Fast Facts

WGU Academy is seeking an Instructional Technologist to develop and manage online learning experiences, ensuring quality and accessibility in course design and delivery.

Responsibilities: Manage the build process for new courses, ensure quality standards, collaborate on course design, conduct quality assurance reviews, and assist with technology-related challenges.

Skills: Strong knowledge of instructional design, effective communication, experience with UDL and ADA compliance, and proficiency with educational technology and testing tools.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, with a minimum of three years in online course design and familiarity with LMS systems; HTML and accessibility skills preferred.

Location: Salt Lake City Office, United States of America

Compensation: $64800 - $97200 / Annually

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Faculty 505Pay Range: $64,800.00 - $97,200.00

Job Description

The Instructional Technologist develops and ensures that online learning products support the vision and design of WGU Academy courses and learning experiences. The Instructional Technologist is responsible for setting up and building online learning experiences according to the design specifications of assigned projects. This role focuses on troubleshooting, solving technical problems related to delivery of learning and assessment materials, and is responsible for creating a consistent, learning experience in the selected platform. The Instructional Technologist also ensures that all aspects of the course work properly (i.e., hyperlinks, videos, sandboxes, third-party integrations) and collaborates with the accessibility team to ensure universal design best practices are met. This role is responsible for the success of simultaneous projects, assessing risks, reporting progress, and communicating effectively with stakeholders.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Manage the build process for new courses and learning experiences and attend to continuous improvement and technology innovations of assigned projects.
• Ensure that quality standards are reflected in all aspects of the student experience.
• Collaborate with development team members to build superior online courses that are supported by research-based best practices in online learning.
• Work with the development team to ensure alignment of learning outcomes, content, and assessment during the build of courses in the selected platform.
• Work with project managers and other team members to ensure all deadline dates are met throughout the design and development process Conduct quality assurance reviews on courses and implement revisions.
• Assist with identifying and resolving challenges related to technology, to online delivery of content and assessments, and to the student experience.
• Stay informed about updates, changes, retiring assets, innovations, and opportunities related to WGU’s selected platforms and delivery tools and processes.
• Train and mentor team members on assigned WGU technologies.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skill and Abilities:

• Thorough knowledge of instructional design and learning theory
• The ability to develop online courses according to project requirements and style guide
• Effective interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• The ability to collaborate to achieve positive results on projects achieved collaboratively Experience with Universal design for learning (UDL), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and copyright compliance regulations and requirements
• Demonstrated knowledge of agile development or rapid prototyping
• Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies, solve emergent technical problems, and share learnings and suggestions with a team to come to a quick, value-driven solution
• Demonstrated success with creating beautiful, friction-free learning experiences for students in competency-based programs
• Ability to manage multiple projects at different stages while meeting deadlines and quality standards
• Ability to work independently, under minimal supervision
• Strong Knowledge of available open educational resources (OERs)
• Demonstrated proficiency with educational technology and assessment/testing tools
• Advanced skills in planning, organizing, and managing priorities

Job Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field of study or equivalent work experience
• Three (3) years of experience working with online university course design, curriculum development, online learning technologies and pedagogies, learner experience design, LMS systems and assessment delivery systems such as Blackboard, Canvas, Smart Author, Brightspace, Moodle, etc., and ensuring quality standards for course design are met

Preferred Qualifications:

• HTML coding skills with additional skills in CSS, AWS Cloud, Google Cloud, and Azure
• Additional experience with the following
• Competency-based learning
• Quality assurance training and certification (i.e., CBEN, OSCQR)
• Post-secondary teaching

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times.

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Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.