Assistant Professor of Forensic Sciences

Position Summary

Faculty provides intellectual leadership toward achievement of the highest possible level of excellence in teaching, scholarship, service, and professional development. The faculty will teach courses and supervise student research within the Master of Forensic Sciences Program by engaging students, offering excellent feedback, and inspiring students to achieve course and program outcomes relevant to the core discipline. This position works closely with other faculty within the discipline, including the Academic Program Director, Associate Dean and Dean, by contributing to programmatic strategies that ensure program quality, student engagement and success.

Essential Functions:

Instruction

• Include multiple methods of engagement to create a positive learning environment that encourages motivation and persistence, maintaining frequent communication with students; offering opportunities for ongoing interaction to discuss feedback, addressing concerns, and plans; making accommodations to address learning styles by personalizing teaching and using appropriate tools or models of instruction.
• Apply innovative, uniquely competitive, and distinct high-performing techniques, approaches, and content knowledge in program courses. 
• Maintain the rigor, high standards and consistency of courses that attract, retain, and prepare a diverse body of students to meet workforce demands.
• Leverage adaptive and advanced technology-based educational approaches to student engagement and learning outcomes.
• Ensure course and program practices are in alignment with compliance and accreditation standards, as applicable.
• Utilize effective teaching methods while encouraging higher order thinking.
  • Reinforces alignment of course activities to course and program outcomes as evidenced by announcements, discussion participation, and feedback.
  • Incorporate supplemental content in announcements, discussions, and assignment feedback to support student learning and engagement.
  • Seek out and encourage higher order thinking through Socratic questioning, open-ended questions, multiple perspectives, and critical thinking and evaluation.
  • Consistently model good discussion practices and encourage active participation from students.
  • Establishes personal and authentic presence while sharing experience, skills, and knowledge with students.
• Reinforces meaningful connections between course content and broader concepts.
• Provides personalized, substantive, timely, and constructive feedback on assignments that empowers and encourages students to improve.
• Participates in course discussions actively and substantively.
• Provide timely, substantive communication and feedback utilizing technology tools.
• Provide and regularly reinforce available communication methods, response timelines, and office hours.
• Interact and reply to students within the introductory period, on discussion forums, and on assignment feedback.
• Posts announcements providing guidelines for success and introducing topics and expectations.
• Provide an inclusive learning environment that encourages student success and motivation.
• Encourage student interactions and collaboration while providing direct and indirect support.
• Consistently demonstrates awareness of the importance of inclusive practices and accessibility.
• Consistently provide support to at-risk students.
• Adhere to National University’s academic integrity policy.

Scholarship

• Contribute to the university's position in given areas of academic pursuit through scholarly research.
• Engage in scholarly activities to maintain professional growth and accreditation expectations.

Service

• Serve on assigned university committees, societies, councils, and chapters, and engage in community activities that promote program outreach and university goals.
• Participate in program meetings and advisory boards to integrate best practices and strategic initiatives.
• Attend and participate in professional groups, staying abreast of new trends and innovations.
• Participate in professional development as outlined in the faculty handbook.
• Align professional development activities with program objectives and faculty evaluation.

Supervisory Responsibilities: N/A

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Terminal degree in Forensics, Biology, Physical Sciences, or related discipline required.
• Evidence of, or potential for, excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service required. 
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in teaching adult learners required.
• Online higher education experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining courses preferred.
• Experience in teaching Forensic Sciences in content areas such as crime scene investigation, fingerprint analysis, forensic psychology, and forensic photography preferred.

Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills:

• Strong demonstrated ability to drive teaching through engagement for adult learners in an online environment, using multiple modalities, leveraging technology and providing feedback to students that is meaningful, timely, balanced and individualized. 
• Accepts personal accountability, proactively seeks resolution for personal limitations head-on; and supports honesty and respect towards others, the company and oneself.
• Actively seeks to influence, build effective relationships, and gain alignment with peers, functional partners, and/or external partners to accomplish business objectives.
• Develops new insights into situations; questions conventional approaches; recognizes opportunities for change; encourages new ideas and innovations; designs and implements new or cutting-edge courses.
• Encourages and supports innovative and diverse thinking. Maintains strong working relationships during times of transition.
• Work collaboratively to foster a cooperative spirit within a large and/or small team of diverse cultures, while working in a fast-paced environment with multiple projects, deadlines, and frequently changing priorities.
• Communicates effectively, actively listens, adapts communication to audience and fosters effective communication with others. Demonstrates the ability to be consistently open, honest, and candid when communicating with others.
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of underlying organizational issues and strategies.
• Experienced leader with the ability to anticipate and plan for change and communicate a vision to the team.
• Ability to develop and achieve measurable and challenging goals to support the organization’s vision, mission, strategic goals, and objectives.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of individual constituencies in a diverse community.
• Excellent analytical and strategic thinking skills to simplify complex data that informs departmental and program strategies.
• Strong demonstrated experience with online teaching and audio/video platforms.
• Solid consulting and mentorship skills that result in teamwork and diplomacy.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governing body regulations.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills, with a proven ability to provide timely, accurate information on a variety of academically oriented subjects to both internal and external constituents.

Location: Remote

Travel:Occasional travel required for meetings and commencement.

Compensation Range:

Candidate receiving offers will be offered a salary/pay rate commensurate with experience that vary based on a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and competencies.  Absent exceptional circumstances, candidates will be offered a salary within this range for this position. Base pay is one component of National University’s total rewards package, as we are dedicated to supporting the needs of the “whole you” with our holistic approach to employee benefits by offering comprehensive well-being benefits for you and your family.  For full details about our benefit plan offerings, please visit benefits.nu.edu. For part-time positions, please click here.

National University offers an opportunity to work in an innovative environment that supports diversity.

National University (NU) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant per applicable federal, state and local laws. At NU, a diverse mix of highly talented, innovative, and creative people come together to make the impact of a lifetime for each of our student learners. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, education, and admission at National University. We are focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity of race, color, ancestry, age, family care status, veteran status, marital status, creed, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and other legally protected group status.