Professional Development Specialist

Professional Development Specialist

Best consideration date for applications: Friday, August 7, 2026

Under the general supervision of the Project Manager for the Maryland Center for Computing Education (MCCE) within the University System of Maryland (USM), the Professional Development Specialist serves as a lead facilitator and champion for teacher professional learning statewide. In this role, the Specialist designs, delivers, and evaluates dynamic, evidence-based professional development experiences in computing education for P12 educators at all career stages. The position fosters a statewide learning community, supports teacher growth through coaching and mentoring, and cultivates collaborative innovation in instructional practice. In addition, the Professional Development Specialist supports MCCE's growing commitment to innovative educator preparation by providing technical support for the learning management system (LMS).

This is a 1-year contractual position with the potential for renewal.

Responsibilities:

• Designs, facilitates, and evaluates in-person and online professional development workshops, curriculum institutes, and professional learning communities in computer science and related P-20 areas for K-12 and higher education educators.
• Collaborates with the Maryland State Department of Education on the development and revision of K-12 computer science education standards.
• Conducts quarterly needs assessments related to computer science, computational thinking, and related content instruction in Maryland public school systems.
• Delivers interactive training on computing pedagogy, curriculum integration, equity strategies, and emerging educational technologies.
• Provides ongoing mentoring and coaching to participating teachers to support instructional improvement.
• Manages implementation of MCCE workshops and related activities for Maryland K-12 districts, administrators, facilitators, higher education faculty, and collaborators.
• Coordinates event logistics, including registration, accommodations, participant communication, and required resources.
• Ensures professional learning offerings are reviewed and approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits in alignment with state requirements.
• Provides operational support to ensure effective meetings, workshops, and conferences.

Platform Administration & Technical Management (Canvas LMS):

• Creates and manages user accounts, roles, permissions, enrollments, and authentication methods; oversees course access and sub-account provisioning for all MCCE and P-20 accounts.
• Sets up academic terms, creates course shells, archives/concludes courses, and supports content import/export and duplication.
• Serves as the primary technical contact for LMS platform-related issues; provides timely support to staff, facilitators, and participants; communicates updates, features, maintenance, and outages for all MCCE and P-20 accounts.
• Develops and maintains user guides, FAQs, tutorials, and best practices; delivers training and onboarding for facilitators and participants.
• Assists with course setup, content organization, and Canvas tool usage; advises on instructional design and accessibility (WCAG/ADA compliance).
• Aligns Canvas interface with MCCE/P-20 branding and manages shared resources, templates, and blueprint courses.
• Generates reports on usage, engagement, and enrollment trends.
• Helps develop and enforce Canvas-related policies; manages course completion certificates and MSDE CPD credit forms.

Information/Data Organization and Analysis:

• Collects, compiles, and organizes data pertinent to the effectiveness of facilitated workshops. Analyzes, summarizes, and communicates this information to appropriate USM officials.
• Assists in the preparation of annual and financial reports, recommendations, and other information resources for the improvement of MCCE and its programs.

P-20 Event Support:

• Provides support for P-20 meetings, convenings, and events as needed, including coordination of logistics and participant communication.
• Assists with implementation tasks to support the overall effectiveness of P-20 activities and initiatives.
• Assists in arranging online or in-person event venues, sets up registration, arranges accommodations, communicates with facilitators and participants, and coordinates any resources needed. Provides any other support required by P-20 to promote the effectiveness of meetings, workshops, and conferences.

Annual Salary: $86,275-$96,425