Instructional Designer at Catalyst Education – Empowering Educators who inspire students to become the next generation of instructors, scientists, and problem-solvers.

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Instructional Designer (ID) Job Description: 

• The Instructional Designer (ID) is concerned with the pedagogical fit of Labflow’s content and technology for the curriculum needs of lab coordinators. While many of the accounts they support use custom content, they will work collaboratively with content leads to define the standards for the different content types we produce, and they will then proactively problem solve to meet customer needs within those standards as much as possible. As an expert on pedagogy, they also provide key feedback to product management on improvements to the platform and processes.

They span from opportunities about to close to initial onboarding. Duties include:

• Sales Support (25%)
• Adoption Requirements Gathering and Documentation (15%)
• Initial Course Design (20%)
• Delivery Coordination and Onboarding Communication (40%)

Sales Support:

The Instructional Designer (ID) must be able to demo all aspects of Labflow, understand specific customer needs, and highlight how those needs are best addressed within Labflow. As needed, the Instructional Designer will need to create prototypes and mockups to demonstrate how Labflow will be able to address their specific needs and/or use their custom content. Prior to the close of an opportunity, the Instructional Designer must be able to elicit and document the specific needs of the adoption, and what the instructor will need to do to provide us with the materials necessary.

Adoption Requirements Gathering and Documentation:

The Instructional Designer is responsible for making sure all aspects of the adoption are documented and accountable for all tasks completed prior to handing off the course before the start of the semester. Other teams may be responsible for completing the work, but the Instructional Designer must make sure the needs are documented, the work is completed, and the results are communicated with the instructor.

Aspects of the adoption requirements include the following:

• Course materials:
  • Consult with the instructor to document the purpose and goals for the course
  • Consult with the instructor to determine how to best utilize the capabilities of Labflow to achieve course goals
  • Document the work (Lab manual, Reports, Quizzes, etc) needed to achieve course goals
  • Document what assignment policies are needed to achieve the course goals
  • Collect materials from instructor needed to fulfill the work orders
  • Ensure course information is accurate
    • Course start date, enrollment numbers, etc.
• Student purchasing path:
  • Confirm the purchasing path for students and appropriate contacts are made
• Integrations:
  • Confirm contacts are made
• PPE:
  • Confirm PPE details
  • Confirm shipping information
  • Identify upsell opportunities

Initial Course Design:

The Instructional Designer is accountable for creating a course with 2 weeks of materials ready for instructor review. The Instructional Designer is responsible for conducting a review of this Initial Course with the instructor, and getting approval for the remainder of the work.

Delivery Coordination and Communication:

The Instructional Designer is responsible for creating a course delivery timeline, and coordinating the scheduled events. The Instructional Designer will create the work requests for the adoption and coordinate their review with the instructor. The Instructional Designer will maintain the Course Adoption Playbook, so that decisions are captured and can be communicated to anyone else working with the course. As needed by the content team, the instructional designer will provide insight and review materials prior to the instructor’s review. After the adoption requirements are completed, the Instructional Designer is responsible for getting the instructor to sign off on the course, and handing off the adoption to the Faculty Success Manager.

Competencies:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to align organizational goals with customer needs, develop innovative solutions, and translate concepts into actionable plans.
• Relationship Building: Skill in fostering trust and collaboration with stakeholders, influencing decisions, overcoming challenges, and fostering collaboration to achieve project success.
• Project Management: Proven ability to prioritize tasks, manage timelines, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences. Comfortable communicating business needs over email, phone, video calls, or in-person.
• Technical Proficiency: Demonstrated expertise in instructional design, content creation, and relevant software applications.
• Resilience and Adaptability: Ability to thrive under pressure, overcome obstacles, and manage change effectively while maintaining a positive outlook on alternative possibilities.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or biological science
• Computer/tech savvy
• Skilled using spreadsheets, including the use of formulas
• Excellent communication skills over email, phone, and in-person
• Experience in instructional design
• Experience in educational content creation
• Some experience teaching college-level chemistry and/or biology: either as TA, instructor, or lab coordinator
• Experience creating educational materials using text and formula markup languages such as LaTeX, JSON, JavaScript, and HTML

Desired:

• Advanced degree in chemistry or biological science
• 1+ year(s) of sales or support experience
• Experience with CRM, Project management software
• Experience in a startup environment
• Ability to travel to visit customers in person

Financial Attributes:

• Annual Base Compensation: $75,000-$85,000 based upon experience + Variable Comp
• Benefits:
  • Health/dental/vision insurance: Yes
  • Retirement (401k) plan with Company match: Yes
    

Important Note:

This description is for reference only. It is not meant to provide an exhaustive description of the duties that may be required of an employee in this position. It does not create a contract between the Company and any employee.

About Organization

Catalyst Education is an innovative educational technologies company that builds learning software for college STEM courses. We cultivate fans among the faculty that adopt our products. Our learning platform Labflow drives student success within lab courses and maximizes the time and effort of lab-course teaching faculty.