Instructional Designer

About ACHS

American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS) has been providing excellence in holistic health distance education since 1978 and is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). ACHS specializes in accredited online graduate and undergraduate degrees, diplomas, certificates, and continuing education courses in integrative medicine fields including aromatherapy, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, and more.

Our mission is to provide leadership in holistic health education through comprehensive professional online and on-campus education and high-quality natural products with a commitment to sustainable practices and principles.

Overview

American College of Healthcare Sciences is seeking an experienced and skilled Instructional Designer to join our dynamic team. This role is pivotal in creating and enhancing online courses within the Canvas Learning Management System. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in instructional design pedagogy and possess innovative skills in developing engaging content to advance student learning.

Essential Functions/Core Deliverables:

This position works with diverse stakeholders in a highly motivated, team-based environment. The Instructional Designer is expected to manage multiple complex course design projects within a process framework, employing methodologies that empower online adult learners.

Content Creation

• Design and develop online courses within the Canvas LMS for adult learners studying the following fields: Integrative Health, Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, and General Education.
• Develop, design, and evaluate digital educational resources such as tutorials, modules, guides, and tech-integrated teaching materials for integration into the College's learning management system and supplementary teaching methods.
• Utilize multimedia and interactive tools to enhance student engagement and interaction with content.
• Integrate gamification elements into course design to motivate and engage learners.
• Implement appropriate pedagogy/andagogy and learning strategies to create structured and comprehensive course content.
• Apply best practices in instructional design to support diverse learning styles and accessibility standards.

Project Management

• Collaborate with subject matter experts to ensure course content accuracy and relevance.
• Evaluate course effectiveness and make iterative improvements based on feedback and analytics.
• Coordinate and oversee project timelines, ensuring that all course development milestones are met efficiently and effectively while maintaining high-quality standards.
• Manage cross-functional collaboration with faculty, IT staff, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless execution, on-time, and on-budget implementation of learning projects from inception to completion.

Institutional Support

• Create and deliver workshops and training as necessary.
• Coordinate instructional design resources and services with end-user support offered by other departments and programs.
• Monitor emerging technologies and provide strategic advice appropriate for ACHS’s educational mission.
• Manage and train faculty and staff on academic technology, including video conferencing, Google Apps for Education, Canvas, and others.

Required Qualifications:

• Professional Credentialing/Training in Instructional Design and a demonstrated commitment to ongoing training and development, with 3-5 years of experience.
• Proven expertise in instructional design, particularly within the Canvas Learning Management System, catering to higher education institutions and adult learners.
• Knowledge of current trends in gamification and how to apply them to online learning.
• Strong project management skills and the ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities to work effectively with educators and cross-functional teams.
• Familiarity with current trends in higher education pedagogy, andragogy, and instructional design methodologies.
• Expert knowledge of ID applications and tools, including some or all of the following: Google Workspace (Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.), Adobe Creative Suite or equivalent (Photoshop, Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Procreate, Canva), Learning Management Systems, Real-time video conferencing (e.g., Zoom), Mac OSX, Office and Productivity Apps (i.e., MS Office), Screen Capture/Lesson software (e.g., Camtasia, Captivate, Articulate).

After initial screening applicants may be asked to provide the following for review:

• Examples of courses created entirely by the applicant that demonstrate best practices in course design, implementation, and assessment.
• Sample work demonstrating the use of educational technology and design tools to create interactive online content.

Preferred Skills

• Master’s degree preferred
• Committed to educational excellence with novel approaches for empowering student learning.
• Passionate about recent practices and experiments in learning, particularly those with a technological component.
• Administrative experience or other examples of effectively coordinating and communicating with
• faculty, staff, and administrators across the disciplines.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated success with project management.
• Willingness to find solutions using existing resources.
• Expert knowledge of adult learning patterns and experience teaching adults.
• Can edit and create HTML/CSS and JavaScript.
• Familiarity with educational policies and laws (e.g., FERPA, TEACH Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Copyright and Fair Use).
• Experience and/or training in the subject areas at ACHS.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not have any supervisory responsibilities

Position Key Metrics

This role will use Key Performance Indicators such as course learner satisfaction, course development time, and course learner completion to measure success.

Work Environment

This job can be completed remotely or in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and photocopiers.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. This is largely a sedentary role; position requires prolonged standing or sitting. Requires frequent bending, stooping or stretching.

Benefits Highlights

• Eligible for Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance the first of the month after hire
• Dental and Vision covered at 100%; Medical covered at 90%
• Disability and Life insurance plans available

Paid Time Off

• Eligible for paid time off upon hire
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Vacation
• Pad Sick Time
• Paid Wellness Days (including expanded holiday breaks)
• Paid Volunteer Day

Other Benefits

• Education Benefit Program
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401(k) plan with institution match after one year of employment

Position Status

Classification: Exempt, Full-time

Reports To: Chief Information Officer

Expected Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:30-5:30 PST or a similar schedule. Availably outside of standard work hours may be necessary at times.

Non-Discrimination

ACHS is committed to equal opportunity and equal treatment for all qualified individuals. ACHS does not discriminate nor will it tolerate discrimination against any person because of age, gender, gender identity, color, race, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other class protected by law.

ACHS complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education, including but not limited to all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence. Any person who files a complaint or participates in an investigation is protected from retaliation to the full extent of the law. Questions regarding Title IX may be referred to ACHS’s Title IX Coordinator and/or to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. ACHS Title IX Coordinator: Prisca Bermudez, Director of Academic Services, 5005 S. Macadam Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97239. 503-244-0726, TitleIX@achs.edu