Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer tremendous opportunities for education research: large sample sizes, the possibility of performing experiments, and the ability to study student behavior in a self-contained environment of instructional and assessment activities. This postdoc will employ and develop the RELATE group’s expertise in psychometrics in the online course environment where students can submit multiple attempts and change their ability over the course of the semester. We are analyzing data from experimental group/control group experiments on new pedagogies, accuracy of assessment, and problem solving strategies. We are running an online introductory college physics course to do education research and development to teach critical thinking and problem-solving and 21st century learning objectives (p21.org). Our online materials are blended with a successful on-campus course, making for interesting comparisons. See http://relate.mit.edu for related work.
Minimum Requirements:
- PhD/EdD in Psychometrics, Statistics, and Machine Learning
- Desire to improve education
Desired Skills:
- Experience with basic IRT models, Multidimensional IRT, and FactorAnalysis
- Strong statistics background
- Familiarity with education literature and human computer interaction
- Python, MySQL, XML, SPSS, R, and Psychometric Software
- Experience with large data sets
- Teaching experience
- Interest in online education
All former postdocs have continued to positions in academia or education companies, with four currently at MIT or Harvard. Inquiries and applications (CV, cover letter, and contact information for three references) should be sent to RelateMIT@gmail.com. (Please include “postdoc application” in subject line.) Review of applications will begin immediately; starting date this summer.
For more information:
http://relate.mit.edu/jobs
http://web.mit.edu/physics/about/employment.html
Prof. David E. Pritchard (dpritch@mit.edu)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
77 Massachusetts Ave., Bldg 26-241
Cambridge, MA 02139