Associate Instructional Designer

The Associate Instructional Designer is responsible for assessing course issues and implementing solutions to resolve those issues that align with Excelsior University’s academic standards and best practices for adult learning. Working closely with instructional designers, instructional technologists, media developers, and other members of the Instructional Design and Development team (IDD), the Associate Instructional Designer ensures that course content is pedagogically sound, accessible, and aligns with Excelsior’s course design standards. The ideal candidate has knowledge of instructional design principles, online learning technologies, and assessment strategies. This role plays a key part in maintaining course quality and supporting Excelsior’s commitment to delivering an exceptional learning experience for students.

This position is based out of the university’s home office in Albany, NY with the option of considering remote candidates. Remote employees will have mandatory occasional travel for meetings, conferences, and professional development opportunities. Remote employees are expected to be available during work hours 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Eastern time. The University will supply necessary equipment to perform the essential functions of this job (e.g., Laptop, docking station). Employees are responsible for having a workspace where they can participate in virtual meetings without multiple interruptions and noise.

Duties and Responsibilities:  

• Collaborate with broader Instructional Design and Development team to support course maintenance operations.
• Apply instructional design principles to fix critical issues in courses..
• Analyze and assess course issues and apply appropriate and effective instructional strategies, tools, and assessments to resolve those issues..
• Ensure course content aligns with Excelsior’s course design standards, accessibility guidelines, and online learning best practices.
• Review and refine course content to ensure clarity, coherence, and alignment with learning objectives.
• Collaborate with other instructional designers to enhance Excelsior’s course development methodologies and resources.

Qualifications: 
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, or a related field.
• Knowledge of instructional design models (e.g., Backward Design, Bloom’s Taxonomy).
• Relationship-building skills.
• Familiarity with best practices for online learning and adult education.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in Instructional Design, Educational Technology, or a related field.
• 1+ year’s experience designing and developing online courses for higher education.
• Experience developing courses for non-traditional, adult learners.
• Prior experience working in a centralized course development model.
• Proficiency in accessibility standards and universal design for learning (UDL).
• Experience using data and learner analytics to inform course improvements.

The hiring salary range for this position is $55,000.00 - $60,000.00. The hiring salary range above represents the University's good faith estimate at the time of posting.