Instructional Designer

Full-time position - Posted 01/13/25

Position summary

The Instructional Designer collaborates with faculty and staff to enhance teaching and learning through effective instructional and curricular design. This role supports the development, evaluation, and revision of online courses for undergraduate and graduate programs, facilitates the integration of educational technologies, and communicates emerging trends in pedagogy and tools, including artificial intelligence. Responsibilities include providing consultations, delivering workshops, and maintaining expertise in instructional design and educational technology through ongoing professional development. Additionally, the position assists with the administration and support of the learning management system (Blackboard) in partnership with faculty, staff, and IT to ensure seamless operation. This position is part of the Office for the Advancement of Teaching, Learning, & Scholarship (ATLAS).

Role qualifications

• Strong ability to create goodwill with staff, faculty, and students; servant attitude.
• Ability to engage and motivate people.
• Ability to effectively participate on a team and also work independently.
• Strong technical and presentation skills.
• Commitment to the Articles of Faith, Mission, and Objectives of the University; and desires to be a role model for students by demonstrating an active Christian faith in personal example and in work-related responsibilities.

Position responsibilities

• Work collaboratively with faculty and staff, as appropriate, to provide instructional and curricular design expertise using recognized instructional design models (such as ADDIE, Backward Design, and Universal Design for Learning), ensuring that learning technologies are thoughtfully selected and integrated to support sound pedagogy across all levels and modes of instruction.
• Assist in the building, management, evaluation, and revision of online courses in undergraduate and graduate programs.
• Facilitate the use of technologies throughout JBU and communicate information regarding emerging technologies (e.g. Artificial Intelligence) and pedagogies to appropriate parties.  
• Provide consultation on projects through collaborative initiatives by staying up to date in research in educational technology fields.
• Assist with the administration and support of the LMS (Blackboard), collaborating with faculty, staff, and IT to ensure smooth system operation.
• Maintain currency in the field of expertise through independent study, conferences, workshops, or other activities as appropriate.
• Deliver workshops and presentations and provide individual consultations for faculty support in instructional design and educational technology.

Essential skills and experience

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational, planning, and time management skills.
• Proficiency with Blackboard or a similar LMS, including course creation, organization, deployment, user support, and basic troubleshooting.
• Strong background in education, specifically instructional design, educational technology, and distance learning.

Preferred skills and experience

• Demonstrated excellence in working effectively with faculty, students, and staff members in a higher education context.
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and leading workshops on the use of technology.
• Experience working with instructors and faculty at a distance (threaded discussion, telephone, and email).
• Experience in instruction in higher education, either as a teacher or as a consultant.
• Experience teaching online in a post-secondary setting.
• Experience in evaluating and implementing new instructional methodologies.
• Knowledge of national standards for the delivery of online instruction.

Education

Master’s Degree in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, or related field. Or a Bachelor’s Degree and 2 years of experience in a similar position.

Physical demands and work environment

• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk; stand; sit; use hands; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk, and hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.

The employee is expected to adhere to all University policies.

About JBU

Information describing the university is available online.

Apply

To apply, please upload the following documents to the "Upload Your Documents" page:

1. Cover Letter
2. Your resume
3. A completed and signed staff employment application (Click Here to Access the Application)

Only complete materials will be reviewed. Applicants selected for an interview will be contacted by the university.

Contact information:
Office of Human Resources
John Brown University
2000 West University Street
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
Phone: 479.524.7197
e-mail: jobs@jbu.edu