Manager, Instructional Design

Job Title

Manager, Instructional Design

Agency

Texas A&M University

Department

Academic Affairs Recruiting Office

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

College Station, Texas

Job Type

Staff

Job Description

Our Commitment

Texas A&M University is committed to enriching the learning and working environment for all visitors, students, faculty, and staff by promoting a culture that embraces inclusion, diversity, equity, and accountability.  Diverse perspectives, talents and identities are vital to accomplishing our mission and living our core values .

Who we are

The Office for Academic Innovation is a new initiative within the Office of the Provost, created to centrally support Texas A&M University’s strategic growth in online and hybrid delivery. Texas A&M currently offers 46 online degrees and 24 online certificates, and we are working in collaborative partnership with the 17 Schools and Colleges, Branch Campuses, and McAllen Higher Education Center to continue to expand the reach of the university. The Office for Academic Innovation is committed to inspiring innovation in line with Texas A&M’s strategic focus on transformational teaching and learning. We seek to impact student learning by creating: pathways for improved student retention in an era of digitally-native students; pathways for delivery supported by the diverse education technology landscape; and pathways for enrollment that are designed to be accessible to students across the state of Texas, nation and world. Our iterative philosophy allows us to learn our way forward while remaining grounded in Texas A&M’s traditions of excellence. 

The Academic Affairs Recruiting Office assisted with the creation and posting of this job requisition for the Office for Academic Innovation.

What we want

The Office for Academic Innovation is seeking a Manager, Instructional Design who will lead the accessibility strategy at Texas A&M University for face-to-face, hybrid, and online courses. We are looking for an individual to work fluidly across a cannon of theories, industry standards, best practices, and emerging trends relevant to instructional design in a higher education setting. While the Manager, Instructional Design will primarily engage with faculty, the ideal candidate will be adept at facilitating learners in acquiring knowledge, skills and competencies in an effective, accessible, and appealing manner. In this role, the Manager, Instructional Design will also work with support staff across Texas A&M University's Schools and Colleges, Branch Campuses, and Higher Education Center to create, manage, and oversee customized course templates. This position will particularly focus on the Office for Academic Innovation's commitment to an accessible digital learning environment with a high impact on students at TAMU; in this role, the Manager will take the lead on the intervention and training strategy on accessibility, as well as other relevant projects and processes where accessibility is paramount. Our selected candidate will subscribe to and support our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability as stated above. If this description sounds interesting to you, we invite you to apply to be considered for this opportunity.

What you need to know

Salary: Compensation will be commensurate to selected hire’s qualifications.

Cover Letter & Resume: A cover letter and resume are strongly recommended.

Work Sample Request: Please provide digital access (via web link or PDF) of at least one instructional design project or work sample that illustrates the breadth of your experience in instructional design. You may upload these documents on the application under CV/Resume.

COVID-19 information :  Texas A&M University monitors local, state and federally mandated health guidelines to keep students, employees, prospective employees, and visitors as safe as possible. For the latest information regarding Texas A&M’s COVID-19 response, please visit the University’s COVID-19 website . For COVID-19 employment-related information, please visit the Division of Human Resources and Organizational Effectiveness’ COVID-19 website .

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Five years of related experience in technologically-oriented training, support, and consultation, including two years of instructional design, curriculum development and/or online teaching experience and two years of supervisory experience

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of instructional design, multimedia, and course design principles and practices
• Ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others

Other Requirements or Other Factors:

• Evening and weekend work may be required

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Master’s or Ph.D. degree in Instructional Design and Technology, Curriculum and Instruction, Adult Learning and Literacy, Higher Education, or related field
• More than two years of experience in K-12 or higher education to include ADA compliance, accessibility, instructional design, curriculum and instruction, and faculty development
• Demonstrated experience in meeting the needs of university faculty and students from diverse backgrounds
• Experience teaching in a K-12 or higher education settings across face-to-face, hybrid, and/or online delivery environments
• Experience in a supervisory role managing others
• Experience with the following: Project management, cloud-based team collaboration and management, learning technologies in K-12 and higher education settings, learning consulting, pedagogical best practices for all learners, customizing content, client and customer-service, end-user experience design

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent project management skills
• Knowledge of UX/UI design in courses
• Advanced knowledge of ADA compliance and accessibility standards
• Proficiency in utilizing accessibility testing tools, such as Blackboard ALLY, particularly in reporting and intervention methods for implementing actionable change in courses
• Proficiency in Universal Design for Learning principles
• Advanced knowledge of pedagogical best practices for all learners
• Understanding key performance indicators of student success
• Proficiency in Canvas learning management system and associated third-party tools (Google, Zoom, Microsoft)
• Excellent customer service skills
• Demonstrated strategic thinking abilities
• Organizational and leadership skills
• Works well independently and in a team environment
• Ability to work with faculty and/or staff in a consulting and/or training capacity

Responsibilities:

• Accessibility Strategy - Leads the creation and implementation of the accessibility strategy for the Office for Academic Innovation (AI). Supports the efforts of faculty and support staff across Texas A&M to develop and design accessible digitally-enhanced experiences across multiple mediums; applies instructional design theories, industry standards, best practices, and emerging trends. Oversees the coordination of related course deliverables with course instructor, instructional design team, and multimedia team. Collaborates with faculty and support staff to appropriately implement the tools that make up Texas A&M University’s digital learning environment. Provides guidance and key recommendations for faculty on instructional methods and accessible course design. Researches and integrates emerging academic technology and instructional design innovations and trends in course design. Stays current in instructional design software and strategies that enhances face to face, hybrid, and online courses. Contributes to the Office for Academic Innovation’s campus and scholarly impact by engaging in research, publications, and other creative outreach. Manages and supervises accessibility support team.

• Canvas Template Management - Collaborates with academic units across Texas A&M University’s Schools and Colleges, Branch Campuses, and Higher Education Center on the design, development, and delivery of College/School specific enhancements of the Canvas template. Provides guidance to academic units on pre-defined quality assurance standards to ensure course content is accessible. Maintains advanced knowledge of accessibility best practices. Researches and contributes to the evaluation framework for courses across Texas A&M University. Leads and develops the process for providing feedback and recommendations for course improvement. Facilitates and supports continuous quality improvement initiatives. 

• Training and Communication Strategy - Leads training development, delivery, and communication across Texas A&M University’s Schools and Colleges, Branch Campuses, and Higher Education Center on technology enhancements and policies related to accessibility in the digital learning environment; remains current on all compliance standards and proposes mitigation efforts and/or interventions for ensuring ADA compliance. Remains current on all product enhancements among the major technologies that support Texas A&M’s digital learning environment (Canvas, Zoom, Google, Microsoft). Creates and facilitates specialized workshops and faculty development opportunities to address accessibility for enhancing instruction across various delivery modalities. Contributes to standardized operational processes and procedures, policy guidelines, and documentation.

• Representative - Amplifies the strategic initiatives of the Office for Academic Innovation across Texas A&M University. Contributes to faculty and student governance structures that intersect with relevant projects and their impacts on teaching and learning. Engages in university and college-level collaboration to ensure timely and effective project completion while seeking out opportunities for academic innovation where appropriate. Prepares regular accessibility status reports for university administration. Champions student success in the digital learning environment. Develops or assists the development and implementation of rules, regulations, procedures, and standard practices for accessibility in the digital learning environment. Works with key internal and external stakeholders across the higher education community to optimize the digital learning environment at Texas A&M. Performs other duties as assigned.

Instructions to Applicants: Applications received by Texas A&M University must either have all job application data entered or a resume attached. Failure to provide all job application data or a complete resume could result in an invalid submission and a rejected application. We encourage all applicants to upload a resume or use a LinkedIn profile to pre-populate the online application.

In accordance with the federal contractor vaccination mandate , specific facilities at The Texas A&M System may be considered a covered contractor workplace with covered contractor employees. Therefore, successful applicants for this position may be subject to the federal mandate to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment unless an approved medical or religious accommodation is in place.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer committed to diversity.