Assistant Director of STP’s Annual Conference on Teaching

Applications are currently being accepted for the next Assistant Director of STP’s Annual Conference on Teaching (ACT), which is STP’s international teaching of psychology conference held on location every October and online every February. Consistent with our Mission Statement and the Statement on Addressing Systemic Racism and Inequity in STP, we encourage applications from colleagues who are from underrepresented groups and have diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: The primary responsibility of the ACT Assistant Director is to orchestrate the international teaching of psychology conference in the online modality, with secondary support responsibilities for the on-location conference. Each year, with support from the Director, the Assistant Director’s duties include:

• determining the time and format of the online conference
• developing the call for proposals for the online conference
• organizing online speakers (both invited and submitted)
• developing online programs and schedules
• managing the conference website, including organizing on-demand content such as videos and posters
• advertising the online conference in digital spaces
• email correspondence with presenters and attendees
• running the synchronous portions of the online conference in real-time
• assessing the online conference and incorporating assessment data into potential changes in the conference for subsequent years
• working closely with the Director of ACT to facilitate overlap between conferences
• working with a Steering Committee of 3-5 volunteers, who assist in adjudicating presentation submissions, organizing exhibitors/sponsors, updating the conference website, executing non-academic elements of both the on-location and online conference (e.g., hosted dinners, trivia night, affinity groups, etc.), and providing real-time conference support in both modalities  

SUPPORT: The ACT Assistant Director receives a $2,250 stipend for each year of this position. STP also pays for lodging and travel-related expenses while at ACT: On Location, and all conference registration fees for the years of service are comped.   

TIMELINE: The new ACT Assistant Director will begin their position in May 2024 and continue for the 2024-2025, 2025-2026, and 2026-2027 academic years, with conference support responsibilities each Fall and conference direction responsibilities each Spring. The individual selected for this position will work with ACT Director Lindsay Masland in 2024 and with Incoming ACT Director Garth Neufeld for the remainder of their term. This position is also eligible for reappointment upon approval of the Executive Committee for an additional three-year term. 

APPLICATION PROCESS: Those interested in serving as the next Assistant Director of ACT should submit 

• a letter of interest that specifically addresses:
• • your interest in the position
  • evidence of your commitment to the teaching of psychology, including engagement with STP and/or ACT 
  • relevant experiences or aptitudes, which could include leading teams, managing complex projects, or previous programming experiences
• a current CV
• a list of three references who could be contacted to provide more information about your programming experiences and aptitude. 

Please submit your application to the VP of Programming at vp-programming@teachpsych.org and the ACT Director at annual-conference@teachpsych.org by May 15, 2024. Questions about the application or about the position can also be directed to the addresses above.

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Chair, Instructional Resource Grants Committee

The Society for the Teaching of Psychology’s Instructional Resource Grants Committee (IRG) is accepting applications for a committee chair to serve a 3-year renewable term starting on January 1, 2025. Consistent with our Mission Statement and the Statement on Addressing Systemic Racism and Inequity in STP, we encourage applications from colleagues who are from underrepresented groups and have diverse backgrounds and experiences.

All current members of STP are eligible to apply.  Applications should include a current CV along with a one-page cover letter stating your interest in and qualifications for this position. Please submit applications by May 15, 2024 to Morton Gernsbacher, Vice President for Grants and Awards, at vp-awards@teachpsych.org. Please put “IRG Committee Application” in the subject line.

The purpose of the Instructional Resource Grant is twofold: (1) to stimulate the development of teaching resource materials, and (2) to encourage instructional research relevant to the teaching of psychology at the university, community college, or high school level, either of which can subsequently be posted as a Teaching Resource on the STP website for interested teachers of psychology, or published in Teaching of Psychology or similar SoTL journals. The deadline for applications for the next IRG review cycle is February 1, 2025.  For more information about the Instructional Resource Grants program, visit the webpage at: http://teachpsych.org/IRG.

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Members, Annual Conference on Teaching Steering Committee

Lindsay Masland, Director of STP’s Annual Conference on Teaching, and Garth Neufeld, Incoming Director, seek new members for the ACT Steering Committee.  Consistent with our Mission Statement and the Statement on Addressing Systemic Racism and Inequity in STP, we encourage applications from colleagues who are from underrepresented groups and have diverse backgrounds and experiences. 

The Steering Committee is typically composed of 3-5 individuals, and this year, we are seeking 2-3 new members to join existing members on the team.  Committee members will serve 3-year terms. They will begin their term this summer in preparation for the On Location conference in Louisville, directed by Lindsay Masland, and they will continue for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 academic years under the direction of Garth Neufeld. 

Most weeks of the year, Steering Committee members engage in less than one hour per week of work on ACT.  However, there are certain time periods when the workload increases, such as when we review conference proposals in summer, and in the weeks leading up to the October and February conferences. Members of the Steering Committee receive waived registration to both the online and on-location Annual Conferences on Teaching. 

Position Duties and Responsibilities

All committee members:

·  Engage in email and Zoom conversation about conference format and structure.

·  Review proposals using an established rubric.

·  Provide input on recruitment of invited speakers. 

·  Assist in developing the final program of sessions.

·  Attend the online and on-location conferences and assist in real-time hosting.

·  Provide perspective and feedback to the ACT Director and Assistant Director about ACT programming and content.

Depending on position, experience, and interest, some committee members:

·  Collect information from potential publishers and vendors who may attend ACT.

·  Design and maintain some aspects of the conference website.

·  Collect information from nearby schools that may send attendees to ACT.

·  Design and host “extra-curricular” aspects of the conferences such as trivia night, hosted dinners, special gatherings, etc.

Qualifications

Ideal applicants will:

·  Be a member of STP.

·  Be able to attend all days of all ACT conferences during their term. (The on-location conference usually runs Thursday-Saturday of a week in October; the online conference usually runs Thursday-Friday of a week in February).

·  Be a good steward of the mission and values of STP.

·  Work well in teams.

·  Commit to timely and thorough completion of conference tasks. 

·  Have a welcoming, enthusiastic, and service-oriented disposition.

To Apply:

Please send a CV and a cover letter that addresses your interest in this position. Your cover letter should introduce yourself and answer the following questions:

·  What, if any, experiences do you have that are relevant to this position?

·  What past engagement do you have with ACT?

·  What past engagement do you have with STP? 

Please consider applying and encouraging applications from colleagues whom you believe have the experience, commitment, and motivation to contribute to the success of the Annual Conference on Teaching. 

Please send inquiries and applications to Lindsay Masland, Director of the Annual Conference on Teaching, at maslandlc@appstate.edu. The deadline for applications is May 20th, 2024.