Instructional Designer: Online Course Architect

Penn State University; University Park (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 86,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

75% tuition discount

Competitive benefits package

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Job summary

Penn State University is seeking an Instructional Designer to oversee the full design, development, and management of online course portfolios. The role centers on partnering with faculty authors to ensure content aligns with learning objectives and assessment best practices.

The position emphasizes collaboration, project leadership, and adherence to copyright and accessibility standards, with a focus on on-site work at least three days per week.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of learning theories and online learning practices.
• Ability to apply knowledge to course design, reviews, and recommendations.
• Outstanding project management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with team members and faculty partners, and delegating work to others.
• Experience with Canvas or another LMS.

Responsibilities

• Meet with faculty authors to design and develop content for asynchronous online courses.
• Provide guidance to faculty authors based on established learning frameworks.
• Review faculty-created course content and assessments and provide research-based recommendations.
• Act as the project manager for courses in development to monitor progress; set schedules and deadlines.
• Collaborate with multimedia specialists in creating course-related multimedia elements and manage completion within timeframe.
• Oversee the work of Instructional Design Assistants for the setup and maintenance of approximately 35 courses each semester.
• Ensure that all course content follows copyright and accessibility standards.
• Research and promote innovative trends and technologies in online learning.

Skills

Learning theory

Project management

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Faculty collaboration

Education

Master’s Degree

Tools

Canvas

Job description

Penn State University is seeking an Instructional Designer to oversee the full design, development, and management of online course portfolios. The role centers on partnering with faculty authors to ensure content aligns with learning objectives and assessment best practices.

The position emphasizes collaboration, project leadership, and adherence to copyright and accessibility standards, with a focus on on-site work at least three days per week.