(on-site) Instructional Designer - WVU Online

The department of WVU Online is currently accepting applications for an Instructional Designer.

About the Opportunity

The Instructional Designer will work collaboratively with faculty and staff to design, develop, and support high-quality online and hybrid courses, as well as supplemental instructional materials. This role ensures quality assurance by incorporating industry standards and institutional best practices into course development. Through collaboration with other team members and, when necessary, working independently, the individual will create engaging and effective instructional materials that are functional, intuitive, and aligned with sound instructional design principles. The Instructional Designer will provide recommendations on interface design, sequencing of instruction, assessments, and course activities while evaluating the instructional effectiveness of developed materials. Additionally, this role will explore and implement emerging technologies to enhance learning experiences, automate services, and facilitate communication among team members and clients. This position requires a proactive, energetic, and highly organized individual with strong interpersonal skills, decision-making abilities, and experience working with faculty in higher education. The ability to manage multiple projects, lead initiatives, and work both collaboratively and independently is essential.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week
  
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
  
• 15 annual leave (vacation) days per year or more based on years of service (employee leave)
  
• 18 sick days per year (for when you're ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family's, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
  
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
  
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ's.
  
• Wellness programs

What You'll Do

• Lead, coordinate, and execute course design and development projects, content updates, and in-term maintenance for graduate and undergraduate courses.
• Proactively manage a development schedule consisting of multiple, concurrent instructional design projects.
• Assess and enhance course design to meet institutional and College quality standards and align content, instructional strategies, assessment of learning, and student success objectives.
• Plan, produce, and deploy instructional materials using various tools and technologies, such as HTML, SCORM, Adobe Creative Suite, Camtasia, Adobe Captivate, Articulate products, and other relevant eLearning tools.
• Ensure instructional integrity through systematic design and clear documentation, such as curriculum mapping, instructional analyses, narratives, and storyboards.
• Conduct learning needs analysis to ensure instructional materials are appropriate and effective.
• Provide instructional design expertise.
• Communicate frequently and effectively with faculty, project collaborators, college leadership and WVU Online leadership to ensure alignment with goals and objectives.
• Offer consultation to faculty on instructional design principles and the effective use of instructional technology.
• Design, develop, and deliver faculty development materials/workshops and other professional development programs related to pedagogy/andragogy, quality standards in online courses, and instructional technology tools.
• Participate in testing and deployment of LMS upgrades, online learning tools, and other instructional technologies.
• Maintain compliance with institutional quality standards and other industry regulations related to course development and accessibility.
• Provide periodic reports on course development projects and instructional effectiveness assessments.
• Advise leadership on strategic, tactical, and operational issues related to instructional technology.
• Explore emerging technologies and techniques for potential instructional applications.
• Assist in the development of instructional technology policies and procedures.
• Provide ongoing technical support for all online instructors.
• Assist with conducting faculty development and training sessions.
• Perform other duties as directed by leadership to support college and university online learning initiatives.

• Master's Degree in a relevant field.
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience in the following:
  
  
  
  • web-based instructional material design, development and deployment
    
  • implementing quality standards in online course development
  
  
  
  
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
  
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

General:

• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Commitment to customer service and team-oriented collaboration.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with faculty and staff.
• Ability to interpret client needs and develop instructional materials accordingly.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and adapt to evolving priorities.
• Proven ability to continuously learn and apply new instructional design tools and methods.
• Strong problem-solving, negotiation, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a project team.
• Experience leading instructional design or online learning projects in a higher education setting.

Technical:

• In-depth knowledge of learning and instructional theories, including adult learning principles and online pedagogy/andragogy.
• Understanding of information architecture principles and their application in instructional design.
• Proficiency with instructional design tools such as storyboards, flowcharts, and assessment design frameworks.
• Experience using eLearning development tools such as Articulate products, Adobe Captivate, and Camtasia.
• Familiarity with web technologies including CSS, HTML, and related development tools.
• Experience working with web-based learning management systems (preferably Blackboard).
• Awareness of emerging technologies and their application to online and hybrid instruction.
• Basic knowledge of multimedia production, including streaming audio/video, file compression, and graphic design for digital instruction.
• Understanding of eLearning technologies and how they support instructional goals.
• Experience applying the quality learning models for online and hybrid course design.

West Virginia University is a place of purpose and community. We take pride in our profound impact on the state of West Virginia and are committed to the personal and professional growth of our employees.

From the groundbreaking R1 research at our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs at WVU Potomac State in Keyser, and the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley, the contributions of WVU employees resonate across the state, touching lives and shaping futures.

At WVU, you will discover a supportive community that champions work-life balance and fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Our core values - service, curiosity, respect, accountability and appreciation - unite us as Mountaineers.

Join us at West Virginia University, where your work will make a lasting impact. To learn more about WVU, visit wvu.edu.

West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We invite all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or Veteran status.