Instructional Designer

Description

Drew University seeks applications for an Instructional Designer.  This position is 12-month, full-time with an anticipated start date of Summer 2018.

The Instructional Designer is a new position designed to advance and accelerate technology-enhanced teaching and learning at Drew University, with initial focus on hybrid and online graduate courses in the Theological and Caspersen Graduate Schools. Reporting to the Director of Instructional Technologies, the incumbent will bring faculty development and instructional design expertise to the university’s central instructional technology support team and to collaborations with faculty, students, technologists, librarians, and  archivists.

A division of the University Libraries, Instructional Technologies supports the enterprise learning management system (Moodle) and Digital Drew, an interdisciplinary initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to strengthen inclusive, integrative, project-based digital pedagogies across the institution.

Key Responsibilities:

Instructional Design and Course Development

• In collaboration with faculty and other subject matter experts, applies current instructional design theories, practice, and methods to learning activities and course content in alignment with learning outcomes
• Provides instructional design or curriculum development training and support to academic units with complex needs, including but not limited to new online programs, addressing accessibility concerns, cultivating professional and personal development, or exploring competency-based education
• Develops course templates, structures learning activities, and creates quality visual resources and interactive elements
• Manages instructional design projects, ensures timely completion and delivery of hybrid and online instructional design projects, and maintains project documentation
• Works with faculty to continually assess and improve the quality of hybrid and online courses through a quality improvement initiatives, including Quality Matters.
• Writes copy, instructional text, and audio/video scripts for courses
• Identifies opportunities for adoption of open education resources
• Participates in LMS (Moodle) and videoconferencing (Zoom) administration and training, especially for instructors using the platforms for online and hybrid courses

Research and Training

• Develops and facilitates individual and cohort-based training and orientation programs for university instructors and course development partners
• Develop online training courses and learning modules for adult students to access and succeed in online instructional environments

Professional Development and Service

• Attends professional workshops and meetings, sharing knowledge and networking with other instructional designers and related communities of practice
• Enhances expertise by reading appropriate professional journals and trade publications.
• May serve on library, university, and regional or national committees and project teams

Requirements:

Minimum Hiring Standards

• An advanced degree is required
• A minimum of two (2) years of experience in an instructional design, faculty development, or project management position related to teaching with technology in a college or university setting
• Demonstrated experience designing templates for online courses in collaboration with department, program, and/or institutional faculty and staff
• An advanced understanding of the learning theories, principles, and strategies that support best practices in online and technology-enhanced teaching,  including Universal Design for Learning
• An advanced understanding of the ways that online learning enhances and impedes learning across differences and impacts access to education for underrepresented students
• Demonstrated experience with a learning management system and a range of learning technologies
• Demonstrated experience designing and facilitating workshops and trainings for instructors
• Demonstrated project management skills, with the ability to adapt and solve problems proactively and independently
• Demonstrated understanding of policy, compliance, and risk environment affecting online and hybrid courses and programs, including but not limited to accessibility, privacy, information security, and academic integrity
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proven ability to work as a contributing and collegial member of a team, and to communicate proactively within the team environment.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff and student environment or commitment to do so as a staff member at  Drew University

Preferred

• An advanced degree in a discipline such as Instructional Design, Learning Technologies, Curriculum and Instruction, Adult Learning, or a related field
• Teaching experience in a college or university setting
• A record of professional or scholarly contributions to instructional design or faculty development, evidenced through either publications or participation in professional organizations
• Experience designing and facilitating cohort-based faculty development programs
• Familiarity with professional and/or theological education and the specific challenges and opportunities of online learning for vocational and formational development

Application:
To apply, submit the following materials to HR0718-6@Drew.edu. Please include your name in the subject. For full consideration, please submit all materials by August 24, 2018.

• Cover letter
• CV/Resume
• 3 professional references

About Drew University:
Drew University, located on a beautiful, wooded, 186-acre campus in Madison, New Jersey, includes the College of Liberal Arts, the Theological School and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. It has a total enrollment of more than 2,100 students with 145 full-time faculty members. Over 35% of our undergraduate students are from underrepresented groups, and we were recently ranked 19th among baccalaureate institutions for the number of international students enrolled. The Theological and Caspersen Schools offer master’s and doctoral degrees, and the College confers bachelor’s degrees in 32 disciplines.

Drew is dedicated to exceptional faculty mentorship and hands-on learning that successfully prepares students for their futures. Students regularly connect with local communities, and because of our proximity to New York City, we are home to multiple New York Semester experiences for our undergraduate students: Wall Street, United Nations, Contemporary Art, Communications and Media, Social Entrepreneurship, and New York Theatre. The University also houses the Charles A. Dana Research Institute for Scientists Emeriti, the Center for Global Education, the Center for Civic Engagement, the Center on Religion, Culture & Conflict, and the United Methodist Archives and History Center.

To enrich education through diversity, Drew University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. In accordance with Department of Homeland Security regulations, a successful candidate must be authorized to work in the United States. These positions are subject to a background check.