Instructional Design Assistant

About OPDES

The Office of Professional Development and Educational Scholarship (OPDES) offers a variety of academic services to meet the educational and research needs of Queen’s Health Sciences (QHS). Services include individual, departmental, faculty-wide, and institutional consultations on all aspects of the educational process at the faculty level; providing support and leadership with curriculum and course design and development; building and maintaining courses for online delivery;

assessment strategies; program evaluation; research on teaching and learning; and accreditation.

The Course Development team within OPDES specializes in online and blended learning for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing professional development courses within the health sciences. We specialize in the design and development of state-of-the-art, learner-centred, interactive, and engaging online learning modules for leaders in Canadian health education.

The IDA reports to the Manager of Course Development and works under the guidance and mentorship of a Lead Instructional Design Assistant and an Educational Development and Instructional Designer. The primary role of an IDA is to apply recent student and lifelong learner experience to enhance the learning experience through educational best practices, instructional design principles, and online learning standards in online and blended courses.

• Work directly with subject matter experts to transform content into a storyboard that outlines interactions, formative testing opportunities, and multimedia.
• Advocate on behalf of learners, ensuring their learning needs are met and enhancing the learning environment.
• Collaborate with 2-4 other IDAs in a highly collaborative, diverse, and interprofessional team.
• Participate in team meetings and provide feedback on course design and implementation.

• No prior instructional design experience is necessary; training and guidance will be provided.
• Applicants are encouraged to utilize their knowledge and experience as a student to advocate for learners using a learner-centred approach and reverse mentorship model.

Comprehensive training on instructional design principles, online learning best practices, and effective course creation will be provided. IDAs will also have the opportunity to participate in professional development courses, workshops, webinars, and set professional goals in collaboration with their manager.

Visit our website to learn more about the Course Development team:

Watch a video to learn more about the IDA role from a former IDA: