University of Northern Iowa
Instructional Support Specialist - Online Education and Individual Studies
🇺🇸 Hybrid - Cedar Falls, IA
🕑 Full-Time
💰 $56K
💻 Instructional Design
🗓️ October 13th, 2025
Blackboard
LMS
WCAG
Edtech.com's Summary
The University of Northern Iowa is hiring an Instructional Support Specialist for Online Education and Individual Studies. This role involves providing instructional support to online faculty and students by assisting with accessible content creation, emerging online learning technologies, video production, and collaborating to design and develop instructional materials within the learning management system.
Highlights
- Provide instructional support services for online faculty, Instructional Development team, and students.
- Assist faculty with accessible content creation, digital video recording, captioning, transcripts, and audio descriptions.
- Support use of webinar tools, Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) integrations with Blackboard Ultra, and Open Educational Resources (OER).
- Collaborate on design, development, and editing of instructional materials in the LMS.
- Stay updated on emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Lightboards, educational applications, and digital accessibility tools.
- Required skills include substantive online instructional development, hands-on work in LMS (Blackboard Ultra), digital accessibility remediation aligned with WCAG 2.1, and video editing software.
- Required qualifications: Bachelor's degree and at least two years of relevant experience, strong project management, and collaborative skills.
- Preferred qualifications: Master’s degree in educational technology or related fields, digital accessibility certification, experience applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, and familiarity with Quality Matters standards.
- Compensation range starts at $56,000, salary basis, pay grade 119.
- Position offers a partial remote work schedule within Iowa, subject to policy compliance.
Instructional Support Specialist - Online Education and Individual Studies Full Description
Instructional Support Specialist - Online Education and Individual Studies
Main Campus
Full time
If you are a current University of Northern Iowa employee and would like to apply for this position, login to UNI Works and type “Find Jobs” in the search bar to view and apply for open positions.
Full Consideration Date:10/26/2025
Job Description:
The University of Northern Iowa’s Online Education & Individual Studies department is growing rapidly, offering a wide range of flexible, accredited programs - including many in-demand master’s degrees. With an Individual Studies major and customizable degree-completion options, the department empowers learners to shape their education around personal and professional goals. It’s a student-centered, innovative team committed to expanding access and impact.
Primary Function: Provides instructional support services for online faculty, the Instructional Development (ID) team, and students; assists faculty with accessible content creation/editing and emerging online learning technologies; leads faculty support with digital video recording creation, management, captioning, audio descriptions, and transcripts; supports online faculty with content creation and technologies for online education, including assisting with webinars, Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) integrations with Blackboard Ultra, and Open Educational Resources (OER content); collaborates with online faculty to design, develop, edit, and build instructional materials and content in the learning management system (LMS) as assigned; and stays abreast of emerging technologies–including Artificial Intelligence (AI), OER, Lightboards, educational applications, and digital accessibility checkers–to support growth and digital accessibility compliance in online education courses.
Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree; at least two years of substantive online instructional development and/or course design; demonstrated practitioner-level experience building course content directly in a learning management system (e.g. Blackboard Ultra), including hands-on collaboration with subject matter experts or faculty to implement instructional materials; demonstrated practitioner-level experience in digital accessibility remediation of online course content, with a solid understanding of WCAG 2.1 compliance standards and implementation of best practices; experience providing support for accessible content creation/editing, video conferencing, lecture and video capture software, and digital video editing; strong project management and organizational skills; and excellent team-based and collaborative interpersonal skills required.
Preferred Qualifications: Master’s degree in educational technology, instructional design, or related field; online instructional development and/or course design experience at the college/university level; certificate in digital accessibility compliance, with demonstrated knowledge of WCAG 2.1 standards and practical experience applying accessibility principles to online course content; experience applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to online course development, with demonstrated ability to integrate flexible learning strategies that support diverse learner needs; teaching experience in a higher education online environment; and familiarity with Quality Matters (QM) Rubric Standards and QM certification preferred.
Position Details:
This position is eligible for a partial remote work schedule. Remote work must be performed within the state of Iowa. Employees who elect remote work must comply with the requirements of our remote work policy and agreement.
Application Instructions:
All application materials received by October 26, 2025, will be given full consideration. To apply for this position, please click on “Apply” and complete the Employment Application. The following materials must be attached when applying:
1) Resume
2) Cover Letter
2) Cover Letter
You will be presented with the opportunity to attach multiple documents when completing the application. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL required materials listed above have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes. If you have questions regarding this application process, please email careers-support@uni.edu or call 319-273-2422.
Pay Basis: Salary
Iowa enjoys a lower cost of living than many other states. See how the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area compares by utilizing the cost of living calculator. Our overall compensation package is enhanced by excellent benefits for eligible non-temporary positions. To learn more about the vibrant Cedar Valley community, visit https://livethevalley.com/.
If you would like general assistance with the application process or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact Human Resource Services at hrs-employment@uni.edu or call (319) 273-2422.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
UNI is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. The University encourages applications from persons of color, women, individuals living with disabilities, and protected veterans. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, creed, disability, ethnicity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other basis protected by federal and/or state law.
Campus Security & Crime Statistics, in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, information on crime statistics for recent years, Public Safety personnel and programs, building access, reporting crimes, safety suggestions, and policies, programs, and services regarding alcohol, drugs, and sexual abuse, is available in the UNI Annual Security and Fire Report. A paper copy is available from the Department of Public Safety, 030 Gilchrist Hall, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614. Department of Public Safety, 030 Gilchrist Hall, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614.
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