Instructional Designer

The Employee Learning and Development (ELAD) Instructional Designer consults with faculty, staff, and ELAD team members to promote effective use of technology, instructional design and adult learning theory to design and deliver equitable, inclusive, and accessible learning experiences that respect human dignity. The Instructional Designer will further improve student learning in multiple instructional modalities (e.g., online, hybrid, and in-person). The position requires the ability to work collaboratively within our matrix organization with cultural humility and vulnerability.

The ELAD Instructional Designer reports to the Instructional Design Manager. This position is part of the ELAD team and is a key team member of the Pierce College District’s professional learning and development effort, responsible for collaborative creation and implementation of district wide professional learning and development programming. Programming helps build faculty and staff knowledge around equity, inclusivity, and student engagement, success, and completion by increasing access to cohesive professional development and fostering effective communication strategies and systems between all college employees.

Major areas of focus include (a) equity-focused course design and teaching consultations, (b) faculty and staff professional development in the use of inclusive pedagogy, practices, and technologies, (c) project management to support faculty collaboration at the department level, and (d) the integration of new educational technologies into curriculum and course design. The instructional designer is well-versed in inclusive pedagogical strategies, design-thinking, accessible design, project management, adult learning theory, and instructional technology.

About the District

Named as a Top 5 Finalist and a Rising Star for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom was recognized for exceptional achievements in student learning, certificate and degree completion while in community college and after transferring to a four-year institution, employment and earnings rates after graduation, and access for and success of minority and low-income students. Pierce College District was named as a Top 10 finalist for the 2021 Aspen Prize and a Top 25 for 2023. Want a feel for our District, take a peek with aerial campus views!

Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom

Located on a beautiful 140-acre site adjacent to a 340-acre community, recreational park, and Waughop Lake.

Pierce College at Puyallup

Located on an expansive site with 125-acres of wooded land including modern facilities and beautiful hideaways.

Pierce College at JBLM

Located at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord military sites, serving many of our military and active duty families serving our country.

Our colleges enjoy a strong presence in the communities in which they serve and participate in numerous partnerships with business, community, government, and educational organizations.

Essential Functions

Faculty Support and Collaboration

• Design, develop, and deliver high quality, inclusive, and accessible learning experiences for faculty and staff.
• Support faculty in the design and development of accessible course materials that meet section 508 and other relevant standards.
• Work with faculty to design and develop course content that promotes black and brown excellence while representing a voice beyond their individual worldview.
• Assist faculty in humanizing course content to provide a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive learning environment.
• Continuously innovate in incorporating Pierce College’s inclusive pedagogy framework and designing race-conscious and active learning experiences (in-person, web-enhanced, online, hybrid) based on assessment and evidence/data analysis.
• Collaborate with faculty and apply knowledge of andragogy/pedagogy and instructional design processes to design/redesign and develop courses, ensuring alignment between learning outcomes and instructional materials, activities, and assessments to enhance student success.
• Support faculty in integrating multimedia, video content, and other educational technologies as appropriate.
• Collaborate with faculty to design and develop inclusive, accessible, authentic, and diverse assessments, activities, and materials.
• Consistently initiate, practice, and evaluate strategies to advance inclusivity and accessibility in design, teaching, learning and professional development.

Staff Support and Collaboration

• Offer creative and innovative ideas for teaching, course design, and integrating learning technology to promote learning leading to student success.
• Collaborate with college partners to design, develop, deliver, and evaluate a broad range of professional and organizational development opportunities for faculty and staff.
• Work with faculty and staff development teams to promote communication about employee development and learning with all stakeholders.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education Required

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Education, a technology-related field, instructional design, learning experience design, or curriculum development.

OR

• Combination of education, training, coursework and experience may be substituted for degree.

Experience Required

• Two (2) years customer service or technical support experience troubleshooting and problem-solving issues with a learning management system (Canvas preferred) and computer-related technical issues.
• Experience designing high quality academic courses for online or hybrid delivery and/or re-designing traditional on-ground courses for online or hybrid delivery.
• Knowledge of technical tools and platforms for delivering engaging and media-rich online learning content, as well as trends in educational technology.
• Advanced knowledge of applying adult learning theories, instructional design principles, and educational methodologies in creative ways.
• Experience in hands-on training delivery, live facilitation, or teaching, ideally, for adult learners in a higher education context.
• Experience working with faculty and team members to experiment with emerging technologies and teaching strategies, and conducting research on their effective use.
• Experience designing and developing accessible digital content aligned with Section 508 and other relevant standards.
  

Special Requirements

• The successful candidate must consent to and pass a criminal records background check after a conditional offer of employment. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability to perform in this position.

Required Competencies

Teamwork
Foster a supportive and engaging culture for faculty and staff. Demonstrate strong collaboration skills, including collective ideation, providing actionable feedback, and incorporating others’ input. Promote innovation and contribute to cross-departmental teams to advance the institutional mission.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Experience and/or a demonstrated commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and promoting black and brown excellence. Ability to build trusting working relationships characterized by a high level of cooperation and mutual respect. A commitment to working within and helping to build an inclusive and equitable working/learning environment.

Problem Solving
Ability to resolve confrontations, disagreements, and complaints in a constructive manner and contribute to a working environment where conflict leads to positive change. Ability to identify the need for change and effectively manage both the areas that remain stable and those that are changing. Ability to exercise sound judgment and adaptability when dealing with ambiguous situations.

Project Management
Lead faculty and staff teams that include subject matter experts, program directors/deans, eLearning team members, and others while ensuring resources are well deployed, timelines and standards are met, and all parties collaborate effectively. Ability to manage multiple simultaneous learning design and delivery projects with internal and external collaborators and stakeholders.

Training & Consultations
Knowledge of inclusive pedagogical strategies, design-thinking, adult learning theory, instructional technologies, and authentic assessments. Recommend inclusive pedagogical strategies and implement teaching and learning technology tools to meet identified needs. Ability to design, develop, and deliver online, hybrid, or in-person training as needed.

Technical Expertise
Experience with eLearning technology tools, project management tools, and learning management systems (Canvas experience preferred). Knowledge of technical tools and platforms for delivering engaging and media-rich online learning content, as well as trends in educational technology. Experience creating accessible materials and familiarity with HTML, CSS, and graphic design tools.

About Organization

Pierce College is committed to equal access. Pierce College’s website and social media sites are limited public forums. They are reserved for the use of the Pierce College community to promote and provide information about Pierce College consistent with the college’s educational mission.

We will not tolerate personal attacks, inappropriate language, discriminatory statements, spamming, or excessive posting. We reserve the right to remove those types of posts or other inappropriate posts as well as ones that are inaccurate, advertise commercial products, promote or oppose political candidates or ballot measures, or violate the law or terms of service of social media platforms.

Our strength comes from our students, our talented faculty and staff, and our amazing community. Join us in keeping this a space where all are valued and respected, and student success is celebrated. Go Raiders!