Learning Experience Designer

How to Apply

A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in two pages or less, please let us know how you will align with your career aspirations and skills. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file (because of system limitations).

What You Will Do

The Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan is looking for a qualified Learning Experience Designer to work on the development and iteration of online and hybrid degree and credit-bearing programs. You will help create online course experiences, iterate existing course designs, and support new and existing online degree programs. You will report to the Program Operations Design Lead and also work with the Director of Blended and Online Learning Experience Design.

About the Center for Academic Innovation

The Center for Academic Innovation is where creativity, excellence, and the University of Michigan’s aspirations for societal impact combine to reimagine the future of higher education. Through curricular innovation, educational data and research, and educational technology, we position U-M as a global leader in academic innovation to create and inspire change in higher education and to promote an engaged and informed society.

About the Program Operations Team

The Program Operations design team supports the iteration of program and course designs for online and hybrid degree programs at U-M, and a range of ongoing activities related to the operation of existing programs We work with faculty and academic unit leaders to envision how they can expand reach and impact, promote innovative teaching, and support greater access and lifelong learning through the design and iteration of integrated online learning experiences.

For more information, please visit our website: Academic Innovation.

Responsibilities

Design and development: 

• Collaborate with faculty, program leaders, Learning Experience Designers, Design Managers, and Media Designers at the Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) to design high-quality online and hybrid courses

• Apply a range of instructional design methods and learning theories to learner-centered course design

• Collaborate with program administrators, faculty partners, and CAI staff to scope the goals of new and iterative course design projects for online and hybrid credit-bearing courses

• Create and use learner personas for primary and secondary audiences, ensuring that diverse groups of learners are represented

• Provide course design teams and faculty partners with practical examples to spark ideas and creative solutions

• Support integration of practices that follow regulatory and compliance norms for credit-bearing courses, including practices related to credit hour guidance, regular and substantive interaction, and accessibility 

• Work with academic unit support staff and CAI team members to develop and/or retrofit course materials including media to make them more accessible for all students

• Refine and apply templates, checklists, and guidelines to assist faculty in the development and iteration of online and hybrid learning experiences

• Collaborate with Design Managers (DMs) to coordinate and manage project pace and scope 

• Explore and integrate existing and new educational tools to assess their potential fit within a given project

• Review course design decisions to ensure that activities and resources are aligned with programmatic goals and desired course outcomes

• Use feedback to course design teams on consistency and appropriateness of course content and presentation

• Build content, activities, and assessments on hosting platforms including the technical integration of learning technology interoperability (LTI) and other third-party educational technology tools 

• Characterize the pedagogical design of a course and make research and evidence-based recommendations for immediate iteration and long-term improvement

• Support the Program Operations Learning Experience Design Lead in assessing design proposals for innovative online credit-bearing learning experiences to assess feasibility and fit 

• Document course design decisions and support hand-off of course development notes to ensure seamless support and iteration of projects

Applied Research: 

• Support research planning and protocols that collect data necessary to help academic unit partners understand instructor and learner needs in online and hybrid learning

• Use data where available to inform course improvements and iterations

• Support research projects that improve understanding of online learning design 

• Contribute to the discipline of learning experience design and educational technology through diverse formats and outlets (e.g., conference proceedings, journals, blogs, and webinars)

Team Building & University Service: 

• Provide mentorship and professional modeling for student fellows and residents, supervising and providing feedback on their work 

• Contribute to the advancement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice goals through collaboration with CAI team members and U-M partners 

• Share learning design expertise through the design, delivery, and evaluation of workshops for faculty and staff 

• Stay up to date with applicable educational technologies that may be used in online teaching and learning

• Stay up to date with learning sciences research through professional organizations, journals, and other platforms (e.g., social media, and professional networking sites)

• Attend professional conferences and training to gain new insights into challenges and problem-solving approaches for practice

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in education, curriculum and instruction, learning sciences, instructional design, educational technology, information science or related field

• Demonstrated vision and experience with creating learning experiences that place a high value on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness

• Experience with learning theories, instructional design methods, and learner-centered design principles

• Awareness of standards for online for-credit course design, including copyright and accessibility

• Experience working in a highly collaborative, team-based environment

• Independent judgment, and service-oriented attitude

• Strong organizational and communication skills

• Experience in ensuring learning experience designs takes learner needs, accessibility standards, and underlying technology into consideration

• Experience exploring creative solutions to ensure course materials for all learners are accessible, to the greatest extent possible

• Experience designing learning experiences for online education platforms (e.g., Canvas, Coursera, and edX)

• Experience creating asynchronous and synchronous online learning activities and assessments

• Experience communicating to diverse learner audiences through a variety of modalities 

Salary Information

The general salary range for this position is $60,000 - $68,000. You can expect to be paid a competitive and equitable salary. Factors used to determine salary include education level and experience for the position and internal equity within the unit. You are encouraged to discuss salary questions to honor understanding and transparency throughout the recruiting process.

Additional Information

Please Note:  This is a 5 year term limited position with the possibility of renewal depending on funding.

This is not a remote position and any adjustments to a standard in-person schedule will be discussed during the hiring process.

The salary for this position will be based on education and experience.

Excellent benefits are available, for details, see http://benefits.umich.edu/

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) is committed to inclusion in our organizational work, culture, climate, and the products we create. We try to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse team as a reflection of our commitment to our work designing equitable and inclusive learning and work environments that are necessary for the university community to make progress on solving societal challenges. CAI draws on each of our team member’s unique backgrounds and experiences to guide our everyday work in the center, and our team collaborates with students, staff, and faculty on projects that center our commitment to DEIJ work. All interested applicants, including those from groups historically marginalized by educational privilege, are encouraged to apply.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for at least seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

Decision-making Process

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

• Bachelor's degree in education, curriculum and instruction, learning sciences, instructional design, educational technology, information science or related field
• Demonstrated vision and experience with creating learning experiences that place a high value on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness
• Experience with learning theories, instructional design methods, and learner-centered design principles
• Awareness of standards for online for-credit course design, including copyright and accessibility
• Experience working in a highly collaborative, team-based environment
• Independent judgment, and service-oriented attitude
• Strong organizational and communication skills
• Experience in ensuring learning experience designs takes learner needs, accessibility standards, and underlying technology into consideration
• Experience exploring creative solutions to ensure course materials for all learners are accessible, to the greatest extent possible
• Experience designing learning experiences for online education platforms (e.g., Canvas, Coursera, and edX)
• Experience creating asynchronous and synchronous online learning activities and assessments
• Experience communicating to diverse learner audiences through a variety of modalities