Associate Dean for Teaching Excellence and Competency-Based Assessment

Salary Range: $100,000 – $147,000
Benefits Information: https://www.luc.edu/hr/benefits/

The Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (Loyola Nursing) invites applications for an Associate Dean of Teaching Excellence and Competency-Based Assessment.

The Associate Dean for Teaching Excellence and Competency-Based Education advances excellence and innovation in nursing education by strengthening faculty expertise in competency-based teaching and assessment, evidence-based pedagogy, and educational scholarship. The Associate Dean provides strategic leadership, consultation, and professional learning that help faculty translate curricular competencies into effective teaching, assessment, feedback, and evaluation of student learning across Loyola Nursing.

Through collaborative leadership, the Associate Dean strengthens faculty capacity to apply competency-based, evidence-informed approaches consistent with the AACN Essentials, professional and accreditation standards, institutional priorities, and emerging practices in nursing education. The Associate Dean supports faculty at all career stages and advances Loyola Nursing’s national visibility in competency-based education, evidence-based teaching, learner assessment, and educational scholarship.

The Associate Dean reports to the Dean, serves on the Dean’s Senior Leadership Team, and contributes to school-wide strategy and decision-making. This is a 12-month administrative appointment, with 50% effort in administration and 50% in teaching, scholarship, and service. Faculty responsibilities follow a nine-month academic calendar.

The role is faculty-focused and consultative. Academic program administration, accreditation, simulation, educational technologies, clinical education, and other established areas remain the responsibility of the leaders assigned to them. The Associate Dean collaborates with faculty and academic leaders to strengthen teaching and assessment across programs.

Responsibilities
Mission and Strategic Vision: Advances a school-wide vision for faculty excellence in competency-based teaching and assessment that reflects Loyola Nursing’s mission, institutional priorities, and emerging national standards and practices.

Competency-Based Education: Helps faculty translate curricular competencies, as established by academic programs, into effective teaching strategies, learning experiences, assessment methods, feedback, and evaluation of student learning

Teaching Excellence and Faculty Capacity: Strengthens faculty capacity at all career stages to use evidence-based, inclusive, and learner-centered teaching practices. Leads professional learning in competency-based education, learner assessment, student engagement, active and case-based learning, reflective teaching, and feedback.

Assessment Expertise: Builds faculty expertise in assessment design, item writing and analysis, rubric development, competency evaluation, calibration, feedback, and interpretation of student-learning data. Promotes shared understanding and consistent use of effective assessment practices in collaboration with the leaders responsible for program-level assessment and evaluation.

Consultation and Coaching: Provides individual and group consultation on competency-based teaching, learner assessment, feedback, and evaluation of student learning. Partners with appropriate leaders when faculty needs intersect with program oversight, workload, evaluation, performance, or personnel responsibilities.

Academic Leadership Collaboration: Partners with the Executive Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and academic program leaders to align faculty development with program needs and with established curricular, accreditation, and institutional priorities. Collaborates with the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs so that teaching-focused professional development complements faculty onboarding, mentoring, evaluation, promotion, and career development.

Collaboration with Innovative Educational Strategies and Simulation: Partners with the Assistant Dean for Innovative Educational Strategies and Simulation to connect faculty development in competency-based teaching and assessment with simulation, experiential learning, and educational technology. The Assistant Dean retains leadership for the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative educational strategies, simulation, and educational technologies. The Associate Dean provides consultation regarding competency alignment, teaching practices, and learner assessment.

Scholarship and Visibility: Supports faculty scholarship, dissemination, publication, and grant development related to teaching, assessment, and competency-based education, in coordination with the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarly Innovation. Fosters collaborative educational scholarship and builds Loyola Nursing’s national visibility in these areas.

Evaluation and Continuous Advancement: Evaluates the reach, effectiveness, and faculty application of professional development within the position’s portfolio. Monitors emerging evidence and national developments in competency-based education, teaching, and learner assessment to guide priorities and strengthen faculty support.

• Doctoral degree in nursing or a related field
• Eligibility for licensure as a registered nurse in the state of Illinois

This salary range is for a nine-month academic appointment. As Associate Dean for Teaching Excellence and Competency-Based Assessment, an administrative stipend will be added for a twelve-month service basis. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on a range of factors including, but not limited to, the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including years since terminal degree; training; field or discipline; budget availability; internal equity; and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Review of applications will begin in October 2026 and continue until the positions are filled. Applicants should submit the following through careers.luc.edu:

Questions about the positions may be directed to Todd Ruppar, chair of the search committee, at [email protected]

Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, recognized for its academic excellence, commitment to community engagement, and leadership in sustainability. A Carnegie R1 research institution, Loyola leverages its status as one of an elite group of universities with the highest level of research activity to advance knowledge that serves communities and creates global impact. With 15 schools, colleges, and institutes—including Business, Law, Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences—Loyola operates three primary campuses in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, that provide students a transformative, globally connected learning experience. Consistently ranked among the nation’s top universities by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is a STARS Gold-rated institution that is ranked as one of the country’s most sustainable campuses by The Princeton Review and has earned distinctions from AmeriCorps and the Carnegie Foundation for its longstanding record of service and community engagement. Guided by its Jesuit mission and commitment to caring for the whole person, Loyola educates ethical leaders who think critically, act with purpose, and strive to create a more just and sustainable world.

Loyola University Chicago strives to be an employer of choice by offering its staff and faculty a wide array of affordable, comprehensive, and competitive benefits. To view our benefits in detail, click here.

Loyola adheres to all applicable federal, state, and/or local civil rights laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination in private institutions of higher education. Please see the University’s Nondiscrimination Policy.

About the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing

Loyola University Chicago’s Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing advances the science of nursing and provides a transformative education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition that prepares compassionate, innovative, diverse nurse leaders who provide care for the whole person and partner locally and globally to promote social justice and health for all. Our vision is to be a preeminent leader in transforming the health of persons, families, communities, and populations while promoting social justice, health equity, and quality care for all.

A leader in nursing education for more than 90 years, Loyola Nursing is a community of approximately 80 full-time faculty, 26 staff, and more than 1,300 students. Our programs include the BSN and Master’s Entry to Nursing (MN) programs for prelicensure students, a DNP with nurse practitioner tracks, and a PhD in Nursing.

Loyola Nursing spans the University’s Lake Shore Campus and Health Sciences Campus. The Health Sciences Campus is also home to the Stritch School of Medicine, the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, biomedical graduate programs, and Loyola’s health sciences research enterprise, including the 225,000-square-foot Center for Translational Research and Education.
Loyola Nursing has earned national recognition for nursing education, research, and inclusive excellence. Recent distinctions include:

A new building scheduled to open on the Lake Shore Campus in 2028 will support the continued expansion of our BSN program.

For more information, visit luc.edu/nursing.

As a Jesuit Catholic institution of higher education, we seek candidates who will contribute to our strategic plan to deliver a Transformative Education in the Jesuit tradition. To learn more about Loyola University Chicago’s mission, candidates should consult our website at www.luc.edu/mission/. For information about the university’s focus on transformative education, they should consult our website at www.luc.edu/transformativeed.