The Department of Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) at Fort Hays State University seeks an Instructional Designer whose work centers on one question: how do we create human connection in digital spaces? That question is the north star of FHSU's Digital Master Plan, and this role is where it becomes practice in courses.
The Instructional Designer partners with faculty to design courses and learning experiences — online, hybrid, and in person — in which instructor presence, peer interaction, and student agency are designed for rather than left to chance. The role requires expertise across TILT’s portfolio of instructional design, educational technology, and faculty development.
The Instructional Designer's work supports FHSU's strategic commitment to student success, informs how the university evaluates and adopts learning technologies, and helps faculty make sound judgments about where AI and other tools strengthen learning and where they displace the relationships learning depends on.
The position reports to the Director of Innovative Learning Strategies and is on campus in Hays, Kansas.
Key responsibilities:
Course and learning design
- Partner with faculty to design and redesign courses, modules, activities, and assessments that incorporate Regular and Substantive Interaction across online, hybrid, and face-to-face formats
- Guide faculty through course development from concept to delivery, including alignment of outcomes, activities, and assessment
- Apply quality course assurance frameworks that treat connection and presence as design outcomes, not by-products
Faculty development
- Design and deliver workshops, consultations, and resources that help faculty grow as course designers, in collaboration with TILT's faculty development team
- Support faculty in making informed, principled decisions about AI in their courses: where it extends what students can do, and where it substitutes for the thinking and interaction in the course
- Contribute to TILT's programming and communities for faculty as they are developed
Educational technology
- Help evaluate and make recommendations for learning tools and platforms to meet pedagogical criteria
- Support faculty adoption of approved tools, including the LMS, with attention to accessibility and student engagement
Learning data and quality
- Help faculty read and design based their own course data
- Contribute to ongoing quality improvement in online and blended learning, including regular and substantive interaction standards
- Document design decisions and outcomes so TILT's work is visible and can inform institutional priorities
Minimum qualifications:
- Master's degree in education, instructional design, educational technology, or a related field or six years of experience in lieu of degree
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain design and technology choices to non-technical audiences
- Expertise with course quality assurance frameworks, such as SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric (OSCQR), Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Scorecard, Quality Matters
- Working familiarity with a learning management system (FHSU uses Blackboard Learn)
- Strong technical aptitude and a demonstrated ability to learn new tools and concepts quickly
Preferred qualifications:
- Two or more years of experience in instructional design or educational technology in higher education
- Demonstrated experience with project management and the ability to coordinate communication with several faculty at once and meet deadlines
- Online or hybrid teaching experience in higher education
- Familiarity with presence-based frameworks for course design, such as the Community of Inquiry model, and the ability to apply them in consultation with faculty
- Experience helping faculty use generative AI in ways that preserve instructor–student and peer interaction rather than replace it
- Experience interpreting course-level data (engagement, activity, outcomes) in partnership with instructors
- Working knowledge of accessibility standards for digital learning (WCAG, Universal Design for Learning) and of regular and substantive interaction expectations for online courses
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with faculty and colleagues across disciplines and backgrounds
- Experience designing or facilitating faculty professional development
- Background and experience with open educational resources (OERs) adoption and development
We welcome applications from candidates who do not meet every preferred qualification but show sound judgment about learning, a clear point of view on technology, and a strong willingness to grow in the role.
Benefits: To review our competitive benefit package, please visit FHSU Benefits.
Appointment Date: Start date to be determined after acceptance of an offer and completion of a criminal background check.
Priority Deadline: November 12, 2026. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately following the priority deadline and will continue until the position is filled.
Application Process: To apply for this position, please visit FHSU Careers. Only electronic applications submitted through the webpage will be accepted.
Required Application Documents: Applicants must submit a current resume. References may be requested from final candidates later in the hiring process.
Highly Preferred Application Documents:
Cover Letter & Design Philosophy - A letter of application that outlines your qualifications and shares your learning design philosophy. In particular, we invite you to reflect on:
- How you determine learning intent and select instructional methods or tools
- Your approach to consulting and partnering with faculty
- How you organize and manage multiple concurrent projects
- How you use evidence or data to solve problems and evolve your practice
- Your approach to universal design and accessibility for diverse learners
Applicant documents should be submitted in one PDF.
If you have questions regarding the position, please contact:
Dr. Andrew Feldstein, Search Committee Chair
785.628.4788
Community of Hays
FHSU is located in Hays, a vibrant college town of approximately 20,000, located halfway between Kansas City and Denver on Interstate 70. Hays is the regional center for education, health care, professional services, shopping, culture, and recreation for the western half of Kansas. The community boasts excellent recreational programs and facilities, including the comprehensive Center for Health Improvement, Hays Aquatic Park, Smoky Hill Country Club, Hays Municipal Golf Course, and extensive walking, running, and biking trails. Hays is within 45 minutes of two large lakes that offer great opportunities for boating, fishing, and camping. The Hays Municipal Airport provides connecting service to Denver with several flights daily. The Hays community is home to excellent Pre-K and K-12, public and private schools. With over 60 restaurants, major retail outlets, a low unemployment rate, and very short commute times, the city provides a safe, welcoming, low-cost, high-quality living environment for the residents who call "Hays, America" home.
Notice of Non-discrimination: FHSU is committed to providing equal opportunity and access to its educational programs, employment, services, and activities in compliance with federal and state nondiscrimination laws. FHSU prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity and expression), age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in its programs, activities, admissions, or employment.
Background Check: Final candidate will have consented to and successfully completed a criminal background check.
Notice to KPERS retirees applying for a position: Recent legislation changes working-after-retirement rules for both you and your employer if you go back to work for a KPERS employer. Please contact your KPERS representative or www.kpers.org for further information on how this might affect you.
Skills Required
- Master's degree in education, instructional design, educational technology, or a related field, or six years of experience in lieu of degree
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
- Expertise with course quality assurance frameworks such as OSCQR, OLC Scorecard, or Quality Matters
- Working familiarity with a learning management system, particularly Blackboard Learn
- Strong technical aptitude and ability to learn new tools and concepts quickly
- Two or more years of instructional design or educational technology experience in higher education
- Project management experience and ability to coordinate multiple faculty projects and deadlines
- Online or hybrid teaching experience in higher education
- Familiarity with presence-based course design frameworks such as the Community of Inquiry model
- Experience helping faculty use generative AI while preserving instructor-student and peer interaction
- Experience interpreting course-level engagement, activity, and outcomes data
- Working knowledge of WCAG, Universal Design for Learning, and regular and substantive interaction expectations
- Ability to collaborate with faculty and colleagues across disciplines and backgrounds
- Experience designing or facilitating faculty professional development
- Experience adopting or developing open educational resources
What We Do
Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university based in Hays, Kansas, that offers hundreds of affordable on-campus and online degree programs.
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