Instructional Designer

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Salary Range:

Position Summary

The Instructional Designer will manage the design and development of a portfolio of complex face-to-face, online and/or blended courses for a growing suite of rigorous programs offered across a variety of disciplines and audiences at the School of Professional Studies. Under the supervision of the Senior Director, Instructional Design & Curriculum Support (Senior Director), the Instructional Designer will collaborate closely with faculty members and will be central to the design/development process in conjunction with media specialists, live events specialists, and academic technologists, as the team works to clearly articulate the goals, assessments, activity paths, learning objects and content for each new course. The Instructional Designer will also identify the pedagogical best practices and supporting educational technologies needed to effectively execute course missions.  This position will oversee end-to-end development of courses during each design cycle. Additionally, under the supervision of the Senior Director, and or the Senior Instructional Designer, the Instructional Designer will collaborate closely with academic directors and senior leadership at the school in new program development, curricular renovation, and the design of hybrid and online courses.

Responsibilities

• Partner with faculty, academic directors to develop course outcomes and clearly articulate the course objectives, requirements, and assessment criteria for face-to-face, online and hybrid courses; design instructional approaches appropriate for the course outcomes and requirements that fully leverage the benefits of the modality; collaborate with educational technologists to analyze the educational technologies (native to the SPS platform or ancillary) to support the instructional approach
• Collaborate with media specialists to design a media strategy in support of the program and course-level outcomes; collaborate with platform and webinar support specialists to troubleshoot technical problems and brainstorm creative solutions for the delivery of live sessions
• Develop the course map or activity path (the course “design theory”); deliver the course syllabus, schedule and instructional design “blueprint”; review and revise syllabi for new and existing programs based on feedback from the Academic Excellence Committee; build high-quality courses in Canvas and the MTP platform
• Oversee the course development project to make sure that the work of course development toward project milestones maintains the integrity of the initial design blueprint; outline the major milestones of course production and assign team roles/responsibilities and coordinate tasks assigned to other C+I team members
• Meet regularly with program leadership and support staff to diagnose the course design and redevelopment needs relative to a program’s growth and trajectory; work with program leadership to ensure compliance with school and academic policies; ensures the timely and successful launch of high quality courses
• Conduct Quality Matters course reviews and offer recommendations for improvement
• Participate in course authentication and approves final versions for readiness to “go live”; review course analytics on a regular cycle to assess course design theories as they play out over time, to identify creative solutions for course improvements, and to recommend need for revision (re-entry into the development cycle); assist faculty in considering and implementing in-flight changes to pilot version courses
• Work with Academic Directors and the Executive Director for Curriculum and Instruction to define programmatic goals and course sequences; work with the Director of Instructional Design to ensure a strategy for course design and development prior to program launch
• Participate in faculty development initiatives designed to improve faculty preparedness in course design, delivery, and assessment; participate in strategic initiatives to drive innovation and operationalize quality at scale; research and disseminate best practices contributing to innovations in teaching and learning with technology
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned or requested

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, or equivalent 
• A minimum of 4 years of related experience
• A resume and cover letter with salary requirements must be submitted for applicant to be considered for the position

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred
• Experience teaching face-to-face, online and/or hybrid courses in higher education
• Demonstrated research interest in a field(s) related to education, curriculum and instruction and/or educational technology

Other Requirements

• Strong creative and process thinking abilities
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders who often hold competing interests
• Ability to manage multiple projects and communicate effectively with stakeholders on a cross-functional team and deliver results under prescribed deadlines
• Ability to define and manage his/her own work processes towards specified team objectives
• Ability to define and manage own work towards specified team objectives
• Experience using a learning management system (i.e. Canvas) to design and deliver curriculum
• Ability to evaluate content to determine its appropriateness for target audiences
• Ability to read, comprehend, analyze and interpret concepts, documents, and data
• Working knowledge of ADA compliance, Fair Use guidelines, and TEACH Act Proficiency in Microsoft Word and familiarity with Microsoft Excel and Adobe Acrobat
• Quality Matters training or willingness to complete training within 90 days of hire
• Knowledge of instructional design theories and models, online pedagogy, assessment, and learning theories
• Demonstrated experience developing team-based, collaborative and/or project-based courses and curricula
• Demonstrated experience developing face-to-face, online and/or blended programming that creatively leverages new-technologies

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.