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’ll Do

The Center for Academic Innovation at the University of Michigan is seeking a qualified Learning Experience Designer Senior to support the design and iteration of a growing portfolio of online and hybrid learning initiatives. You will support academic units with the development of both non-credit and for-credit online and hybrid learning experiences. The Learning Experience Designer Senior will be a key contributor in expanding the capabilities of the Center for Academic Innovation to achieve our vision of expanding the University of Michigan’s offerings in online education. With a focus on learner-centered design, this role will partner with design team colleagues and external partners to apply established practices and learning theories to the development of high-quality online courses. You will report to the Learning Experience Design Lead and also work with the Director of Learning Design.

Who We Are

About the Center for Academic Innovation

The Center for Academic Innovation is where creativity 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 Online Learning at CAI

The Online Learning group within CAI consists of five teams that collaborate with others across the Center and University to design and develop online learning experiences that support the future of education for a global community. We work with faculty and academic unit leaders to envision how they can expand reach and impact, advance innovative teaching, and support greater access and lifelong learning through the design and development of integrated online learning experiences. Our teams focus on the following areas:

• Strategic sourcing of new opportunities for online learning;
• Developing internal and external partnerships that promote engagement with learning experiences;
• Providing program management services throughout degree program development and operations;
• Supporting end-to-end design and development of online learning experiences, including design management, learning experience design, and iteration of learning experiences after they have launched;
• Supporting learners’ success and engagement in live courses and programs.

For more information, please visit our website: Academic Innovation

Responsibilities

Online Course Design

• Lead complex course design projects with a focus on pedagogical approaches that result in engaging online learning experiences by advocating for learner-centered instructional strategies, and aligning learning outcomes with activities and assessments to ensure continuity between outcomes, course content, and design goals
• 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. Implement inclusive design approaches, considering diverse audiences of learners, and foregrounding issues of equity and accessibility throughout the design process
• Support partner and team member relationships, process management, and project success
• Define a scope of work in response to affordances and constraints introduced by program requirements and project partners while ensuring a high-quality course design
• Operate within parameters established by different types of school units, meeting the individual expectations of each varied stakeholders
• Oversee the development of learner personas for primary and secondary audiences, ensuring that diverse groups of learners are represented
• Provide course teams and faculty collaborators with inspirational examples to spark ideas and promote creative solutions
• Develop and integrate practices that follow regulatory and compliance norms for credit-bearing and non-credit bearing education offerings, 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 or retrofit course materials including media to make them more accessible for all students
• Apply templates, checklists, and guidelines to assist faculty in the development and iteration of online and hybrid learning experiences
• Propose technical solutions to pedagogical design challenges through the thoughtful integration of educational technologies
• Review course designs to ensure that activities, media, and resources are aligned with targeted learning goals and specified course and program outcomes
• Provide feedback on assessment creation, including multiple-choice quizzes, rubrics, and peer-graded assignments
• Document course design decisions and support hand-off of course development notes to ensure seamless support and iteration of projects
• Evaluate the efficacy of course design to make research- and evidence-based recommendations for iteration and improvement
• Provide formal mentorship and professional modeling for student fellows and student residents through guidance on internal and external projects.
• Explores emerging trends in pedagogy, learning design, and digital innovation, such as generative AI, evaluating their implications for higher education and identifying applications that align with the Center’s commitment to excellence and access.

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)

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in education, curriculum and instruction, learning sciences, instructional design, educational technology, or information science or an equivalent combination
• 3-5 years of experience (or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience) in instructional computing, educational technology or instructional design
• Demonstrated vision and experience creating learning experiences that place a high value on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness
• Working knowledge of standards for online non-credit and for-credit course design, including copyright and accessibility
• Understanding of integrating learning theories, instructional design methods, and learner-centered design principles into online learning experiences
• Exhibits a forward-thinking mindset by investigating emerging developments in learning innovation, such as generative AI, evaluating their potential, and identifying strategic opportunities for integration
• Experience in leveraging the use of instructional technology to most effectively support course goals and learning objectives.
• Demonstrated expertise in applying a learner-centered approach to online course design
• Demonstrated expertise in assessing project outcomes and making recommendations for improvement and iteration
• Experience working in learning experience design teams in higher education settings
• Experience using online education platforms (e.g., Canvas, Coursera, and edX)
• Demonstrated experience working in a team environment
• Demonstrated initiative and customer service-oriented attitude

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Additional Information

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

Candidates must have legal authorization to work in the United States.

The mode of work for this position is Hybrid with a minimum of 4 days in the office per week, Monday through Thursday, with an option of remote work on Fridays. On occasion, you may be required and must be available to work onsite on Fridays if necessitated by our center’s policy and domain leadership or by your job requirements.

The salary for this position will be based upon the selected candidate’s education and experience.

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

Salary Information

The general salary range for this position is $75,000-$80,000. You can expect to be paid a great compensation package. 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 agreement and transparency throughout the recruiting process.

Organizational Statement on Harassment

We believe all individuals deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and have the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes mutual respect and a safe space for collaboration. Any concerns shared with any staff members and student employees in the Center for Academic Innovation will be reported to the Equity, Civil Rights, & Title IX Office to be reviewed and addressed, and the Center for Academic Innovation encourages reporting of any forms of harassment including sexual and gender-based harassment.

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 a minimum of 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 Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.