Richard Jones EdTech 503: Job ID Posting

Jonesville Junior College

Where students learn more than the teachers

Job Overview
Position: Instructional Designer Location: Jonesville, California Employment Classification: Full-time Educational Requirement: Bachelors Degree Application Due Date: January 28, 2014

Job Description
Jonesville Junior College is currently seeking a highly-qualified and motivated individual to assist with the development of our new online degree and certificate program. This individual will be responsible for collaborating with faculty, department chairpersons, college administrators, and other stakeholders to design an effective e-learning experience for our students. These experiences must be designed to meet the goals of the college while also addressing the needs of individual learners. The person will also be responsible for analyzing and evaluating learning results, making adjustments to professional development sessions and instructional programs along the way.

Job Functions (The candidate will)

The following list represents the specific duties this position will be expected to fulfill. 1. Apply the principles of ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation) when designing learning experiences for our students 2. Design assessments that can be used to measure program success and achievement of learning outcomes 3. Work with faculty and staff to recommend the best uses of technology in the creation of materials for an e-learning environment 4. Provide professional development for faculty and staff members based on analysis of their progress toward implementing curriculum and meeting our academic goals 5. Apply the principles of adult learning to the development of curricular activities 6. Identify and/or design software that can be used to manage our e-learning environment (i.e. Moodle, Blackboard, Live Text, etc.) and facilitate the training of that product 7. Facilitate online communications and meetings between multiple parties 8. Ensure that faculty and staff have made course syllabi, calendars, assignments, and rubrics available online

Richard Jones EdTech 503: Job ID Posting

Mandatory Requirements (Required Skills/Knowledge/Background)

In order to qualify for this position, a candidate must meet the following minimum requirements for employment: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Possess a Bachelors degree 3+ years of experience with instructional design 3+ years of experience as a teacher (or trainer in the private sector) Worked in the field of education for 5+ years Experience with Microsoft Office products (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) Ability to work in online and face-to-face settings Exceptional written and oral communications skills (including grammar) Experience with the operation of Learning Management Systems (LMS) Ability to form positive working relationships with staff and faculty Ability to take on multiple tasks and projects at the same time with a sense for prioritizing those that take higher precedence over others

Preferred Qualifications (Desired Skills/Knowledge/Background)

While not mandatory, Jonesville Junior College is seeking a candidate who possesses the following characteristics and qualifications: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Masters Degree in a field related to education or instructional design Experience with distance learning Experience using educational products for both desktop and mobile devices Provide evidence of competency with Adobe Suite products Provide samples of audio/video recordings and multimedia created by the candidate Ability to write from multiple points of view and for a variety of audiences Have a passion for learning and continuing to grow as a professional educator

Submission Information
All candidates for this position need to submit a resume, letter of interest, and three letters of reference before January 28, 2014. Candidates will also be expected to pass an FBI fingerprint clearance and provide transcripts documenting all educational experiences.

Thank you for taking an interest in joining our team at Jonesville Junior College. We are always in pursuit of the best talent in the field of education because that is what our students deserve.

_____________________________________________________________________________________ Richard Jones EdTech 503: Job ID Posting

Part II: Reflection In this assignment, students were asked to examine multiple job postings for the position of instructional designer. We were given the task of synthesizing those job postings into a fictional one that we created based on our findings. In doing so, we would become familiar with the services that instructional designers provide and the ways in which they differ from teachers. This is a reflection of my experiences with this task. It is based on the findings I encountered during the creation of the job posting above. I will address the following questions in this reflection: 1. What are teachers expected to do that instructional designers are not? 2. What are instructional designers expected to do that teachers are not? 3. What are the three major differences between a teacher and an instructional designer? At first glance, the title instructional designer might sound synonymous with teacher. After all, they both just design lesson, right? In fact, many educators would likely consider them different labels for the same position. I, too, would have joined in this belief that all teachers design instructional materials; thus, they must be instructional designers. The truth is that my assumption turned out to be inaccurate. While both parties work with instructional materials, there are clear differences between the two. Teachers are expected to meet certain criteria and perform tasks that instructional designers are not. First, teachers are expected to be experts in a content area. Most, if not all states, now have mandatory criteria that teachers must meet in order to be highly-qualified to teach a subject. In my case, I have been cleared by the state of California to teach social science courses including history, economics, geography, and government. Instructional designers are likely to work alongside content experts in developing learning experiences, but they are not mandated to be content experts themselves. Teachers are expected to deliver lessons within that content area. Lesson planning aside, the biggest portion of my workload is absolutely dedicated to delivering instruction to students. This is not an expectation of instructional designers. Finally, teachers are expected to develop rapport with students and monitor their progress during and after lesson delivery. I make every effort to get to know my students and learn about their interests. Instructional designers are not always required to do so. Instructional designers work in different situations and perform duties that would not be expected of a teacher. The most obvious difference is that instructional designers commonly work in the private sector. In fact, they often work for private businesses that have no connection to our nations education system. Instructional designers also take a much more systematic and research-driven approach to developing learning materials. I try to use as much student data and educational theory as possible when designing learning experiences for my students, but this is not an expectation that is placed on all teachers. I would argue, however, that recent pushes to focus on test scores and best practices has somewhat narrowed the gap between teacher and instructional designer in the area of data and research-driven instruction. Finally, instructional designers are expected to take on much more of a managerial role than teachers. This could include anything from leading various stakeholders in education settings to telemarketing teams in private industry. Much of this involves designing professional
Richard Jones EdTech 503: Job ID Posting

development opportunities for these groups as well. In my experience, however, teachers in our district are often called upon to facilitate professional development workshops in the belief that they are the best ones to model instructional practices. In reality, I think this has more to do with cost than it does instructional expertise. This brings us to the three biggest differences between teachers and instructional designers. I think the most obvious difference is the focus on design versus implementation of instruction and curriculum. Instructional designers are responsible for using research-based practices to develop settings and materials that maximize learning, whereas teachers are expected to serve as content experts who carry out lessons. I am often responsible for both in my current setting, but I would not consider myself an instructional designer. Secondly, teachers traditionally monitor and assess student retention of content knowledge in real time. Instructional designers, on the other hand, assess specific learning outcomes and the role of instruction in meeting those goals. This reminds me a great deal of the consulting teams our district has worked with in an effort to move out of Program Improvement status due to low standardized testing scores. Finally, teachers are often expected to form working relationships with students and attempt to fine-tune instruction to meet their needs. Instructional designers take student needs into account when designing products and often inform teachers of those needs; however, this is usually not due to face-toface interactions with the students (or customers in the private sector). I cannot begin to explain the power in creating those relationships in the alternative education setting where I teach. My rapport with individual students can often determine how much effort they are willing to put into my classes. In the end, we are left with two classifications of educators whose jobs are often considered similar, but, in actuality, have different roles to play in the learning process. It is true that both have the goal of achieving some form of learning outcome and providing good instruction. Their roles can even blur on occasion. Nevertheless, the optimal relationship would be one of working together to provide the most productive learning experiences for students or workers. I often struggle with the balance of designing the best lessons that I can while carrying out those lessons for my students. It is often the most difficult part of this profession. Part III: Job Posting URLs Title Instructional Designer/Writer Instructional Designer E-Learning Instructional Designer Instructional Designer Organization Marian University UCSF Medical Center Expedia.Com Pearson Job Search Site AECT Job Board Dice.com Indeed/Expedia.com Careerbuilder URL http://bit.ly/1eh9Hya http://bit.ly/1mMyMYY http://bit.ly/1c88mNt http://cb.com/1jFZKPB

Richard Jones EdTech 503: Job ID Posting