Director of Instructional Design

University of West Alabama:
Academic Affairs:
Division of Online Programs Location

University of West Alabama

Aug 18, 2026

The Director of Instructional Design provides operational leadership for the design, development, and quality assurance of academic courses across all colleges and modalities. Reporting to the Dean of Online Programs, the Director ensures that course design processes, faculty onboarding, and instructional development initiatives align with institutional standards and strengthen both teaching effectiveness and student learning experiences.

This position operationalizes the university’s vision for academic excellence by coordinating instructional design workflows, establishing and maintaining course quality standards, leading comprehensive faculty onboarding and professional development initiatives, and supporting student readiness to ensure a smooth and well-supported start to their academic programs.

Key Responsibilities

Instructional Design Leadership

• Oversee the design, development, and revision of academic courses to ensure alignment with institutional quality standards and accreditation expectations.
• Lead, supervise, and mentor the Instructional Design team to ensure consistent and high-quality instructional support.
• Establish and manage workflows, timelines, and priorities for course development and operations across all colleges and instructional modalities.
• Collaborate with academic leadership, program coordinators, and faculty to ensure effective course mapping, learning outcomes alignment, and assessment design.
• Manage and coordinate instructional design support provided through our online program management (OPM) partner to ensure alignment with institutional priorities, timelines, and quality standards.
• Meet regularly with department chairs and deans to discuss instructional design standards, processes, and procedures, and identify instructional needs and course improvement priorities.

Faculty Onboarding & Professional Development

• Lead and manage the faculty onboarding process, ensuring new instructors are prepared to teach effectively and meet academic expectations.
• Develop and deliver ongoing training, workshops, and resources that support faculty in pedagogical best practices, instructional technology, and course design standards.
• Partner and meet with department chairs and deans to ensure faculty receive timely and relevant instructional support.
• Evaluate areas for faculty development and recommend strategies to strengthen teaching quality and instructional consistency.

Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain and refine course quality standards, review processes, and evaluation tools.
• Oversee routine course audits and collaborate with faculty to implement improvements.
• Monitor trends and emerging best practices in instructional design and pedagogy to inform institutional strategy.
• Ensure accessibility standards, usability guidelines, and compliance requirements are consistently met across all courses.

Student Readiness & Support

• Contribute to student onboarding processes by coordinating instructional components that promote readiness and early engagement.
• Collaborate with academic and student success units to ensure course design supports student navigation, clarity, and early success.
• Provide insight into student learning needs to inform course improvements and instructional support strategies.

Collaboration & Strategic Support

• Work closely with the Dean of Online Programs on initiatives related to academic quality, innovative teaching, and learning support.
• Partner with academic and administrative units to support institutional goals for student success, retention, and instructional excellence.
• Assist in data-informed decision-making by analyzing trends related to faculty preparedness, course quality, and instructional support needs.

Perform other related duties as assigned by the Dean of Online Programs or other appropriate University administrators.

FLSA: Exempt

Before hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation, including information obtained from social media and other internet sources.