Senior Instructional Designer

Hiring Department: Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE)

Location:  Chicago, IL USA

Requisition ID: 1013530

Posting Close Date: October 3, 2022

About the University of Illinois Chicago

UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best Colleges” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the nation and among all national universities. UIC has nearly 260,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

Description:

The Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE) at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) invites applicants for the position of Senior Instructional Designer to support the CATE’s mission to engage all members of the UIC education community in transforming courses and programs into inclusive, accessible, engaging, and innovative learning environments.

Reporting to the CATE Executive Director, the Senior Instructional Designer (Sr. ID) will manage the design and development of a portfolio of courses and programs delivered in various instructional modalities (on campus, online, hybrid) and offered across a variety of disciplines and to diverse audiences. The Sr. ID will collaborate closely with subject matter experts, including instructors and researchers, and will be central to the course design and development process, serving as a project manager and an expert in pedagogy, course design, and the enabling technologies needed for teaching and learning projects. The Sr. ID will lead a team of instructional designers and will represent the team across units contributing to educational innovation at UIC. Key responsibilities of this position as follows.

Leadership and Project Management:

• Lead initiatives to enhance instructor knowledge of and enthusiasm for teaching and learning practices; develop presentations to promote resources, services, and programming associated with teaching innovation and facilitate collaborations and engagement of campus stakeholders with these initiatives; work with CATE staff to regularly promote and communicate news, resources, and events relevant to campus stakeholder engagement.
• Ensure the proper implementation of quality standards for course and program design and that courses and programs are delivered in accordance with established educational goals and project timelines.
• Oversee end-to-end development of courses and programs during each design cycle, including management of logistics and communication.
• Supervise, train, evaluate, and coordinate the day-to-day activities and project assignments of a team of instructional designers.
• Lead an active, engaged community of teaching innovation and learning professionals sharing knowledge, research and best practices broadly.

Course Design and Development:

• Partner with instructors, program directors, and academic leads to clearly articulate and develop learning objectives and assessment criteria for courses and programs
• Partner with media specialists to plan and support the design of innovative digital learning experiences from ideation to launch, aligning content presentation and technical strategy with course and program outcomes; engage IT support specialists to troubleshoot technical issues.
• Ensure ADA / WCAG compliance for course and program content and execute quality control processes in design cycle.

Continuous Improvement:

• Research current evaluation methods for immediate and long-term assessment of student performance, curriculum, and/or participant engagement; advise administrative leadership and instructors regarding revisions and updates for courses and curriculum to meet new developments in design practices, learning theory, and technology.
• Partner with a cross-functional team to conduct needs analysis, build relationships with subject matter experts, stakeholders, and learners, and define success metrics.
• Provide input for timely submission of budget requests supporting project implementation.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Instructional Design or related discipline.
• Minimum of five years’ experience in designing high-quality, interactive courses or programs in higher education that includes leading complex or specialized projects.
• Expert knowledge of instructional design principles and educational theory.
• Effective needs analysis, training, project management, course development, and evaluation skills.
• Demonstrated fluency using and training users in one or more LMS platforms (Blackboard preferred), video streaming platforms (e.g., VoiceThread, Panopto, Zoom), and e-learning authoring tools (e.g., Articulate 360, Camtasia Studio).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree or equivalent terminal degree.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Strong leadership, customer relationship and interpersonal skills.
• Experience teaching face-to-face, online and/or hybrid courses in higher education.
• Experience hiring, supervising, and mentoring employees.
• Working knowledge of designing for accessibility in compliance with ADA / WCAG requirements.
• Experience applying quality rubrics for course design. QM certification is preferred.

This position is a full-time, 12-month appointment, with an anticipated start date of November 16, 2022. Salary range is from $85,000 to $95,000, commensurate with experience. For fullest consideration, please complete an electronic application, including a 1-2 page letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact information for three professional references. Candidates may also submit up to five pages in materials from their portfolio in instructional design that they feel would assist the search committee with an evaluation of their application.  Examples of such materials include a record of past course design experiences and/or a writing sample.

Please direct nominations and questions or concerns regarding the search and/or application process to Nicole Bradford (teaching@uic.edu). Confidentiality will be observed in the academic search process.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

The university provides accommodations to applicants and employees. Request an Accommodation