Instructional Designer (mena)

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Middle East North Africa Region Address:

Full-Time Posting Date

11/20/2024

Company Description

Established in 1951, Amideast is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to creating hope, opportunity, and mutual understanding among people in the Middle East, North Africa, and United States through life-changing opportunities for education and cultural exchanges. Working with local, regional, and international partners, we provide programs and services that improve educational opportunity and quality, expand access to academic and career pathways, empower youth and women, strengthen local institutions, and develop language and professional skills for success in the global economy. Headquartered in Washington, DC, Amideast operates offices in 11 countries in the MENA region. For more information, visit us at www.amideast.org.

Position Description

The Instructional Designer is responsible for the design, development, and management of Amideast’s instructional strategies and learning experiences across all course delivery modes—online, blended, and in-person. This position plays a critical role in ensuring that all courses are pedagogically sound,aligned with Amideast’s educational objectives, and tailored to the needs of diverse learners across the Middle East and North Africa. The Instructional Designer also collaborates with the Information Technology (IT) team to ensure that learning content is effectively integrated into the Learning Management System (LMS) and other educational platforms.

As part of Amideast’s Program Department, the Instructional Designer works closely with leadership, field offices, and Headquarters-based and regional technical experts to support the instructional design needs of courses in various stages of development. This position also provides guidance and training on best practices in instructional design to help teachers and trainers deliver high-quality, engaging learning experiences. In addition, the Instructional Designer will assess and explore current and cutting-edge delivery modes and tools, with a particular focus on those that facilitate communication skills, language learning, critical thinking, problem solving, and other relevant topics through Artificial Intelligence (AI), gaming, and hyper-personalized learning approaches. These approaches include adaptive learning technologies, which tailor educational content and learning paths to the individual needs and progress of each learner.

In addition, the Instructional Designer supports the IT team in leveraging e-learning tools and resources, such as Amideast’s Moodle LMS and BigBlueButton (BBB) platform, to ensure optimal course delivery. The role involves close collaboration with technical staff to maintain and enhance the educational technology infrastructure, ensuring it meets the instructional needs of Amideast’s programs. The Instructional Designer will also research new and emerging technologies, evaluating their potential to enhance instructional delivery and recommending solutions that align with Amideast’s goals and learner needs.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide instructional design support for courses across all delivery modes (online, blended, and in-person)
• Serve as the instructional design lead for Amideast’s e-learning initiatives, working closely with country offices and Headquarters-based and regional technical experts
• Manage the development process for all phases, from planning to implementation, for new and existing courses.
• Develop and implement instructional design standards and guidelines to ensure quality and consistency across all courses
• Design and implement a comprehensive training agenda and capacity-building programs for Amideast staff and instructors, focusing on maximizing the benefits of e-learning, including conducting web-based training sessions, workshops, and consultations on instructional design best practices and the effective use of e-learning technologies
• Prepare training documentation in the form of demonstration videos and instructional manuals about instructional design standards and guidelines to ensure quality and consistency across all courses
• Undertake needs assessments to identify improvements for curriculum resources, learning objectives, delivery techniques, or learning activities relevant to online delivery
• Conduct consultations to understand instructional opportunities, constraints, and concerns for using the LMS and BBB and to determine the best learning practices and instructional tools for promoting and enabling online training
• Support in the assessment of e-learning needs and the research, identification, and testing of third-party applications, including add-ons and plugins for the LMS
• Provide guidance and advice on the appropriate integration of educational technology into existing or new training programs, including participation in program/proposal development
• Assist local field staff and instructors with identifying and using LMS features most appropriate for their online courses and blended components of Amideast’s face-to-face, flipped, and hybrid courses
• Assess, recommend, and test courseware packages and related tools to fulfill Amideast’s educational goals
• Play a pivotal role in ensuring that all educational content on Amideast’s LMS is fully accessible, adhering to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and proactively work towards creating a diverse and inclusive learning environment by ensuring that the content and delivery methods cater to a wide range of learners with varying needs and backgrounds
• Serve as a second-level responder for customer service inquiries directly related to online training and learning
• Work closely with technical teams to ensure seamless course delivery through Moodle and other platforms
• Conduct regular course reviews to assess the effectiveness of instructional strategies, updating content as necessary to enhance learner engagement and outcomes
• Stay updated on trends in instructional design, e-learning, and educational technology, integrating new approaches and tools where appropriate
• Collaborate with IT to optimize the use of the Moodle LMS, BigBlueButton (BBB), and other e-learning platforms
• Ensure that course content is appropriately integrated with LMS features, such as assessments, multimedia, and interactive elements
• Provide training and support to instructors and program staff in instructional design best practices and the effective use of e-learning technologies
  
  

Required

QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS

• Master’s degree in educational technology
• A minimum of 10 years of proven experience in instructional design for online, blended, and in-person learning
• Expertise in e-learning platforms, particularly Moodle LMS
• Demonstrated knowledge of current trends in instructional design, educational technology, and adult learning principles
• Demonstrated experience in content development
• Hands-on experience providing training to diverse communities of people using web-based resources
• Responsible and reliable with self-directed motivation and a positive can-do attitude, collaborative and flexible in a fast-paced dynamic digital work environment
• Strong collaboration skills with experience working across functional and organizational lines
• Excellent communication and training skills, with the ability to support and mentor instructional staff
• Ability to work effectively in a cross-cultural environment and with teams based in multiple locations
  
  

Preferred

• Classroom experience in ES/FL or other foreign language teaching
• Experience mentoring instructors and staff in using technology for teaching and learning
• Google G-Suite for education or nonprofits
  
  

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The incumbent in this position will work in a professional office environment and will utilize the following equipment when working from the field office or remote home office (on a hybrid or full-time basis).

• Computer (laptop or desktop)
• Printer/Photocopier/Scanner/Fax
• Telephone
  
  

Some business travel may be needed from time to time when face-to-face collaboration of training is required.

The physical demands and work environment that have been described is representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act or local law.

This position description is an overview of the major functions and requirements of this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of the position; the Employee’s Manager may assign other duties as related or as otherwise deemed appropriate and necessary within the general scope, without the need for additional compensation.

Amideast is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Positions that involve interaction with children will be required to read, acknowledge, and comply with and attend special training in accordance with the Child Protection and Safeguarding policy. All Amideast representatives must comply with the Code of Conduct and all applicable organizational policies which include but are not limited to, Anti-Human Trafficking and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.