Find & Apply For Higher Education Administrator Jobs in Estherville, Iowa

DEAN OF DISTANCE LEARNING

GENERAL

JOB SUMMARY

This is a multi-campus position with a home base on the Estherville Campus. The Dean of Distance Learning will provide strategic leadership for the College's online and technology-enhanced learning initiatives, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, accessible, and innovative educational experiences for students across all campuses. The Dean will provide leadership, facilitate change, and effectively manage distance learning programs, instructional technologies, resources, and personnel while working collaboratively with academic deans, faculty, and administrative departments to advance the College's mission and strategic priorities. This position serves as the College's primary leader for online education, overseeing learning management systems, distance education operations, faculty support, instructional technology, online course quality, and compliance with state, federal, and accreditation requirements. The Dean works closely with academic divisions to expand high-quality online learning opportunities, improve student success and retention, support faculty professional development, and promote the effective integration of instructional technologies throughout the College.

Position:

Dean of Distance Learning

Classification:

Administration

Department:

Dean of Distance Learning Report to: Vice President of Academic Affairs

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

(% OF TIME): Constant (67-100%) Provide leadership and supervision for the Educational Technologist, Distance Learning Coordinator, Associate Director of Academic Resources, Online Adjunct Faculty, and the ICCOC Mentor Trainers. Direct and oversee selected academic programs, ensuring program quality, compliance, and continuous improvement. Manage online faculty recruitment and assignment processes, including identifying course sections requiring instructors, recruiting and screening qualified candidates, collaborating with Academic Deans on faculty selection, and preparing contracts for full-time and adjunct online faculty. Lead the continuous evaluation, enhancement, and development of online courses and curriculum to ensure high-quality learning experiences and alignment with institutional standards. Oversee the coordination and planning of professional development initiatives offered through the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), including the planning, delivery, and assessment of training opportunities for faculty and staff. Serve as the institutional Canvas Administrator, providing oversight, system administration, and support for the College's Learning Management System. Direct and oversee the Distance Education course offering process, including instructor assignments, course creation and maintenance in Canvas, accurate course scheduling and listing in Colleague, and resolution of related technical issues. Frequent (34-66%) Develop and implement the college's strategic vision for distance education, ensuring alignment with institutional goals, student needs, and emerging trends in online learning. Collaborate with the management of the Dropout Detective student retention platform, including faculty and ally training, communication strategies, and maintenance of accurate and up-to-date dashboards and reporting. Oversee the implementation and administration of Simply Syllabus for face-to-face, hybrid, and restricted online courses, ensuring syllabi and required components are reviewed and updated each academic term. Manage Canvas Catalog. Collaborate with Continuing Education and Workforce Development to support course offerings, generate revenue and enrollment reports, and complete required MIS reporting. Establish and monitor quality standards for online learning, including accessibility, instructional design, student engagement, and compliance with accreditation expectations. Lead Iowa Lakes' Inclusive Access program, including oversight of participating courses, eBook fees, stakeholder communication and coordination with the ICCOC. Collaborate with Academic Deans to support and enhance the online course evaluation and quality assurance process. Partner with the ICCOC and consortium institutions to monitor and analyze online enrollment, course offerings, student retention, success metrics, and institutional reporting as a member of the ICCOC Oversight Committee. Collaborate with marketing and academic departments to promote online course offerings, programs, and support student recruitment efforts, and maintain adequate enrollment levels. Develop, recommend, and implement policies and procedures related to distance education, online instruction, and instructional technologies. Work collaboratively with college administrators to develop, analyze, and report data and analytics from Canvas and other learning technologies to support institutional decision-making. Serve as the primary point of contact for online student concerns and complaints, conduct investigations, resolve issues, and coordinate with appropriate Academic Deans and departments as needed. Coordinate the collection, analysis, and dissemination of student feedback related to online courses and learning experiences to support continuous improvement efforts. Occasional (10-33%) Serve as one of Iowa Lakes' representatives on the ICCOC Oversight Committee, contributing to strategic planning, policy development, and consortium-wide initiatives. Collaborate with academic leadership and deans to identify and develop new online programs, certificates, and credentials that support workforce and student demand. Evaluate online program viability and enrollment trends to inform program expansion and resource allocation decisions. Utilize institutional and learning analytics to assess program effectiveness, inform decision-making, and support continuous improvement initiatives. Lead institutional preparation and reporting related to distance education for accreditation reviews and audits. Collaborate with Student Services and Academic Affairs to enhance support systems for online students. Act as the lead ICCOC Security Approver for Iowa Lakes, ensuring compliance with consortium security protocols and technology governance requirements. Maintain institutional compliance with state authorization requirements, federal regulations, and accreditation standards related to distance education. Review and submit technology risk assessment proposals to the ICCOC for faculty-requested API and LTI integrations, ensuring adherence to security, privacy, and accessibility standards. Collaborate with the ICCOC to evaluate, select, implement, assess, and enhance learning technologies and support services for students and faculty within the learning management system, including tools such as Dropout Detective, Simply Syllabus, Brainfuse, Harmonize, StudyMate, and Panorama. Assist in the development, administration, and monitoring of the Distance Education Department budget. Collaborate with institutional stakeholders to evaluate, select, implement, and support college-wide technology solutions that enhance teaching, learning, and operational effectiveness. Serve on institutional committees and task forces as assigned, contributing expertise in distance education, instructional technology, data, and student success initiatives. Perform other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

Represent the College in a positive manner to other employees, students, visitors, and the general public. Be a creative, energetic, and self-motivated individual with strong organizational skills. Assume responsibility, deal effectively with problems, and exercise independent judgement when making decisions according to written handbook(s), procedures, and unwritten practices. Establish and maintain good working relationships with administrators, instructional staff, students, and support staff and colleagues. Read, understand, and express oneself clearly and effectively in oral and written communication. Ability to access, input, and retrieve information from a computer for work processing, spreadsheets, and other College software programs. Possess strong leadership and human relations skills and the ability to effectively related to diverse groups/individuals.

SPECIAL DEMANDS

Sedentary to light work. Position involves sitting most of the time, exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally (10-33%). Stooping, kneeling, crouching, pushing, and pulling occasionally (10-33%). Walking, lifting, and grasping frequently (34-66%). Talking, hearing, viewing various types of close visual work and repetitive motion constantly (67-100%). Must have valid driver's license, good driving record, and be insurable. Required to travel utilizing personal vehicle. Employment with Iowa Lakes Community College is dependent upon successful passage of a criminal background check. Must be legally eligible to work in the United States without employer sponsorship. Iowa Lakes Community College participates in the federal E-Verify program. We will verify your employment eligibility in the United States as required by law. The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the essential functions, job duties/responsibilities, and performance expectations of the job, which should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Master's degree in education, leadership, or related discipline required. Five or more years of instructional experience at a college or university is preferred. Two or more years of administrative leadership in education is preferred. Any equivalent combination of aforementioned experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of this job will be considered by the Human Resources department. Experience in a technology driven field and familiarity with learning management systems preferred.

Salary:

$81,179

Fringe Benefits:

Paid sick leave, vacation, and holidays. Employee health, dental, and vision insurance. Partially funded family insurance available. Employee life and disability insurance. Employee retirement package.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The following items must be included in your application packet before it will be considered a complete application: Employment Application form Applicant Confidential Information form (This data is used to comply with government required affirmative action record keeping only and is not used for applicant screening purposes.) A letter addressing your qualifications for the position A resume A copy of transcripts, with originals due upon hiring Only complete application packets will be considered for the position vacancy. Position open until filled. Review of applications will begin August 24, 2026. Contact Lynn Miller at lmmiller@iowalakes.edu or 712-362-0409.