How to Apply
A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in two pages or less, please let us know how you will align with your career aspirations and skills. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file (because of system limitations.
What You'll Do
The Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan is looking for a qualified Learning Experience Designer Senior to work with the development and iterations of online and hybrid degree and credit-bearing programs. You will support academic units with the development of online degree programs ensuring agreement between course and program level outcomes while creating for-credit courses. You will report to the Learning Experience Design Lead and also work with the Director of Blended and Online Learning Experience Design.
Who We Are
About the Center for Academic Innovation
The Center for Academic Innovation is where creativity and the University of Michigan's aspirations for societal impact combine to reimagine the future of higher education. Through curricular innovation, educational data and research, and educational technology, we position U-M as a global leader in academic innovation to create and inspire change in higher education and to promote an engaged and informed society.
About the Learning Experience Design Team
The Learning Experience Design Team design team supports course design and iteration for online and hybrid degree programs at U-M, and a range of ongoing activities related to the operation of existing programs. We work with faculty and academic unit leaders to envision how they can expand the reach and effect, promote teaching, and support greater access and lifelong learning through the design, and iteration of integrated online learning experiences.
For more information, please visit our website: Academic Innovation.
Responsibilities*
Online Course Design
- Lead complex course design projects with a focus on pedagogical approaches that result in engaging online learning experiences by advocating for learner-centered instructional strategies, and aligning learning outcomes with activities and assessments to ensure continuity between outcomes, course content, and design goals
- Collaborate with faculty, program leaders, Learning Experience Designers, Design Managers, and Media Designers at the Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) to design high-quality online and hybrid courses
- Apply a range of instructional design methods and learning theories to learner-centered course design. Implement inclusive design approaches, considering diverse audiences of learners, and foregrounding issues of equity and accessibility throughout the design process
- Support partner and team member relationships, process management, and project success
- Define a scope of work in response to affordances and constraints introduced by program requirements and project partners while ensuring a high-quality course design
- Operate within different types of school units and online degree programs, meeting the individual expectations of each unit
- Oversee the development of learner personas for primary and secondary audiences, ensuring that diverse groups of learners are represented
- Provide course teams and faculty collaborators with inspirational examples to spark ideas and promote creative solutions
- Develop and integrate practices that follow regulatory and compliance norms for credit-bearing, including practices related to credit hour guidance, regular and substantive interaction, and accessibility
- Work with academic unit support staff and CAI team members to develop or retrofit course materials including media to make them more accessible for all students
- Apply templates, checklists, and guidelines to assist faculty in the development and iteration of online and hybrid learning experiences
- Propose technical solutions to pedagogical design challenges through the thoughtful integration of educational technologies
- Review course designs to ensure that activities, media, and resources are aligned with targeted learning goals and specified course and program outcomes
- Provide feedback on assessment creation, including multiple-choice quizzes, rubrics, and peer-graded assignments
- Document course design decisions and support hand-off of course development notes to ensure seamless support and iteration of projects
- Evaluate the efficacy of course designs to make research- and evidence-based recommendations for iteration and improvement
- Provide formal mentorship and professional modeling for student fellows and residents through guidance on internal and external projects.
Applied Research
- Support research planning and protocols that collect data necessary to help academic unit partners understand instructor and learner needs in online and hybrid learning
- Use data where available to inform course improvements and iterations
- Support research projects that improve understanding of online learning design
- Contribute to the discipline of learning experience design and educational technology through diverse formats and outlets (e.g., conference proceedings, journals, blogs, and webinars)
Required Qualifications*
- Bachelor's degree in education, curriculum and instruction, learning sciences, instructional design, educational technology, or information science or an equivalent combination
- 3+ years of experience (or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience) in instructional computing, educational technology or instructional design
- Demonstrated vision and experience creating learning experiences that place a high value on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness
- Working knowledge of standards for online non-credit and for-credit course design, including copyright and accessibility
- Understanding of integrating learning theories, instructional design methods, and learner-centered design principles into online learning experiences
- Demonstrated expertise in applying a learner-centered approach to online course design
- Demonstrated expertise in assessing project outcomes and making recommendations for improvement and iteration
- Experience working in curriculum design teams in higher education settings
- Experience using online education platforms (e.g., Canvas, Coursera, and edX)
- Demonstrated experience working in a team environment
- Demonstrated initiative and customer service-oriented attitude
Additional Information
The general salary range for this position is $75,000-$80,000. You can expect to be paid a great compensation package. Factors used to determine salary include education level and experience for the position and internal equity within the unit. You are encouraged to discuss salary questions to honor agreement and transparency throughout the recruiting process.
Please Note: This is a 5 year term limited position with the possibility of renewal depending on funding.
This is not a remote position and any adjustments to a standard in-person schedule will be discussed during the hiring process.
The salary for this position will be based on your education and experience.
Excellent benefits are available, for details, see http://benefits.umich.edu/
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) is committed to inclusion in our organizational work, culture, climate, and the products we create. We try to recruit a diverse team as a reflection of our commitment to our work designing equitable and inclusive learning and work environments that are necessary for the university community to make progress on solving societal challenges. CAI draws on each of our team member's unique backgrounds and experiences to guide our everyday work in the center, and our team collaborates with students, staff, and faculty on projects that center our commitment to DEIJ work. All interested applicants, including those from groups historically marginalized by educational privilege, are encouraged to apply.
Background Screening
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.
Decision Making Process
Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.
U-M EEO/AA Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.