professor Salerno’s teaching method and how he structured the course, respectively. For instance with respect to teaching method, I noticed that he would use the discussion forum topics to get us to think about or practice a specific instructional design technique prior to the assigning a task that would incorporate that technique on a broader scale. This I found to be quite useful for my own development throughout the course and I also view it as a practical example of best practices. The course layout within the classroom was very easy to follow. Course materials for the weekly modules were clearly placed. Instructions for discussion forum topics and course assignments were clear and concise. And, professor Salerno was always available to answer questions or offer feedback on a timely basis. So, there again he was teaching by example.
In closing, I found the course to be challenging, but I know that I learned a lot and I’m glad to have had the experience. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the learning experience I have had so far at Brandeis GPS, and I’m looking forward to next semester.
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