Instructional Designer

The University of Niagara Falls Canada seeks an Instructional Designer for its Centre for Teaching Excellence. This hybrid role involves collaborating with faculty and curriculum developers to create engaging online courses, utilizing instructional design best practices. Responsibilities include project management, developing eLearning storyboards, and facilitating workshops. Candidates should have a degree in Education, experience in instructional design, and teaching experience, preferably in higher education.
Position Job Title: Instructional Designer

Location: University of Niagara Falls Canada Campus in Niagara Falls, ON (Hybrid)

Reports To: Manager, Instructional Design

The University of Niagara Falls is looking for an instructional designer to join the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE). As an instructional designer you will report to the Manager: Instructional Design and work closely with the developing CTE team, including the Senior Instructional Designer, and other academic and administrative units across the UNF community, in the development of interactive and research-grounded online courses. The Instructional Designer will collaborate with the CTE team to support faculty, curriculum developers, and specialists by designing instructional materials for diverse delivery modes. Leveraging instructional design best practices, they will create engaging, inclusive content and manage projects to ensure timely course completion.

Responsibilities
• Collaborate with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to develop eLearning storyboards using creative designs and instructional best practices.
• Utilize course templates within the Learning Management System (LMS) for multi-modal delivery.
• Assist faculty in developing instructional materials, organizing content, and selecting appropriate media formats.
• Design, support, and facilitate workshops and learning sessions.
• Work with courseware developers to optimize collaborative learning experiences.
• Utilize instructional strategies such as gamification, simulations, and case studies to enhance student learning.
• Organize and archive visual elements and instructional materials for future use.
• Manage multiple projects and prioritize needs to meet tight deadlines.
• Stay updated on graphic design tools, educational trends, and practices to inform instructional design.

Decision Making
• Recommend improvements to course structure and quality based on evidence and feedback.
• Select tools and applications for effective teaching and learning.
• Propose policies, procedures, and guidelines to support course development and delivery.
• Determine intervention strategies to meet completion deadlines.
• Identify alternate design strategies when copyright restrictions apply.
• Analyze, synthesize, and clarify information as needed.
• Decide content, format, and delivery methods for workshops.

Centre for Teaching Excellence
• Collaborate with CTE colleagues to develop and build courses, workshops, and interactives to support faculty and course development.
• Support the overall mission of CTE to support the development of programs, courses, and faculty support at UNF.
• In collaboration with CTE colleagues, represent CTE in program development project teams.

Education and Experience
• Degree in Education or relevant field. Master’s degree would be an asset.
• Certification in Instructional Design or equivalent experience.
• Quality Matters certification.
• Experience working with faculty for a minimum of 2-4 years.
• Teaching experience for a minimum of 2-4, preferably in a higher education setting.
• Instructional design experience for a minimum of 2-4 years.
• Curriculum development experience would be an asset.

Skills and Abilities
• Degree in Education or relevant field. Master’s degree would be an asset.
• Certification in Instructional Design or equivalent experience.
• Quality Matters certification.
• Experience working with faculty for a minimum of 2-4 years.
• Teaching experience for a minimum of 2-4, preferably in a higher education setting.
• Instructional design experience for a minimum of 2-4 years.
• Curriculum development experience would be an asset.