Experience - Course Agent

Dr. Susan C. Hines | susanchines@gmail.com | 858.731.7415

Professional Objective: Above all else, work must be meaningful and interesting. I remain in the higher education sector because work has never failed to deliver in these two areas. My administrative interests include libraries, academic support units, curriculum development, course design, instructional technologies, and faculty development.

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton id=”80″ text=”2020″ ] [/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Executive Director of Course Design & Development
Ellucian | Onsite at Excelsior College
Albany, New York | 1/20 – present
Provide oversight of course design and development for Ellucian clients. Work closely with client leadership and Ellucian management and assets to develop and implement course life-cycle plans and products in alignment with institutional agreements. Dedicated to a five-year Ellucian contract with Excelsior College, an online non-profit offering certificates, associates, bachelors, and masters degrees. Deliverables include major revisions to more than 400 existing courses, ensuring that all courses utilize new course templates, student engagement strategies, and media enhancements. Recommend and implement standard processes and procedures for tracking and evaluating courses, acquiring and implementing feedback, and communicating improvements to College leadership and other stakeholders. The course life-cycle team, which includes instructional designers, a data analyst, and project manager, provides additional support and limited training to client faculty and staff to ensure competency in key instructional technologies, including a broad range of media production applications, web-based and interoperable tools (LTIs), and the client’s learning management system (LMS), Canvas. Serve on a variety of committees related to College leadership, instructional technologies, and student outcomes; provide regular reports, articles, presentations, and workshops to articulate and document client goals and successes; identify and execute on training and development for Ellucian and client staff.

Contributor & Founder
Course Agent | Troy, New York | 8/05 – present
Course Agent is slowly evolving into an educational technology blog. Previously, Course Agent designed, developed, and disseminated informational websites and niche e-learning curricula. It provided instructional technology, e-pedagogy, and new media consulting for colleges and universities, small businesses, and non-profits. Clients have included: Chadron State College, Conservation Services Group, Delta State University College of Education, DSU Small Business Development Center, Estes Aviation and Charlie Echo, LLC, Garrett College, The Kaleidoscope Project, Matanuska-Susitna College, Mississippi Consignment Sales, Ringling College of Art and Design, University of Alaska, Anchorage, and Course Agent Flying, a subsidiary of Course Agent that operated from 11/10 to 8/11 and developed cost-effective e-learning and e-commerce solutions for Fixed-Base Operations (FBOs), independent flight instructors, and commercial pilots.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton id=”80″ text=”2019″ ] [/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Dean of Library, Learning Resources & Distance Education
San José City College | San José, California | 7/16 – 12/19
Provided leadership, planning, coordination, and assessment for multiple units, including the César E. Chávez Library, the Learning Resource Center, Distance Education, and a handful of specialized learning communities, such as Puente and Umoja. Worked closely with district- and campus-based IT organizations to evaluate and improve upon technology infrastructures and instructional technologies that support electronically mediated research, teaching, and learning. Worked with executive administrators, deans, directors, faculty coordinators, and committees to assure the quality and accessibility of online databases, language labs, writing centers, and tutorial services, and to better integrate these services and centers and into teaching and learning. Facilitated workshop series for faculty and students that promoted the adoption and effective utilization of learning management systems, such as Canvas, and productivity and new media applications, such as Office 365 and Adobe CS. Established and facilitated the College’s Open Education Resources (OER) Initiative and provided direction and oversight of zero-textbook-cost (ZTC) projects. Recruited and supervised faculty and staff, and manage multiple budgets exceeding $2.1MM. Advocated for the division and communicated its mission across campus and online; served on a variety of local, district, and statewide committees, collected and analyzed data, drafted reports and articles, and participated in fundraising, media, and equity campaigns.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth][maxbutton name=”2016″][/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Adjunct Lecturer, Technical Communications
Santa Clara University | Santa Clara, California | 9/16 – 12/16
Taught a section of Engineering Communications in a web-enhanced format that utilized OER textbooks and workforce documents.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_1fifth][/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Associate Vice President of Teaching & Learning Technologies
Chadron State College | Chadron, Nebraska | 10/13 – 6/16
Provided strategic vision for and direction of the Library Learning Commons (LLC) and the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). Major responsibilities included oversight and management of the LLC and the development and implementation of instructional strategies and technologies that support and improve upon teaching and learning. Evaluated and improved upon library resources and services while evolving a cross-functional, learner-centered unit that proved invaluable to students, faculty, and staff. Determined appropriate systems, applications, licensing, and processes to compliment institutional interests in open education resources (OER), high-impact practices, and interdisciplinary team-taught courses. Managed LLC and TLC staff as well as multiple discretionary budgets exceeding $500,000. Reported to and supported the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA) and partnered with the Chief Information Officer to develop policies and procedures for academic computing. As a member of the VPAA Council, worked with deans to strengthen academic programs, departments, and schools. Significant projects included the establishment of academic web space, which provided faculty and staff with a means to experiment with digital and social media and to publish websites, blogs, and wikis; the implementation of an instructional design process to support OER and no-material-cost courses; the development of a tracking and reporting system for the Master Academic Plan; and the design and development of several new physical spaces, including faculty multiuse space, staff office suites, and student study and computing venues.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2014″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Associate Professor of English
Ashford University | San Diego, California | 4/13 – 4/14
Full-time remote faculty position required a load of ten (fully online) courses per year and lead faculty responsibilities for British Literature II. Additional areas of teaching included American Literature II and Historical Contexts & Literature. Other duties included faculty mentoring, peer review, and course design. Transitioned from an in-office administrative position on 4/22/13 to take a remote faculty position.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2013″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts
Ashford University | San Diego, California | 10/12 – 4/13
Provided academic leadership, management, and training within the College of Liberal Arts (COLA). Provided general support for the COLA dean; hired, supervised, and evaluated faculty within the division of communication arts, including program chairs and full-time online faculty in English, communications, journalism, and Spanish. Provided oversight of COLA retention efforts, academic program improvements, and faculty development. Orchestrated program reviews, served on cross-functional teams, and assisted in outcomes assessments. The position was also charged with the development and oversight of the university’s online writing center and COLA digital workspaces; responsibilities included determining (with staff) the appropriate systems, applications, licensing, and formats for synchronous and asynchronous meetings and tutorial sessions. Duties included the supervision and evaluation of academic directors and managers as well as the design, development, and dissemination of information that informs all COLA constituents and the broader university (online and on-ground) about important faculty projects, publications, and awards.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2012″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Associate Professor of English & Department Chair
Ashford University | San Diego, California | 9/11 – 10/12
Provided academic leadership, management, and training within the Department of English and across the university, as needed. Was responsible for the BA in English as well as lower-division, general education courses, such as the freshman composition sequence. Provided occasional oversight of programs in communications, journalism, and linguistics. Organized the 2011-2012 program review for English; authored the self-study and action plan, and selected the external examiners. Mentored and evaluated faculty through faculty forums and the faculty peer-review processes; reviewed and refined online courses and affiliated e-textbooks. Oversaw the revision of the first-year composition sequence; selected writers for Composition I and wrote Composition II. Regularly taught at least one course in English and developed research in the discipline in the form of presentations and publications. Worked directly with students and student support functions to improve retention rates. Worked with other deans, chairs, and faculty in various committees and on various projects to support the university mission.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2011″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Director of Instructional Technology
SunGard Higher Education (now Ellucian) | Onsite at Delta State University
Cleveland, Mississippi | 5/07 – 8/11
Planned, developed, and supported technology-enhanced teaching and learning projects for SunGard Higher Education, Inc. client(s). Developed faculty and staff training facilities and online curricula. Provided training and support in the areas of course design, e-pedagogy, course management systems, and new media production and post-production. Worked with university administration to develop policy, procedure, and implementation guidelines for academic computing and distance education delivery. Determined appropriate systems, applications, licensing, and formats for distance education delivery. Leveraged corporate resources and partnerships to provide general management of instructional technology and instructional technology staff on site. Contributed to a number of technical and academic functions, including the administration of multiple workstations, a training lab, and podcast studio; administered multiple websites and provided regular contributions to DSU’s Electronic Learning Network, which published a bi-monthly newsletter; maintained blogs, podcasts, screencasts, slideshows and other instructional technology content. Other responsibilities included the planning for and management of faculty IT liaisons, instructional technology challenge grants, faculty technology institutes, online program templates, online course reviews, and student internships and graduate assistantships. Additional service was provided to a number of campus committees, including the Distance Education Committee, the Intellectual Property Task Force, and the Foundations of Excellence Subcommittee on Faculty.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2008″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Instructor in Business & Technical Communications
Armstrong State University | Savannah, Georgia | 8/04 – 12/08
From 8/04 to 12/04, position required a load of four courses per semester and one graduate-level communications course. These included courses in Literature and the Humanities, Business and Technical Communications, Technical Editing, and Publication Design. All courses included Web interfaces; some were offered as hybrids or as fully online courses. Transitioned from traditional full-time to online adjunct position in 2005, designing and developing online courses in the English communications track. Adjunct courses were taught fully online, and the teaching load was typically one to three courses per year.

Instructor in English Literature
Buena Vista University | Storm Lake, Iowa | 9/07 – 11/07; 6/08 – 8/08
Taught occasional, fully online courses on Shakespeare. Courses are compressed and intense, running eight weeks for 3 hours of semester credit.

Instructor in Rhetoric & Writing
University of New Mexico | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 1/08 – 5/08
Designed, developed and taught a fully online graduate and upper-division course in New Media Editing.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2007″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Director of Instructional Technology
SunGard Higher Education (now Ellucian) | Onsite at Wilkes University
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | 1/05 – 5/07
Planned, developed, and supported technology-enhanced teaching and learning projects for SunGard Higher Education, Inc. client(s). Projects varied from “studio style” course lab installations to low-residency and fully online program development. Worked with university administration to develop policy, procedure, and implementation guidelines for academic computing and e-learning content delivery across campus. Determined appropriate systems, applications, licensing, and academic content for e-learning. Leveraged SunGard corporate resources and partnerships, and managed local (client) faculty and staff in technology-enhanced learning programs and course development. Provided general leadership and oversight for e-learning and e-learning support projects; developed faculty workshops, assessment, and improvement strategies. Managed instructional designers and new media developers. Developed stand-alone courses and full programs, including a low-residency MA and MFA in Creative Writing and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP).

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2006″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Peer Reviewer
Buena Vista University | Storm Lake, Iowa | 6/06 – 8/06
Consultant for development of online upper-division English course in Shakespeare. Reviewed and commented upon course content; participated in conference calls with e-learning director, course author, and other subject matter experts.

Instructor in English
Tennessee Board of Regents Online Degree Programs | Dickson, Tennessee | 8/01 – 5/06
Designed, developed and taught courses in English for the Tennessee Board of Regents Online Degree Program. Taught one to three courses annually.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2004″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Director of Instructional Design
Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, Georgia | 3/02 – 8/04
Worked with school deans, department chairs and faculty to develop online curricula and new programs; proposed and established the “satellite campus” SCAD eLearning. Determined strategies and timelines for program and individual course production. Provided oversight and implemented faculty training curricula, including course-development and course management workshops. Investigated and recommended standards and policies regarding software adoption, online course design, content architecture, ADA and copyright compliance, regional accreditation, and contracts governing online instructional content. Hired staff; directed and managed the daily workflow of instructional and media designers; prepared courses for online delivery; supported faculty during “live” courses; archived courses post term; administered student evaluations and faculty satisfaction surveys, and reported findings. Provided oversight for all office projects, including student interns and the design and development of a learning-objects database. Other duties included setting the agenda for and directing the work/quarterly meetings of the eLearning Council, quarterly reporting for the Office of Instructional Design, and preparation of documents for external affairs and regional accreditation. Developed online graduate programs in: Digital Photography (Certificate), Digital Publishing (Certificate), Digital Publishing Management (Certificate), Graphic Design (MA and Certificate), Historic Preservation (MA), and Interactive Design (MA).

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2002″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Online Curricula Designer
Eduprise-Collegis (now Ellucian, formerly SunGard Higher Education)
Morrisville, North Carolina | 5/01 – 3/02
Designed and developed courses for selected institutional and corporate online programs, specializing in higher education curricula. Worked closely with content experts, instructors, online program managers, graphic designers, media producers, and HTML programmers. Coordinated efforts, managed client reviews, and reviewed final drafts and edits. Designed and developed content for a variety of course management systems, including WebCT, Blackboard, and WBT/TopClass. Provided additional assistance and support as an Instructional Analyst, including training in application administration, course development and/or management, and e-pedagogy. Also provided assistance with new deliverable innovation and development. Selected staff duties included: team lead for WBT/TopClass course management system curricula, training and development. Selected clients included: University of Chicago Hospitals, the Tennessee Board of Regents, and Johns Hopkins University.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2001″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Instructor in English
Methodist University | Fayetteville, North Carolina | 5/01 – 8/01
Designed, developed and taught one section of freshman-level composition online.

Instructional Analyst
Eduprise-Collegis (now Ellucian, formerly SunGard Higher Education)
Morrisville, North Carolina | 6/00 – 5/01
Taught instructional technology training courses at client sites and provided expert, one-on-one and small-group consultation via telephone and online technologies. Suggested, created, reviewed, and edited instructor training modules, documentation and materials in a variety of media. Assisted with creating and implementing policies and strategies for web-enhanced and online course development support. Selected Staff Duties: Team lead for WBT/TopClass learning management system curricula and training; also trained Blackboard, Eduprise/RCDDS, and WebCT course management systems. Co-chaired company “Lunch and Learn” series on technological and pedagogical issues; chaired the Instructional Services Technology Committee; coordinated Instructional Design Helpdesk and acted as group liaison for Eduprise Helpdesk. Selected clients included St. Thomas University, Immaculata University, and Integrated Device Technology.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”2000″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Assistant Professor of English & Digital Arts
La Salle University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 8/98 – 6/00
Tenure-track position required a load of four courses per semester, usually one lower-division composition course and three upper-division specialty writing or digital arts courses, such as Editing and Publishing, Grant Writing, Technical Writing, Web Design and Development, Electronic Publishing, and Advanced Hypermedia Authoring. Teaching philosophy emphasized and integrated technology use; all courses included Web interfaces and utilized a variety of computer and telecommunications technologies. Course load was reduced from 9/98 to 12/98 to assist the Teaching and Learning with Technology Roundtable (TLTR) in training faculty to use various instructional technologies. Selected Committee and Service Work: Curriculum Committee (8/99-5/00); Hiring Committee (8/99-5/00); Site Developer, Grants in the Humanities and Social Sciences (5/99-8/99); Member, TLTR (8/98-5/00); Member, New Programs and Graduate Program Committee (8/98-9/00).

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”1998″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Assistant Professor of English
Middle Georgia College (now Middle Georgia University)
Cochran, Georgia | 9/93 – 6/98
Tenure-track position required a load of three courses per quarter, usually two freshmen-level composition courses and one sophomore-level literature or specialty writing course. Some courses were computer assisted and/or offered via distance learning television and Internet technologies. Additional duties included committee work and college services. Course loads were reduced from 9/96 to 6/98 with the directorship of the MGC Web-Hypermedia Development Project. Promoted from instructor on 4/12/96. Selected Committee and Service Work: Director, MGC Web-Hypermedia Development Project (1996-1998); Webmaster, Division of Humanities (1996-1998); Member and Co-editor, Southern Association of College and Schools Self-Study and Reaffirmation of Accreditation Steering Committee (1996-1998); Member, Academic Progress Committee (1997-1998); Member, Faculty Evaluation and Development Committee (1996-1998); Advisor, Developmental Studies Students and Undeclared Majors (1994-1998); Reader/Accessor, Georgia Regents’ Exam (1991-1998); Chair, Web Service Committee (1996-1997); Co-advisor, College Quiz Bowl (1995-1996); Assistant Advisor, MGC student tour of St. Petersburg and Moscow (11-19 June 1996); Chair, Cultural Olympiad Planning Task Force (1995-1996); Member, Distance Learning Advisory Board (1994-1995); Coordinator, Humanities Macintosh Lab (1994-1995).

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”1993″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Instructor in English
Georgia State University | Atlanta, Georgia | 9/92 – 6/93
Taught multiple sections of freshman-level composition. Other responsibilities included answering Grammar Hotline calls and tutoring students in the GSU Writing Center.

Instructor in English
DeKalb College North (now Georgia State University, formerly Georgia Perimeter College)
Dunwoody, Georgia | 9/92 – 6/93
Taught multiple sections of freshman-level composition and literature. Some courses were computer-assisted.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”1992″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

EFL Teaching Fellow
Soros Foundation | Hlohovec, Slovakia | 9/91 – 8/92
Designed and taught courses in the following areas: Pedagogy for Foreign Teachers of English; English Grammar and Composition; English Conversation. Taught courses for adult and secondary-school students. Worked in cooperation with and was partially funded by the George Soros and Charter 77 Foundations, New York and Prague.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”1991″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Research Assistant & Instructor
Georgia State University | Atlanta, Georgia | 9/90 – 8/91
Assisted professors with research projects, including Dr. Virginia Carr’s Carson McCullers Archive Project and Dr. Thomas McHaney’s William Faulkner Bibliography Revision Project; also taught multiple sections of freshman composition.

Instructor in English
DeKalb College Gwinnett (now Georgia State University, formerly Georgia Perimeter College)
Lawrenceville, Georgia | 9/90 – 8/91
Taught multiple sections of freshman composition and literature.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”1990″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Instructor in English
Oglethorpe University | Atlanta, Georgia | 9/90 – 12/90
Taught one section of freshman-level composition.

Sessional Lecturer & Teaching Assistant
University of British Columbia | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | 8/87 – 6/90
From 9/89 to 6/90 taught multiple sections of freshman composition and literature as well as upper-division courses, including Short Fiction and Technical and Business Writing. From 8/87 to 5/89 taught multiple sections of freshman composition and literature.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”1987″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Systems Operator & Admissions Assistant
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital | Fairbanks, Alaska | 5/84 – 9/87
From 8/85 to 8/87 performed nightly computer back-ups, printed out and distributed hospital reports, and input a variety of data. From 5/84 to 7/85 performed clerical duties and admitted patients to the emergency room.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

[ezcol_1fifth]

[maxbutton name=”1984″]

[/ezcol_1fifth]

[ezcol_4fifth_end]

Library Assistant
Rasmussen Library, University of Alaska | Fairbanks, Alaska | 8/83 – 8/84
Processed current periodicals and performed shelving duties.

[/ezcol_4fifth_end]

Vitae | Experience

Dr. Susan C. Hines | susanchines@gmail.com | 858.731.7415