Assistant Dean Customized Academic Learning; Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs

Johns Hopkins University invites applications and nominations for a dynamic, visionary and experienced leader to serve as the inaugural Assistant Dean for Customized Academic Learning in the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the Whiting School of Engineering. The Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, located on the beautiful Homewood campus in north Baltimore, Maryland, serves the needs of undergraduates by promoting intellectual exploration and academic excellence.

The successful candidate will assume the role at an exciting time in the Whiting School of Engineering, as we prepare to realize the Second Commission on Undergraduate Education (CUE2) recommendation that all undergraduates be afforded the opportunity for a Hopkins Semester (HS), an “optional junior or senior year, semester-long, mentored, immersive experience that will give students the time for a focused, deep, and rigorous exploration of one complex subject or endeavor either inside or outside their major department or program.”

The Assistant Dean will promote and advance Customized Academic Learning (CAL), which is the collective term used to encompass group and individual academic work outside of a structured class offering inclusive of the envisioned HS. CAL also includes independent study, independent research, and academic internships undertaken alongside coursework. Several new CAL academic policies and processes designed to better support CAL came into effect for the  academic year.

The Assistant Dean will be expected to bring energy and creativity to the role of helping design and implement various recommendations from CUE2 and the CAL Board. The Assistant Dean will serve as an ex-officio member of the WSE CAL Board and will head the Hopkins Semester Office within WSE Undergraduate Academic Affairs to develop, oversee, support, and market the Hopkins Semester (HS) program.

Reporting to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, the Assistant Dean will be responsible for working with faculty and other stakeholders to bring to life the HS experience. The HS experience is intended to allow students to pursue a full-time, credit-bearing, immersive academic and experiential project of their own design, supported by faculty from the application period through final assessment.

The Assistant Dean will administer and guide the establishment of the program, along with appropriate staff support over time. An important role in this area will be to help develop placement sites, university-wide at JHU, in industry, and internationally. The Assistant Dean will serve on the WSE Education Partnership Evaluation Committee (EPEC) and the WSE International/Corporate Committee.

• Help define, implement and enforce academic policies and practices.
• Give support to students and faculty navigating CAL and HS learning opportunities.
• Develop and maintain strong, collaborative working relationships with faculty and academic departments in the Whiting School of Engineering.
• Work closely and collaboratively with other academic offices and committees, including the Office of the University Registrar, the Homewood Records office, Student Enrollment and Account Management, Undergraduate Admissions, the Office of Pre-professional Advising, the Life Design team, the Global Education Office, and University Information Systems.
• May serve on a number of ad hoc and standing committees that address a variety of program or student needs and that support collaborative work with colleagues from partner offices.
• Collaborate closely with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs to ensure that CAL, ePortfolio assessment, and Foundational Abilities requirement completion are well supported within the students’ academic programs.
• With the CAL Board will establish and conduct processes for the routine assessment and revision of the Hopkins Semester and CAL policies, so that our processes can be adjusted to best meet the needs of our students and faculty.
• Ensure that clear guidelines are in place for HS application, review, and advising.
• Work collaboratively with academic departments and Life Design to…