Director of Educational Development and Program Effectiveness

The Director of Educational Development and Program Effectiveness-

The Director of Educational Development and Program Effectiveness is a faculty role within the Lyon College School of Dental Medicine (LCSDM) that supports the School's clinical and educational mission through leadership in strategic planning, student success, didactic delivery, clinical coverage and supervision, assessment, faculty development, accreditation support, academic performance improvement, clinical rotation coordination, and curriculum development. This position reports directly to the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and works in close collaboration with clinical and academic leadership, faculty, staff, students, and external rotation partners to advance educational quality and program performance.

This position is expected to contribute meaningfully in both instructional and administrative capacities. The Director provides direct teaching and clinical supervision, supports student development and academic progression, helps coordinate external clinical experiences, and leads or assists with initiatives related to CODA and HLC accreditation, continuous quality improvement, educational assessment, faculty calibration, and strategic implementation. The successful candidate will bring a strong background in dental education and patient care, with the ability to connect educational priorities with the operational needs of a clinical academic environment.

Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

• Strategic Planning and Program Effectiveness
  • Participates in strategic planning activities that support the clinical education mission, faculty effectiveness, student success, and continuous improvement of LCSDM programs.
  • Assists leadership in developing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating goals, benchmarks, and action plans tied to educational quality, student outcomes, and operational priorities.
  • Collects, organizes, analyzes, and reports educational and program data to support informed decision-making and program effectiveness efforts.
  • Supports ongoing quality improvement initiatives designed to strengthen teaching, student performance, faculty engagement, and clinical educational outcomes.
• Student Success, Student Performance, and Student Development
  • Monitors student academic and clinical performance and assists in identifying learners who may benefit from early intervention, coaching, remediation, or additional support.
  • Collaborates with faculty and leadership to develop, implement, and monitor student support plans intended to improve academic progression, clinical competency attainment, professionalism, and readiness for practice.
  • Promotes student development through mentoring, feedback, coaching, and structured support related to communication, critical thinking, clinical judgment, and professional growth.
  • Assists in reviewing student progress data and recommending strategies that improve retention, achievement, licensure readiness, and overall student success.
• Didactic Delivery, Clinical Coverage, and Supervision
  • Provides didactic instruction and educational leadership predoctoral courses, seminars, calibration activities, and related learning experiences as assigned.
  • Provides clinical coverage, direct supervision, and instruction for students in patient care settings, simulation activities, and other clinical learning environments as assigned.
  • Supports continuity of clinical instruction by collaborating with faculty and administrators to ensure appropriate educational coverage, effective student supervision, and consistent clinical expectations.
  • Models evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, professionalism, and effective interprofessional communication in all educational and clinical activities.
• Assessment, Accreditation, and Educational Quality
  • Supports development, implementation, and refinement of assessment systems for didactic, preclinical, and clinical education.
  • Assists in collecting and interpreting data related to student learning outcomes, academic performance, clinical competencies, board readiness, and other program effectiveness indicators.
  • Contributes to accreditation readiness and continuous compliance efforts, including organization of materials, data, narratives, follow-up plans, and reports related to CODA and HLC expectations as applicable to the role.
  • Helps ensure that educational activities, policies, procedures, and documentation align with institutional standards, accreditation requirements, and applicable regulations.
• Faculty Development and Educational Support
  • Leads or supports faculty development initiatives related to teaching effectiveness, calibration, student assessment, feedback practices, curriculum delivery, clinical instruction, and educational best practices.
  • Facilitates onboarding, mentoring, coaching, and professional development activities that strengthen faculty performance and support high-quality educational delivery.
  • Promotes consistency in supervision, assessment, grading, and clinical expectations across faculty members and instructional settings.
  • Encourages a culture of collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement among faculty and educational teams.
• Curriculum Development and Academic Performance Improvement
  • Supports curriculum development, review, revision, sequencing, and implementation in collaboration with school leadership, course directors, and faculty.
  • Assists in aligning curriculum content, assessment methods, and educational experiences with program competencies, learning outcomes, and clinical practice expectations.
  • Evaluates curriculum effectiveness and recommends modifications based on student performance data, faculty feedback, assessment findings, and strategic priorities.
  • Works to strengthen academic performance through educational innovation, integration of didactic and clinical experiences, and improvement of teaching and learning resources.
• Clinical Rotations and External Site Coordination
  • Supports planning, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of clinical rotations and external educational experiences.
  • Works with faculty, staff, students, and external clinical partners to facilitate student placements, site communication, orientation, documentation, and expectations for rotation experiences.
  • Monitors the educational quality and consistency of clinical learning experiences across affiliated sites and recommends improvements when needed.
  • Collaborates with leadership and site partners to address scheduling, supervision, student performance, and educational concerns related to community-based or affiliated clinical activities.
• Administrative Leadership and Other Duties
  • Prepares reports, summaries, presentations, and recommendations for leadership, committees, accreditation activities, and other stakeholders as requested.
  • Participates in committees, meetings, and special projects that support the mission and strategic goals of the School.
  • Maintains confidentiality and appropriate stewardship of student, faculty, patient, and institutional information.
  • Performs other duties as assigned in support of LCSDM educational, clinical, and operational priorities.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Individual must possess the knowledge and the following skills and abilities or be able to perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities:

• Knowledge of dental or dental hygiene education, clinical instruction, student assessment, curriculum development, and faculty development in a higher education setting.
• Knowledge of student success strategies, academic performance support processes, and continuous quality improvement in health professions education.
• Knowledge of CODA and HLC accreditation principles, assessment practices, and program evaluation methods.
• Knowledge of clinical education models, student supervision, external rotation experiences, and standards for safe and effective patient care instruction.
• Ability to provide effective didactic teaching and clinical instruction in a professional school environment.
• Ability to analyze data, prepare reports, monitor trends, and use findings to inform planning and decision-making.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, students, staff, administrators, and external clinical partners.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Familiarity with HIPAA, FERPA, OSHA, and laws and regulations pertaining to the practice of dentistry and dental hygiene in Arkansas.
• Regular attendance is an essential function of the job.

Requirements:

• Current licensure as a Registered Dental Hygienist or Dentist in Arkansas, or eligibility to obtain Arkansas licensure, is required.
• Doctorate degree in dentistry, Bachelor's degree in Dental Hygiene or a related field is required; master's or doctorate degree in Education, Health Professions Education, Public Health, or a related field is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in clinical practice, education, or clinical academic leadership is required.
• Experience in didactic teaching, clinical supervision, student assessment, faculty development, curriculum development, and academic performance improvement is preferred.
• Experience supporting accreditation, outcomes assessment, strategic planning, or program evaluation is preferred.
• Experience coordinating or supporting clinical rotations, external sites, or community-based educational experiences is preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn institutional educational, assessment, and reporting systems are required.
• Must be collaborative, detail oriented, organized, self-directed, and able to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic educational and clinical environment.
• Support compliance with HIPAA, FERPA, OSHA, and applicable accreditation and regulatory guidelines.

Work Conditions:

• Work is primarily indoors in classroom, clinic, simulation, and office environments, but may require travel between local campus buildings and external rotation or affiliated clinical sites.
• Performing duties and attending meetings, events, accreditation activities, or educational programs outside the normally scheduled work hours occasionally occurs and is required.
• Travel to local, state, regional, and/or national meetings, educational programs, and other Lyon College facilities occurs occasionally and may be required.
• Incumbent may be exposed to frequent noise caused by dental equipment, telephones, office machines, simulation equipment, and nearby oral communications among School personnel, students, and patients.
• Work hours may vary due to clinic schedules, teaching assignments, rotation needs, and operational priorities.

Lyon College is a USN&WR "top tier" national liberal arts college and recognized by Forbes as "One of America's Top Colleges." Founded in 1872, the College is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in Arkansas and offers undergraduates exceptional preparation for their post-baccalaureate objectives, particularly in STEM fields, Business, Economics and Accounting, and the Arts. The Lyon College Institute of Health Sciences in Little Rock houses the College's professional programs, including the School of Dental Medicine and the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Interested candidates should apply electronically at www.lyon.edu/employment. Review of the applications will begin immediately and continue until the positions are filled. To learn more about Lyon College go to www.lyon.edu.

Lyon College does not discriminate with respect to the hiring of applicants or with respect to the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, or national origin. It is the continuing policy of Lyon College to comply with any applicable state and federal law regarding equal employment opportunities.