Instructional Designer

Works closely with the Sr. Manager of Technology & Learning and IT Training to contribute to a University-wide strategic vision for technology and learning. Partners with faculty and support staff of all campuses to promote the effective use of educational technology and instructional design to improve the quality of education at Pepperdine.

Duties

• TRAINING AND SUPPORT: Assists faculty and academic support staff in the planning, design, and implementation of digital learning content, activities, and experiences. Meets faculty and staff where they are, in skill level, delivery modality, campus location, and communication preferences. Develops, organizes, promotes, delivers, and/or contributes to workshops and faculty development programs to share and promote effective practices, emerging techniques, and other lessons from active research in the field of instructional design, educational technology, digital learning environments, pedagogy, and other relevant topics. Contributes to content creation and dissemination to empower professors to teach effectively with technology, including documentation, learning aids, design templates, sample sites, interactive objects, graphics, videos, and other materials for online, print, and other deliverables/platforms. Contributes to the Technology & Learning website. Assists IT Training and other IT or school colleagues on instructional design or educational technology projects and topics. Contributes to LMS and learning tool reviews, pilots, and testing.
• COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS: Promotes a University-wide strategic vision for technology and learning. Conducts outreach to University faculty using all modalities of communication and delivery methods to determine needs and build and maintain strong relationships. Partners and collaborates with undergraduate and graduate schools' internal technology support staff to design instructional faculty development plans appropriate for each community. Contributes to faculty outreach campaigns to raise awareness of technology and learning tools and programs across the institution. Promotes Technology and Learning's successes to the Pepperdine community through various means such as web pages, blog posts, social media, videos, campus events, etc.
• RESEARCH, ANALYSIS, AND REPORTING: Analyzes course designs, curricular strategies, selected technologies, academic assessments, and other data and feedback to recommend quality improvements for teaching and learning. Reviews periodicals, journals, and other sources of information to keep abreast of new developments in the fields of instructional design, universal design/accessibility, educational technology, digital learning environments, pedagogy, and other relevant topics. Participates in local and/or national instructional design or learning technology communities of practice.
• PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Works on multiple projects and participates in the project planning process with team members, including the Technology & Learning Faculty Conference. May lead small to medium projects periodically, including learning tool pilots and other team or colleague projects.
• ADMINISTRATION: Reviews and submits regular paperwork and processes, such as status reports, bi-weekly or monthly timesheets, assessments for mid-year and annual reviews, and other routine IT and University practices.
• COLLABORATION: Provides backup support and assistance to other team members. Collaborates with co-workers and University colleagues on departmental, division-wide, and institutional projects. Shares process information and makes informal recommendations on how to improve processes and overall job execution within the team/department.
• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Attends training sessions, vendor presentations, user group meetings, conferences, and seminars. Engages regularly in individual professional development related activities to remain current with industry technology trends and work processes.
• COMMITTEES AND BEYOND JOB DUTIES: Volunteers to undertake tasks that stretch the employee's capabilities. Serves on various committees within the Information Technology division. Participates in external University committees. Performs other related duties as assigned.
• UNIVERSITY MISSION: Understands and supports the Christian mission of the University. Upholds the University mission through team, location, atmosphere, and work performed.

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

Required: Bachelor’s degree in education (learning technologies, educational technology, teacher education, or instructional design), information technology, computer science, business, or other related field; courses in technology, education, graphic or information design; certification in computer applications. Basic or general knowledge of pedagogical theory, tips and techniques using technology, and learning management systems. Demonstrates working knowledge of hardware and software products and problem-solving/troubleshooting skills. General knowledge of working with computers and applications in a networked environment; knowledge working with productivity software (e.g. Microsoft Office, Google Workspace); file conversion; HTML and/or HTML editors; graphic design software and graphic preparation for various delivery (web, PowerPoint, etc.). Familiarity with instructional design/development theories, techniques, and processes (e.g. ADDIE). Familiarity with accessibility standards and techniques for content creation for learners with physical or learning challenges. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Strong organizational skills. Demonstrated media capture skills (e.g. TechSmith Camtasia/SnagIt, Adobe Captivate, etc.). Experience using learning technology tools (e.g. LMS, plagiarism detection, web conferencing, online collaboration). Ability to conduct a needs assessment. Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and make recommendations for improvements. Ability to maintain complete and accurate records. Ability to adapt to the changing landscape of instructional design, learning technologies, and curricular design models and tools. Ability to identify and troubleshoot basic learning technology issues. Ability to build and maintain relationships with people at a variety of levels. Ability to work in a team and establish collegial relationships with faculty, staff, and peers. Experience with the following technologies: Learning Management System(s) (LMS), Web Conferencing, Screen and audio capture, Google Workspace (Docs/Drive), Microsoft Office (Word/PowerPoint), Web technologies (HTML).

Preferred: One (1) or more years of technical or educational training, design, or support experience. Preference toward individuals with experience working with higher education institutions. Knowledge of digitization of materials (graphic and text scanning, slide scanning, etc.). Graphic design and multimedia skills. Teaching experience. LTI tool usage and integration. Course review and quality assurance (Quality Matters, OLC Scorecard, etc.). Ability to manage 2-4 projects simultaneously. Experience with the following technologies or categories: Graphic design tools and software (Photoshop, Illustrator, full Adobe Creative Cloud, or similar); Sakai Learning Management System (LMS); Turnitin; H5P or other interactive learning activity tools/services; Zoom and Google Meet Web Conferencing; Camtasia/Snagit/Panopto screen and audio capture; Spreadsheets (Google Sheets, Excel); Web technologies (HTML, HTML5, Javascript, CSS); Asana/Trello project management; and Omni CMS web content management.

Qualified individuals should be able to articulate a strong commitment to diversity, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws.

This is a Regular, Exempt, 40 hour per week position.

Expected Pay Rate: $64,480.00 per year

The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.

• Highly qualified applicants may be considered for a title of Senior Instructional Designer with a pay range of $66,000.00 to $68,000.00 per year.