Instructional Designer

Description of the Organization/Department: 

Wentworth Institute of Technology, the university of opportunity, prepares graduates who are future-focused and career-ready and provides our community of learners with access to inclusive and engaging educational programs through a uniquely effective, hands-on, experiential, and cooperative education approach.

The Advancing Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship (ATLAS) Center serves as an integral partner in preparing our students for success by promoting innovative, evidence-based teaching and learning practices. ATLAS fosters excellence in teaching, learning, and scholarship by providing a range of programming and support services with the goal of creating a community of educators focused on inclusive excellence and continuous improvement. ATLAS sits at the intersection of Academic Affairs and Digital Technology Services, positioned to support academic innovation through best practices in teaching and learning and thoughtful implementation of educational technologies. We collaborate with faculty and partners across the university to develop initiatives aligned with program and university goals aligned with Wentworth’s strategic plan. 

Position Summary: 

The Instructional Designer is a collaborative and creative professional dedicated to advancing excellence in teaching, learning, and scholarship at Wentworth. Reporting to the Executive Director of the ATLAS Center, Instructional Designers partner with faculty to design and enhance educational experiences across all modalities using evidence-based practices that promote equity, accessibility, and student engagement. The Instructional Designer takes a leadership role on project teams, fostering innovation and applying educational theory to create impactful initiatives aligned with institutional goals. This position emphasizes collaboration, creativity, and a learner-centered mindset to support continuous improvement in teaching practice.

This is a partially remote position. 

Essential Functions:

Course Development and Design  

• Partner with faculty and staff to develop, implement, and optimize courses (undergraduate, graduate, certificate, and non-credit) that meet student needs and improve learning outcomes.  

• Support inclusive, accessible, engaging, and evidence-based course design, development, and delivery.  

• Encourage meaningful adoption of the learning management system (LMS), academic technology tools, and teaching strategies to foster equitable, active teaching practices (classroom, hybrid, and online), and achievement of course goals.  

• In collaboration with ATLAS Instructional Technologists, support faculty in effective use of the LMS through 1-on-1 meetings, workshops, and other forms of engagement. 

Programming and Resources  

• Create and deliver faculty professional development opportunities through outcomes-oriented, innovative, multimedia/digital and in-person learning solutions to respond to the dynamic needs of faculty and students.  

• Design and facilitate workshops and programming, such as new faculty onboarding, learning institutes, and community forums.  

• Create and disseminate faculty development resources, such as content for the ATLAS website and LMS resources.  

• Contribute to collection of programming data to support ATLAS’s data-driven approach to continuous improvement. 

Projects and Initiatives 

• Contribute to thought leadership on, and realization of, ATLAS’s strategic plan, which is aligned with the Wentworth Strategic Plan.  

• In collaboration with the ATLAS leadership, takes ownership of key elements of ATLAS’s  strategic initiatives. 

• Contribute to programming to advance a culture and community of teaching and learning scholarship among faculty. 

Professional Development and Community Engagement 

• Maintain expertise in teaching and learning best practices and best practices in evaluating and implementing  academic technologies.  

• Develop and maintain an understanding of teaching and learning practices across different schools/disciplines at Wentworth. 

• Represent ATLAS within the Wentworth, Colleges of the Fenway (COF), and teaching and learning professional communities. 

Skills: 

Written & Oral Communication  

• Excellent verbal and written communication 

• Effectively conveys and listens to ideas and information  

Project/Process Management  

• Takes ownership of assigned projects and work 

• Prioritizes and plans work activities to respond to emergent tasks while accomplishing larger term projects 

• Develops shared goals and work plans, in collaboration with ATLAS leadership and key stakeholders 

• Uses time effectively, including meeting deadlines  

• Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner 

• Adheres to expectations about maintaining shared documentation and use of standard tools of the department/institution 

• Maintains expected workload 

• Takes on additional responsibilities as needed 

Teamwork/Collaboration:  

• Contributes to positive team culture and environment  

• Develops positive working relationships within the team and larger Wentworth community 

• Collaborates with others to achieve desired results  

• Contributes to team projects  

• Exchanges ideas and opinions constructively  

• Demonstrates flexibility and open-mindedness 

• Identifies and responds effectively to stakeholder needs 

Initiative Mindset/Approach 

• Committed to incorporation of best practices in accessibility (including digital accessibility), equity, and inclusion in teaching and learning practice, course design, learning assessment, and faculty development 

• Able to meet community partners where they are in their experience in teaching and learning, scholarship, and academic technology use 

• Pursues goals with commitment and desire to excel on the job 

• Data-driven and results-oriented  

• Demonstrates self-confidence, positive attitude, and growth mindset 

Minimum Requirements: 

• Master's degree in education, instructional design, instructional technology, or a related discipline 

• One to three years of experience working in higher education as an instructional designer or in an educational role, including: 

• Experience authoring in a learning management system (for example: Brightspace, Canvas, Blackboard) 

• Demonstrated knowledge of developing inclusive materials  

• Appropriate integration of multimedia, academic technology, collaboration tools, and accessible digital learning materials  

• Demonstrated experience with course design  

• Knowledge of current and emerging instructional design methodologies with a good understanding of teaching and learning theory   

• Ability to manage projects, develop shared goals and execute work plans 

• Experience leading professional development activities, such as workshops, or teaching experience  

• Demonstrated ability to collaboratively solve problems with creativity and flexibility  

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate and build relationships with faculty and other stakeholders  

• Demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communication  

• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and plan multiple projects by using time effectively, meeting deadlines, and following through on commitments  

Preferred Requirements: 

• Four or more years working as an instructional designer  

• Candidates with PhDs or extensive experience in related areas are encouraged to apply 

• Experience teaching in higher education (i.e. faculty/instructor role) 

• Experience or certification with Quality Matters (or another rigorous, standards-based system)  

• Extensive experience with multimedia authoring tools, collaboration tools, and accessible digital learning materials. Strong understanding of active and inclusive learning theories, assessment, and approaches  

• Experience implementing universal design for learning (UDL) approaches 

• Experience with STEAM teaching methods and strategies  

• Experience with online (synchronous and asynchronous) and hybrid teaching and learning practices 

Position Details:  

This is a full-time benefits eligible position with a 37.5/hour work week. This position is eligible for a hybrid schedule.

At this time, the university is unable to sponsor applicants for H-1B visas.