Learning Experience Developer

Competition 2526

This position is a part of the Non-Academic Staff Association (NASA).

This position has a term length of 2 years and offers a comprehensive benefits package.

Location - This role is hybrid with a mix of remote and in-person. Work primarily takes place at Enterprise Square.

Working at the University of Alberta

The University of Alberta acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6 territory, and respects the histories, languages and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.

The University of Alberta is a community of knowledge seekers, change makers and world shapers who lead with purpose each and every day. We are home to over 14,000 faculty and staff, more than 40,000 students and a growing community of 300,000 alumni worldwide.

Your work will have a meaningful influence on a fascinating cross-section of people — from our students and community members, to our renowned researchers and innovators, making discoveries and generating solutions that make the world healthier, safer, stronger and more just. Learn more.

Working for Online Learning & Continuing Education (OCE)

Online Learning & Continuing Education (OCE) is a central U of A service unit in the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) that partners with colleges, faculties, and external partners to develop and deliver online courses, programs, and non-credit micro-credentials. OCE leverages its deep expertise, skills, and experience to build high-quality and scalable online offerings to enable the U of A to expand its enrolment capacity, reach new student populations, and provide accessible pathways into U of A offerings.

The Online Learning team supports the development and delivery of high-demand online courses and programming, with a current focus on developing new online graduate certificates and course-based master's programs. The team provides extensive expertise to elevate the quality and accessibility of online programming at the U of A.

Position

The Learning Experience Developer is an enthusiastic online course developer with a strong focus on the creation of enriched multimedia to drive engaging learning experiences at the University of Alberta. As a team member of Online Learning and Continuing Education (OCE), the Learning Experience Developer works closely with Instructional Designers and the Project Manager on each new digital project. Using best practices for online learning, including accessibility, indigenization, and inclusivity, the incumbent will produce high-quality digital courses and assets that are learner-centric, engaging, and impactful.

The Learning Experience Developer will build and produce graduate and undergraduate credit or non-credit courses in the online environment, and must be comfortable developing directly within the LMS (Canvas, Coursera, or others as needed) and using course authoring tools such as Articulate Rise and Storyline. The incumbent will design and create multimedia for each offering, or partner externally for production as required. The incumbent will engage with partners, including the academic lead/instructor/SME, on review cycles throughout the online course development process and ensure that an optimal learning environment is set up for each new digital experience.

Duties

Digital Course Production

• Apply best practices for online learning to all digital builds, including online pedagogical/andragogical approaches to teaching and learning with consideration for the type of project (credit, non-credit) and desired outcomes.
• Collaborate with the ID and academic lead/SME on any changes or updates and make recommendations for activities, interactives, complex interactions (such as branching scenarios or gamification) or multimedia that will enable a high degree of learner engagement.
• Incorporate elements of storytelling, creating flow between digital learning elements and the teaching and learning experience.
• Design templates or other visual elements to enhance the look and feel of the online offering to meet the needs of partners.
• Create or maintain course homepages and reusable course templates with consistent navigation, layout and branding for use in course projects.

Multimedia, Enrichment, Assessment

• Plan, design, and create new digital assets and multimedia for online courses, including presentations, podcasts, pressbooks, audio, animations, and custom graphics.
• Curate and adapt existing multimedia for integration into courses, e.g. video editing, stock assets.
• Provide light post-production editing for media assets, e.g. podcasts or videos.
• Design interactive learning objects using course authoring tools or web technologies to enhance engagement and knowledge retention.
• Collaborate with vendors on the creation of multimedia that may require external support, e.g. video production.

Quality Assurance

• Using OCE’s quality assurance resources in course development, e.g. quality checklists, accessibility guidelines, Style Guides, or third-party scorecards, thoroughly evaluate prototypes and drafts of project modules to test for accuracy, quality, accessibility, responsiveness and functionality.
• Version control learning objects, such as SCORM, as applicable and monitor sections and archives of LMS courses.
• Perform QA at various stages of course development, making revisions, and verifying if QA changes have been made.
• Use available tools and processes to manage the QA testing process with team members and academic content creators. Provide tool orientation, monitor the issue list, and drive reported issues to resolution in a timely manner.

Work Environment

• Collaborate with external units, such as Information Services and Technology (IST) and the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), as needed for institutional tool-related resources, digital learning technology support/integration, and instructor resources/support.
• Alongside the OCE team, collaborate with IST on ideas, use cases, and innovation related to the digital learning environment.
• Collaborate and communicate with team members about potential issues impacting course development, development tools, process gaps, etc.
• Be a champion for the end user experience and drive positive change for digital course delivery and the learning experience.

Qualifications

• An Undergraduate degree in educational technology, design, instructional design, adult education, or a related field is required. A diploma with strong online course development and multimedia experience may be considered.
• A minimum of two years of developing online courses and multimedia is required; preference given to those with experience developing credit, non-credit, and corporate digital learning experiences.
• Exceptional knowledge and skill in creating digital media within online courses using course authoring tools, including Articulate Suite, Adobe Suite.
• Experience working with integrating courses in Learning Management Systems, including experience building custom courses in Canvas, or willingness to learn.
• Experience supporting and including Indigenous Initiatives and Access, Community and Belonging (II and ACB) across the digital learning experience.
• Exceptional creativity, passion, and ability to develop enriched, innovative online learning that utilizes a variety of modalities, technologies, and multimedia.
• Multimedia portfolio of previous work, including graphics, animations, audio, or other multimedia work.
• Knowledge and experience with accessibility guidelines, UDL, and digital LX/UX.
• Familiarity with copyright legislation and compliance, fair use guidelines, Creative Commons licensing, and intellectual property rights related to the use of digital content in educational settings.
• Keen eye for detail to conduct quality assurance reviews and user acceptance testing.
• Must have technical skills required to resolve technical issues related to the digital build and multimedia.
• Must have experience in and knowledge of web, graphic design, and multimedia development (i.e. HTML, CSS, Adobe Suite, Camtasia, Microsoft Office Suite, Yuja, Google Suite, Dreamweaver, LaTEX, etc.).
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to positively influence partners, build trust, and generate excitement.

This competition will be used to fill up to two Learning Experience Developer positions.