Instructional Designer

Posting Details

Position Information

Posting Number

S000984

Position Title

Instructional Designer

Department

CAFE-Center for Advancement of Faculty Excellence

Division

Academic Affairs

Supervisor Title

Assistant Provost for Faculty Development and Innovation and Director, CAFE

Status

Full Time Regular

Salary Range

$56,000 - $62,000

Position Summary

The Instructional Designer, housed in the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence (CAFE), partners with faculty, academic programs, and campus colleagues to design, develop, evaluate, and improve high-quality learning experiences across in-person, hybrid, and online modalities.

A central focus of this position is strengthening alignment among program learning outcomes, course learning outcomes, learning activities, assessments, and evidence of student learning. The Instructional Designer will help faculty and programs build and deploy in-person, hybrid, and online courses focused on learning outcomes or standards, rubrics, and aligned assessments within the College’s learning management system, and will support scalable approaches for collecting and using program-level evidence of student learning.

The position also supports course quality, accessibility, faculty professional development, instructional technologies, and thoughtful use of emerging technologies. Experience with Canvas is strongly preferred, but candidates with substantial experience in another enterprise learning management system and a demonstrated ability to learn new platforms are encouraged to apply.

Description of Key Responsibilities

1. Partner with faculty and subject-matter experts to design, develop, revise, and evaluate courses and learning experiences using evidence-informed instructional design practices.
2. Apply backward design and constructive alignment to connect program learning outcomes, course learning outcomes, instructional activities, assignments, assessments, and evidence of student learning.
3. Build and configure course components within the learning management system, including modules, assignments, assessments, rubrics, learning outcomes or standards, and other instructional resources.
4. Support academic programs in creating, organizing, and deploying learning-outcome or standards structures within the LMS, including mapping program learning outcomes to course outcomes and aligned assessments.
5. Collaborate with faculty, academic leaders, and assessment colleagues to develop sustainable workflows for collecting, reviewing, and using evidence of program learning outcomes across courses and programs.
6. Assist faculty with the design and use of rubrics, authentic assessments, and other measures that produce meaningful evidence of learner achievement.
7. Develop and maintain course templates, blueprints, examples, guides, and other resources that promote clear, consistent, accessible, and learner-centered course design while preserving appropriate disciplinary flexibility.
8. Review courses and digital learning materials for instructional quality, usability, accessibility, alignment, learner engagement, and effective use of instructional technology, and recommend practical improvements.
9. Design and facilitate faculty workshops, consultations, institutes, and other professional learning related to course design, assessment, accessibility, online and hybrid teaching, Canvas or other LMS tools, and emerging instructional practices.
10. Support the thoughtful and ethical use of generative artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies in course development, teaching, learning, and assessment.
11. Evaluate, pilot, document, and support instructional technologies in collaboration with CAFE colleagues, Academic Affairs, Information Technology Services, Institutional Effectiveness, and other campus partners.
12. Manage multiple instructional design projects simultaneously, establish clear timelines and deliverables, communicate progress and risks, and maintain accurate project documentation.
13. Create clear faculty-facing documentation, tutorials, examples, and support resources for instructional design processes and learning technologies.
14. Other duties as appropriately assigned.

OTHER KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Support the College’s mission, vision and values, and contribute to the advancement of the College’s Strategic Plan.
2. Demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous quality improvement.
3. Demonstrate civil and inclusive behavior when interacting with staff, faculty, students and visitors to the College. Promote a flexible, collaborative and inclusive work and living environment and engage in educational opportunities to increase awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusion.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

1. Demonstrated knowledge of instructional design, learning sciences, adult learning, backward design, and principles of effective teaching and learning.
2. Demonstrated proficiency with learning outcomes, competencies or standards, curriculum alignment, assessment design, and rubrics.
3. Ability to translate program-level learning goals into course-level outcomes, learning activities, assessments, and evidence that can be collected and interpreted.
4. Experience using a learning management system to build or support courses. Canvas experience is strongly preferred, but equivalent LMS experience is acceptable.
5. Knowledge of accessible and inclusive digital learning practices, including Universal Design for Learning and current accessibility expectations for course materials and technologies.
6. Strong consultation and relationship-building skills, including the ability to work collaboratively with faculty who bring different levels of experience, confidence, and comfort with instructional technology.
7. Excellent written, verbal, listening, facilitation, and presentation skills.
8. Strong project-management, organizational, and time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities with consistent follow-through.
9. Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, solve problems, and contribute effectively within a collaborative team environment.
10. Ability to learn new technologies and translate technical or pedagogical concepts into clear, practical guidance for faculty.
11. Demonstrated commitment to accessible, inclusive, and learner-centered educational practices.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This faculty-facing, consultative instructional design role combines course design expertise with a strong emphasis on learning outcomes and assessment. The successful candidate must be able to move comfortably between one-on-one faculty consultation and institutionally scalable work involving LMS structures, program learning outcomes, course templates, rubrics, quality standards, and faculty-development resources.

The position requires a collaborative, service-oriented professional who can build trust, ask productive questions, influence without formal authority, and translate instructional design and assessment principles into practical solutions. A systems-oriented perspective is especially valuable because the role connects programs, courses, outcomes, assessments, learning technologies, and continuous improvement.

Education/Training

Master’s degree in instructional design, instructional technology, curriculum and instruction, education, learning sciences, educational psychology, or a related field is preferred. A bachelor’s degree with a combination of relevant education, professional experience, and demonstrated expertise may be considered consistent with NCC requirements.

Experience

Two or more years of professional experience in instructional design, course design, faculty development, educational technology, e-learning, curriculum development, or a closely related area is preferred. Higher education experience is strongly preferred.

Candidates should demonstrate experience building or substantially revising courses in a learning management system and applying learning outcomes, assessment, and alignment principles in authentic educational settings.

Experience with one or more of the following is especially desirable: Canvas; LMS outcomes or standards functionality; program-level assessment; course templates or blueprints; online or hybrid course design; accessibility review; course-quality review; faculty professional development; HTML/CSS or digital content development; and educational uses of generative AI.

Licenses or Certifications

Valid Illinois driver’s license and acceptable driving record are required. No other license or certification is required. Relevant certifications or professional development in Canvas, Quality Matters, OSCQR, accessibility, instructional design, online learning, or related areas are valued.

Is This a Temporary Position?

No

Employment Conditions

An offer of employment is contingent upon successful completion of the College’s background screening process.

Number of Vacancies

1

Posting Detail Information

EEO Statement

North Central College is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce. NCC provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please notify the Office of Human Resources. Determinations for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Close Date

Open Until Filled

Yes

Additional Information

The pay offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and training.

North Central College provides a comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• All-inclusive medical, dental and vision group insurance
• Health and dependent care savings plans
• Employer-paid life, AD&D and disability group insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contributions
• Employee assistance plan resources
• Tuition waiver for full-time employees, spouse and dependent children
• Generous paid time off plans, including 3 weeks vacation to start
• 15 paid holidays per year, including 5 days during NCC Winter Break
• Free access to campus health center, fitness and athletic facilities, and library
• Employee discount program