Learning Experience Designer - WGU Academy

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. . Current WGU employees should submit an internal application before 2/22/2023. Who is WGU Academy? At WGU Academy, we work collaboratively to dramatically impact college and workforce readiness efforts on a large scale. We are mission-driven, evidence-based, and laser-focused on learner success. Our primary mission is to develop and deliver novel solutions for college and career readiness to tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of individuals and propel them to success in whatever domain they choose. This is a fully benefited, remote position that can be located anywhere in the 48 US States. Why consider us? Fully remote position where you will make a difference in a mission driven environment. Equipment provided: Choice of Mac or PC laptop. Comprehensive and affordable benefits (including mental health benefits, and generous PTO) plus 403b matches and contributions where we put money into your retirement account, even if you are not contributing. 75% employee tuition discount available at WGU for yourself, and 50% discount for qualifying family members. Innovative, fun, and enriching environment where are you valued and recognized for your contributions. Collaborative and cross functional team where honest communication is prioritized. Who will you be helping? Your work will improve the lives of learners, many of whom have traditionally been underserved by higher education and enroll in WGU Academy to get ready for college and career success. The learning experiences you design will enhance their cognitive, psychological, and emotional resilience in a beautiful and engaging way. How is success measured? Success is measured with a mix of quality and quantity. Your work should increasingly reflect a deep understanding of our learners, our mission, and the holistic levels of learning we aim to achieve. You will enjoy the full support of your teammates, leadership, and others across Academy. We view failure as a learning opportunity and are always looking for ways to help one another when needed. Who are you? You are curious, creative, collaborative, and committed to excellence. You seek opportunities for learning, growth, and improvement. You enjoy working at a fast pace on projects that have clear-cut deadlines based on sprint cycles. Your commitment to thoughtful craft, openness to innovative ideas, and excitement in sharing your expertise will serve you well in this role. You are mission-driven and love using your skills for the good of society. What will you be doing? You will be part of WGU Academy’s scrum-based Product Design team, creating accessible and transformative experiences that ready learners for success. As a Learning Experience Designer (LXD) at Academy, you will be part of an agile team versed in rich media, front- and back-end development, assessment, and writing that guides their designs from inception through launch and evaluation. You’ll work closely with stakeholders, researching and applying science-informed learning strategies and practices to help learners learn better. Drawing on your knowledge of design, development, and advancement of quality learning experiences you'll develop engaging and effective learning experiences that incorporate the development of 21st century skills (empathy, teamwork, emotional intelligence, etc.) and impact learners. You’ll have the opportunity to build out systems and improve processes. Under the mentorship of more senior Learning Experience Designers, conducts user research, including interviews, surveys, and usability testing Designs learning experiences that will achieve robust outcomes in both academic courses and the affective/ non-cognitive domain Prototypes experiences and iterates designs based on efficacy and usability studies Applies best-practice UX and UI design skills to create proof-of-concepts, mockups, and prototypes Develops course materials in OpenEdX, h5p, 7taps, Articulate 360, and other tools Develops learning assessments in various platforms including Learnosity and OpenEdX Contributes collectively with other developers to ensure technical feasibility of designs Stays current with trends, innovations, and research in learning science, instructional media, UI/UX and learner behavior Reviews learner feedback and provides recommendations for learning experience improvements Participates in research projects to advance learning science and product innovations Promotes the business through professional conferences, product demos, and other outreach activities You possess: Understanding of adult learners and under-served populations Excellent written, oral, presentation, and interpersonal skills Ability to analyze and interpret data to drive future design improvements, direction, and to quantify and validate design effectiveness Ability to work collaboratively and creatively in a fast-paced, agile environment Conceptual knowledge of web/software development Strong attention to detail and a feeling of pride and ownership over the quality of our learning experience Project management skills and “hands on” tactical management of learning experience / product development, agile experience preferred Qualifications: Minimum Qualifications: A Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of experience in a similar role OR Master’s degree and 1 year of experience in a similar role. Experience in developing and implementing learning experiences / eLearning from ideation through implementation and analysis in a web-based environment Proficiency in design tools, such as Figma, PowerPoint, and Articulate 360, to rapidly create both low- and high-fidelity mockups and wireframes Experience applying design strategies informed by learning and behavioral sciences, instructional design, and interaction/web/eLearning design principles Strong portfolio (successful candidates will be asked to provide a portfolio) of learning product/app design required Preferred Qualifications: Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field Experience with mobile-first learning applications Experience with qualitative and quantitative primary research methods Classroom experience, preferably in higher education with underserved learners Experience with underserved higher education learners Experience with Open EdX, Learnosity, Articulate 360, h5p, 7taps, and/or other courseware and learning platforms Working Conditions Limited travel for team meetings in Salt Lake City Remote Position Disclaimers: WGU Academy, Inc is an affiliated non-profit entity of 501c(3) Corporation of Western Governors University This Job Description has been designed to indicate the general nature, essential duties, and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this classification. It does not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications that are required of the employee to do this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. This Job Description does not constitute a contract of employment and the University may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time. #LI-1KM #REMOTE As an equal opportunity employer, WGU recognizes that our strength lies in our people. We are committed to diversity. This is a university made for a new kind of student. At WGU, our focus is on the success of our students and our graduates. What kind of university will give the busy adult student of the 21st century—unique, dedicated, and driven—the best chance for success? One that values those qualities and puts them to work. We’re the first university where all bachelor’s and master’s degrees are competency-based, with curriculum designed in partnership with leading employers. We’re nonprofit, driven entirely by a mission to serve students—in fact, it’s right there in our name. We’re called Western Governors University because we were created by a group of U.S. governors, an innovative solution to their states’ demand for high-quality, outcomes-oriented higher education.