The University of Washington (UW) is proud to be one of the nation’s premier educational and research institutions. Our people are the most important asset in our pursuit of achieving excellence in education, research, and community service.

UW Continuum College expands the reach of the University of Washington by delivering educational programs that meet the needs of learners at all phases of their lives. We’re focused on removing obstacles to relevant educational opportunities by addressing geographic, financial, length of commitment, and time constraints, increasing access to knowledge for more people. As a diverse community that values inclusivity and collaboration, we foster a respectful, supportive workplace where innovation comes to life. By looking ahead and experimenting with new approaches, we’re creating new educational opportunities to help people thrive in a world of change.

UW Continuum College (UWC2) has a range of outstanding opportunities for part-time instructors, and part-time co-instructors, in the Professional & Continuing Education (PCE) Certificate in Machine Learning. Applicants will be considered for courses occurring January 2023 through December 31, 2023.  

Instructors serve a key role in certificate programs, engaging with students, serving as subject matter experts, presenting learning content, and assessing whether learners have achieved course competencies. PCE students consistently say that the instructor is the single most important element of their course.  

The pay range for instructor positions is $750-2500 per CEU* per course, commensurate with experience and qualifications. As co-instructors share course responsibilities, co-instructor salary will be prorated based on assigned duties. Specific appointment type of instructor or co-instructor will be assigned based on programmatic need. *Continuing Education Credits (CEU) information for individual courses may be found on our website.  

About the Certificate in Machine Learning

This three-course certificate program is designed for programmers, data scientists, applied mathematicians to train as machine learning engineers and scientists.  The program has a dual-focus on hands-on technical aspects and underlying mathematics to develop intuition. The program follows a flipped classroom model in the vein of adult-professional students. Topics covered in the three quarters can be found on the website. The three quarters broadly cover: (a) Introduction to Machine Learning, how to build good models (b) advanced machine learning © Deep Learning. Instructors are experienced in the field as ML scientists and bring their expertise and vision to the class to the next generation of practitioners. Instructors serve a key role in certificate programs, engaging with students, serving as subject matter experts, presenting learning content, and assessing whether learners have achieved course competencies. PCE students consistently say that the instructor is the single most important element of their course. Ideally, a cohort will see three different instructors. Content with suggested reading, assignments, discussion prompts is provided. Instructors are free to update the course according to their preference with the buy-in of the Program Manager. Instructors are supported by an instructional assistant.  Classes are offered in the evenings pacific standard time online via Zoom.

Professional and Continuing Education Instructors...

• Teach to a set curriculum plan with learning outcomes and competencies
• Prepare a course syllabus in advance of the course start date (templates provided)
• Ensure that lesson plans and presentation materials are updated to reflect predominant best practices
• Teach all class sessions at the scheduled time
• Respond to student inquiries and provide feedback on student assignments in a timely manner 
• Coordinate with other instructors and the Program Manager in the certificate program, to ensure curriculum continuity across courses
• Adapt instructional techniques based on feedback from students and the Program Manager, and implement sound pedagogical practices
• Complete instructor onboarding, relevant learning technology training, and other training as needed
• Observe FERPA, HIPAA, and other privacy laws and policies.
• Participate in 1-2 instructor meetings and information sessions per year

PCE courses are generally 10 weeks in duration and loosely align with the UW academic quarter calendar.  Information on the Professional and Continuing Education Certificate in Machine Learning may be found at  https://www.pce.uw.edu/certificates/machine-learning.

In addition to teaching and in consultation with the program manager, the instructor may also take on the role of Course Developer, providing subject matter expertise while creating/revising course content. A program curriculum map will guide development and provide an overview of what each lesson will cover. The course development piece is a separate paid activity from the instructor role. Please see our corresponding Course Developer position announcement if you are also interested in that role.

UWC2 Extension Lecturers / Instructors are Academic Staff, not faculty. This is a part-time, temporary position.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Three years or more post-postgraduate professional experience as a Machine Learning Scientist
• Ph.D. in a relevant technology or quantitative field
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Ability, and desire, to successfully work with individuals from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Willingness to teach with minimal supervision while maintaining high standards of professionalism, punctuality, and content relevance for diverse adult students.
• Legal authorization to work and receive compensation in the United States.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior teaching experience, particularly with adult learners

To apply to for a position in the Certificate in Machine Learning, please submit the following:

• A statement of purpose outlining why this role interests you
• Resume or CV
• A link to a professional webpage, Google scholar page (if applicable), and/or Github profile (if applicable). [optional]

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and review of applications will occur intermittently dependent on program needs.