Learning Experience Designer / Accessibility Coordinator

The Learning Experience Designer for Accessibility works closely with learning experience designers, design managers, media designers, and researchers to support the development of extraordinary courses and learning experiences. The role and responsibility of this position will be accessibility focused and will serve as the primary resource within the Office of Academic Innovation (AI) for finding pedagogical and technological solutions towards making our educational offerings and tools accessible to our constituents. The role will further improve student learning in multiple instructional modalities (e.g., online, hybrid, and residential), with a specific emphasis on Universal Design for Learning principles (i.e., multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement). The core functions of this position are supporting learning experience design, providing accessibility-focused consultations across the Office, and creating professional development opportunities to support the creation of accessible instructional materials by faculty and staff.

The ideal candidate for this position will have worked in a team environment, has experience in instructional design in higher education, has a passion for improving access to education, and has a desire to explore and research how technology can be used to transform education at scale. This role will work within a fast-paced environment to develop instructional materials for MOOCs, online degree programs, blended learning experiences, and other digital education environments that are aimed at unlocking new educational opportunities and enabling personalized, engaged, and lifelong learning for the U-M community and learners around the world.

Responsibilities*

Development

Collaborate with learning experience designers, design managers, media designers, and researchers to design online, hybrid, and residential courses with close attention to compliance with accessibility and usability principles
Apply Universal Design for Learning methods and learning theories to the design of learner-centered courses and programs
Ensure that course design, activities, and resources comply with accessibility standards and requirements (e.g., WCAG 2.0)
Develop learner personas for primary and secondary audiences, ensuring that diverse groups of learners are represented
Create or modify graphics to ensure that they are optimized for readability (e.g., correcting color balances, increasing contrast)
Manage design trade-offs and conflicts that advocate for all learners to meet their pedagogical needs
Provide feedback from an accessibility standpoint on consistency and appropriateness of course content and presentation (e.g., ensuring hyperlinks are formatted consistently using WCAG 2.0 standards)
Assist course building team in converting and delivering course materials in a variety of formats (Word, PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, Video, other) to partner platforms that meet accessibility standards
Design and complete accessibility checklists
Maintain documentation of all accessibility efforts, both at the course and portfolio levels
Evaluate course design and learner experience using usability principles and methods
Applied Research

Interview/survey instructors and learners to understand needs
Analyze interview and survey data to inform course improvements and iterations
Design and develop customized accessibility guidelines based on analysis of current design process of the Office of Academic Innovation
Conduct accessibility audits on both past and ongoing online courses to identify potential accessibility issues and provide solutions
Capacity Expansion

Contribute Universal Design for Learning expertise by facilitating training sessions and workshops that focus on online education accessibility (standards, tools, and best practices) for faculty and staff
Collaborate with the U-M accessibility community in order to remain current with recent accessibility and educational technology developments and practices
Required Qualifications*

Bachelor’s degree in education, instructional design, educational technology, or information science
2+ years of experience (or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience)
Demonstrated vision and passion for creating learning experiences that place a high value on diversity, equity, and inclusiveness
Deep understanding of inclusive and Universal Design for Learning principles
Experience addressing issues related to accessibility compliance and applying federal policies (e.g., ADA, WCAG 2.0, Section 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act) in an academic setting
Experience working in online course design teams at the secondary or post-secondary levels
Experience using online education platforms (e.g., Canvas, Coursera, and edX) and assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers)
Ability to employ testing methodologies using tools such as NVDA or JAWs
Ability to develop and facilitate accessibility-focused training and professional development workshops for staff and faculty, alone and with other individuals on campus
Demonstrated initiative, independent judgment, diplomacy, and service-oriented attitude
Demonstrated organizational, interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
Demonstrated problem-solving ability
Desired Qualifications*

Master’s degree in education, instructional design, educational technology, or information science
Experience communicating to diverse audiences through a variety of modalities including blog posts and social media
Experience writing and presenting research proposals for academic and practitioner-focused conferences
Experience in conducting focus groups and interviews with users
Skills in visual communication and user experience design
Skills in developing web-based interactives
Additional Information

NOTE: This is a three-year, term-limited position.

Excellent benefits are available, for details, see http://benefits.umich.edu/

Position receives 24 days of vacation a year, and 15 days of sick leave a year with provisions for extended benefits, as well as opportunities for professional development and travel. TIAA-CREF and Fidelity Investments retirement options available.

Background Screening

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

Decision Making Process

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

U-M EEO/AA Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.