Instructional Designer, Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies at Fort Hays State University in Hays, KS

Job description

Department Innovative Learning Strategies Job Posting Title Instructional Designer, Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies Job Description The Department of Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) at Fort Hays State University seeks an Instructional Designer whose work centers on one question: how do we create human connection in digital spaces? That question is the north star of FHSU's Digital Master Plan, and this role is where it becomes practice in courses. The Instructional Designer partners with faculty to design courses and learning experiences — online, hybrid, and in person — in which instructor presence, peer interaction, and student agency are designed for rather than left to chance. The role requires expertise across TILT’s portfolio of instructional design, educational technology, and faculty development. The Instructional Designer's work supports FHSU's strategic commitment to student success, informs how the university evaluates and adopts learning technologies, and helps faculty make sound judgments about where AI and other tools strengthen learning and where they displace the relationships learning depends on. The position reports to the Director of Innovative Learning Strategies and is on campus in Hays, Kansas. Key responsibilities: Course and learning design Partner with faculty to design and redesign courses, modules, activities, and assessments that incorporate Regular and Substantive Interaction across online, hybrid, and face-to-face formats Guide faculty through course development from concept to delivery, including alignment of outcomes, activities, and assessment Apply quality course assurance frameworks that treat connection and presence as design outcomes, not by-products Faculty development Design and deliver workshops, consultations, and resources that help faculty grow as course designers, in collaboration with TILT's faculty development team Support faculty in making informed, principled decisions about AI in their courses: where it extends what students can do, and where it substitutes for the thinking and interaction in the course Contribute to TILT's programming and communities for faculty as they are developed Educational technology Help evaluate and make recommendations for learning tools and platforms to meet pedagogical criteria Support faculty adoption of approved tools, including the LMS, with attention to accessibility and student engagement Learning data and quality Help faculty read and design based their own course data Contribute to ongoing quality improvement in online and blended learning, including regular and substantive interaction standards Document design decisions and outcomes so TILT's work is visible and can inform institutional priorities Minimum qualifications: Master's degree in education, instructional design, educational technology, or a related field or six years of experience in lieu of degree Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain design and technology choices to non-technical audiences Expertise with course quality assurance frameworks, such as SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR), Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Scorecard, Quality Matters Working familiarity with a learning management system (FHSU uses Blackboard Learn) Strong technical aptitude and a demonstrated ability to learn new tools and concepts quickly Preferred qualifications: Two or more years of experience in instructional design or educational technology in higher education Demonstrated experience with project management and the ability to coordinate communication with several faculty at once and meet deadlines Online or hybrid teaching experience in higher education Familiarity with presence-based frameworks for course design, such as the Community of Inquiry model, and the ability to apply them in consultation with faculty Experience helping faculty use generative AI in ways that preserve instructor–stud