Family Instructional Designer

The Family Instructional Designer will use evidence-based practices to plan, design, develop, and support the delivery of professional learning experiences for in-service educators and families. This professional will collaborate with subject matter experts, K20 Center staff, and other stakeholders to identify meaningful learning outcomes and select the most appropriate instructional approach (face-to-face, hybrid, or online) to realize those objectives fully. The Instructional Designer will utilize learner-centered instructional practices that foster higher-order thinking through real-world connections and substantive conversations that increase the depth of knowledge. This incumbent’s job tasks will include:

Essential Job Duties & Functions

Instructional Design. The incumbent will engage in instructional design by:

• Utilizing a literature review and selected standards will craft meaningful learning outcomes;
• Selecting the appropriate instructional approach (face-to-face, hybrid, or online) to fully realize the learning objectives;
• Designing lessons, professional development workshops, and standardized-based learning experiences that reflect evidence-based learning theories in order to address the needs of students, teachers, parents, and/or other stakeholders;
• Using a collaborative approach with stakeholders to plan and design learning activities, standards-based lessons, professional development workshops, and/or other learning experiences which use a learner-centered instructional approach that meets the needs of a diverse group of learners in meeting the measurable learning objectives;
• Employing a variety of learning methods and emerging technologies to reach learning outcomes;
• Identifying appropriate evaluation techniques and applying them to measure the impact of the learning experience; and
• Publishing high-quality resources to K20’s LEARN repository.

Project Management. The incumbent will manage projects by:

• Identifying, planning, and implementing instructional projects that address an identified need;
• Coordinating with K20 Center stakeholders (e.g., project director, peer collaborator, Instructional Technologist, etc.) to manage the various components of the instructional project;
• Coordinating with artists and writers to incorporate their expertise into the appropriate stage of an instructional project.
• Reporting on instructional project outcomes and using feedback to drive future improvements, and using K20 selected platforms (Jira, LEARN) and processes to support stakeholder communication and cross-team collaboration.

Evidence-Based Practice. The incumbent will conduct a needs assessment to understand the need and based on that learning topic will conduct literature reviews of theory and evidence-based practices:

• Determining the nature and extent of the information needed, selecting the most appropriate investigative methods or information retrieval systems, and evaluating information and its sources critically;
• Preparing an annotated bibliography of selected sources that summarizes the central theme and scope of a book or article; and
• Producing a summary and explanation of the complete and current state of knowledge on a selected topic (e.g. instructional approach) as found in academic books and journal articles.

eLearning Design. The incumbent will design, develop, and maintain online learning resources by:

• Applying the components of effective eLearning instructional design and learner motivation; Understanding how interactivity affects online learning;
• Leveraging eLearning tools and trends to engage the remote learner;
• Ensuring that instructional experiences are learner-centered to foster higher-order thinking through real-world connections and substantive communications that result in an increase in the depth of knowledge.
• Applying the principles of effective eLearning design and navigation and
• Evaluating eLearning programs and making recommendations for improvements.
• The incumbent will review existing eLearning content and make recommendations for improvement.

Editor. The incumbent will support the publication of only the highest-quality resources by serving as a peer editor for lessons and:

• Reviewing instructional approach, content, and activities to ensure that they align with K20’s theoretical framework and practices;
• Collaborating with curriculum writers to ensure that the included resources are easy to understand and use by the intended audience; and
• Approving final versions submitted by contributors to be published in the K20 LEARN repository.

Participant Management. To support communication with project sponsors, the incumbent will document participant management using a sponsored research participant management system (TREK).

As Needed.  The incumbent will perform various additional duties as needed to successfully fulfill the function of the position.

Required Education:  Bachelor’s degree in education or a related field, AND:

• 24 months experience working in an instructional design position.

Equivalency/Substitution: Will accept 48 months of related experience in lieu of the Bachelor’s degree for a total of 72 months’ of related experience.

Skills

• Active Listening Skills
• Assessment of Learning
• Attention to Detail
• Creative & Analytic Problem-Solving Skills
• Effective Writing Skills
• How to Organize Information for the Learner
• Innovation & Creativity
• Instructional Design Processes
• Instructional Theories
• Learning Principles
• Organization Skills
• Passion for Learning
• People Skills
• Strong Visualization Skills
• Technology Skills.
• Understanding of How People Learn.

Working Conditions

• Communicate effectively and listen.
• Manual dexterity.
• Sit for prolonged periods.
• Standard office environment.
• Use of a computer.

Departmental Preference: 

• A master’s degree in education or a related field is preferred
• Either completed or is enrolled in an instructional design Master’s degree/program
• 3 or more years of instructional design experience or teaching experience
• Experience developing curriculum for secondary students, professional learning for educators, or learning activities for an array of learners (students, professionals, families)
• Classroom teaching experience
• Experience or training in the development of eLearning resources
• Teacher Certification in the State of Oklahoma

Special Instructions: If you are selected as a final candidate for this position, you will be subject to The University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Tuberculosis Testing policy.  To view the policy, visit https://hr.ou.edu/Policies-Handbooks/TB-Testing.  

Why You Belong at the University of Oklahoma: The University of Oklahoma fosters an inclusive culture of respect and civility, belonging, and access, which are essential to our collective pursuit of excellence and our determination to change lives. The unique talents, perspectives, and experiences of our community enrich the learning, and working environment at OU, inspiring us to harness our innovation, creativity, and collaboration for the advancement of people everywhere.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: The University of Oklahoma, in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, admissions, employment, financial aid, housing, services in educational programs or activities, and health care services that the University operates or provides.