Lead Instructional Designer — Online Course Portfolio

Penn State; Pennsylvania; Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 86,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn State is seeking an Instructional Designer to oversee the design, development, and management of online course portfolios within the College of the Liberal Arts. The role emphasizes collaboration with faculty authors to ensure high-quality content and assessments that support student success.

The position requires advanced knowledge of learning theories and current research in online learning, plus robust project management and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Master's degree and at least 3 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with Canvas or another learning management system.
• Strong written and verbal communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Meeting with faculty authors to design and develop content for asynchronous online courses, including those that enroll adult learners.
• Providing guidance to faculty authors based on established learning frameworks.
• Reviewing faculty-created course content and assessments and providing research-based recommendations to enhance student learning.
• Acting as the project manager for courses in development to monitor progress; determine, set, and ensure others on the team adhere to schedules and deadlines.
• Collaborating with multimedia specialists in the creation of course-related multimedia elements (animations, illustrations, videos, virtual environments) and managing the completion of these elements within an established timeframe.
• Overseeing the work of Instructional Design Assistants for the setup and maintenance of approximately 35 courses each semester.
• Ensuring that all course content follows copyright and accessibility standards.
• Researching and promoting innovative trends and technologies that impact online learning in higher education.

Skills

Learning theories

Online pedagogy

Project management

Interpersonal communication

Education

Master's Degree

Tools

Canvas or similar LMS

Job description

Penn State is seeking an Instructional Designer to oversee the design, development, and management of online course portfolios within the College of the Liberal Arts. The role emphasizes collaboration with faculty authors to ensure high-quality content and assessments that support student success.

The position requires advanced knowledge of learning theories and current research in online learning, plus robust project management and communication skills.