Instructional Design & Learning Management System (LMS) Specialist, 27-014

WVU Parkersburg • Parkersburg, WV

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Instructional Design and LMS Specialist works under the direction of the Director of Instructional Innovation to expand institutional capacity for learning management system administration, instructional technology support, digital accessibility, course quality, faculty development, and related academic technology functions. This full-time, regular, benefits-eligible position provides day-to-day operational support, project assistance, and trained backup coverage during absences, peak workload periods, and major institutional initiatives. The position is an on-site role based at the WVU Parkersburg Main Campus in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

The Specialist serves as a secondary administrator for designated Blackboard and instructional technology functions; assists faculty with course development, migration, troubleshooting, and accessibility; conducts assigned reviews; maintains documentation and standard operating procedures; and supports integrations, training, reporting, and quality-assurance activities. The position implements established standards and procedures and escalates policy, governance, strategic, or high-risk system matters to the Director of Instructional Innovation.

The position is exempt and salaried, and is not eligible for overtime compensation. Shift is variable, with standard hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Occasional alternate hours or locations may be required to support institutional needs, system changes, training, or major academic initiatives. Regular, predictable, and reliable attendance and punctuality are expected. The employee must exercise appropriate confidentiality, security, and professional judgment when using elevated LMS permissions or accessing course and student information, and maintain current knowledge relevant to assigned responsibilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or an equivalent combination of relevant education and professional experience.
• Demonstrated experience providing technology, instructional, educational, training, or customer support in a professional setting.
• Demonstrated ability to learn, troubleshoot, and effectively use complex technology systems.
• Strong technology aptitude, troubleshooting, communication, customer-service, and organizational skills.
• Ability to explain technical concepts clearly to individuals with varying levels of technical experience.
• Ability to work independently within assigned responsibilities, manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, and appropriately escalate complex or high-risk issues.
• Ability to review courses and instructional materials consistently against established standards and documented criteria.
• Ability to handle elevated LMS permissions and course/student information with appropriate confidentiality and security.
• Commitment to continuous learning, accessibility, instructional quality, documentation, and student success.
• Regular, predictable, and reliable attendance and punctuality.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality, security, and professional judgment when using elevated LMS permissions or accessing course and student information.
• Maintain current knowledge of evolving LMS functionality, accessibility requirements, instructional technology, and institutional procedures relevant to assigned responsibilities.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in higher education.
• Experience using or supporting a learning management system, preferably Blackboard.
• Experience with instructional design, educational technology, faculty development, course development, online learning, or digital accessibility.
• Familiarity with WCAG, Blackboard Ally, Quality Matters, NC-SARA, academic integrity technologies, Universal Design for Learning, or LMS integrations.
• Experience developing training materials, tutorials, technical documentation, reports, or standard operating procedures.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trained secondary Blackboard administrator and provide operational coverage for assigned LMS functions during absences, peak periods, major projects, and emergencies.
• Provide day-to-day Blackboard and instructional technology support to faculty, adjunct instructors, staff, and students through established support channels.
• Perform assigned Blackboard administrative functions, including course management, access and permissions, course copies, enrollments, restorations, term preparation, and related operations.
• Troubleshoot Blackboard, publisher tools, LTI integrations, academic integrity technologies, and other instructional applications; coordinate with Information Technology, Anthology, publishers, and vendors as needed.
• Assist faculty with course development, organization, migration, conversion, and effective use of instructional technologies across instructional modalities.
• Develop and maintain tutorials, support documentation, integration records, recurring-work calendars, and standard operating procedures.
• Deliver introductory and intermediate Blackboard, accessibility, and instructional technology training as assigned.
• Route general information technology issues outside the LMS and academic technology environment to the responsible unit.
• Support institutional digital accessibility efforts and adopted WCAG standards under the Director of Instructional Innovation’s direction.
• Conduct accessibility reviews of Blackboard courses, documents, presentations, multimedia, and other instructional materials using Blackboard Ally and other available tools.
• Assist faculty with accessibility remediation and directly remediate instructional materials when appropriate and within the scope of the position.
• Conduct assigned course reviews across instructional modalities using established institutional standards, checklists, and quality expectations; document findings, track follow-up, and assist faculty with improvements.
• Develop and maintain accessibility and course-quality guidance, checklists, training, templates, and faculty resources; support Quality Matters principles and other institutional quality-assurance processes.
• Assist with NC-SARA, Quality Matters, accreditation, academic integrity, distance education, accessibility, and related quality-assurance documentation, evidence collection, reporting, and follow-up.
• Collect, organize, and report LMS usage, support, training, accessibility, and course-quality data to identify recurring issues and inform institutional improvement.
• Test and evaluate Blackboard updates, integrations, accessibility tools, artificial intelligence tools, and emerging instructional technologies for usability, accessibility, reliability, and instructional value.
• Participate on institutional committees, work groups, accreditation teams, or review panels as assigned and appropriately qualified.
• Participate in continuing professional development and progressively cross-train in assigned LMS, accessibility, course-quality, and academic technology functions.
• Identify recurring support or workflow problems and recommend documented process improvements to the Director of Instructional Innovation.
• Assist with special projects aligned with Instructional Innovation priorities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Retirement plan with a 6% mandatory contribution each biweekly pay period, matched 100%.
• Health and life insurance plans through PEIA.
• Flexible benefits through Mountaineer Flexible Benefits.
• Annual and sick leave for full-time non-exempt staff, exempt staff, and 12-month faculty.
• Minimum 12 paid holidays per year.
• WVU Parkersburg tuition waiver, if eligible, for an employee, the employee’s spouse, or a dependent of a full-time benefits-eligible employee who is 24 years of age or younger.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level