Learning Designer (Contract)

Noodle

6d•$35 - $70•Remote

About The Position

Noodle is higher education’s strategy, services, and technology partner, supporting universities with infrastructure, learning experiences, and enrollment growth. The Learning Designer turns program and course strategy into finished online courses, working directly with faculty subject-matter experts to shape their expertise into structured modules, activities, assessments, and media. The role owns course development from storyboard through launch and keeps each build on schedule. Courses are designed and evaluated using the EPIIIC framework and aligned with Quality Matters standards. The designer partners with Learning Architects and university teams, coaches faculty in online teaching, develops accessible and engaging learning materials, and revises courses based on reviews and student feedback. This is a renewable 1099 contract engagement for an initial six-month term, with a commitment of 20–30 hours per week. The typical workload is two to three courses in development at a time, each built over approximately 12–16 weeks. The role is remote within the United States, with some meetings during U.S. business hours. Applicants must be legally authorized to live and work in the United States and reside there throughout their employment. Compensation is $35–$70 per hour.

Requirements

At least 6 years of instructional or learning design experience, mostly in higher education online programs.
A portfolio of online courses designed end to end; graduate or professional program experience is preferred in the posting.
Experience working directly with faculty, including senior faculty, and guiding them toward strong design decisions.
Fluency in backward design, outcomes alignment, and assessment design.
Working knowledge of Quality Matters, OSCQR, or similar quality frameworks.
Hands-on accessibility skills, including alt text, captions, heading structure, color contrast, and accessible documents.
Strong LMS experience; Canvas is preferred.
Excellent writing and editing skills.
Comfort managing several courses and deadlines at once with little supervision.
Legally authorized to live and work in the United States and able to reside there throughout employment.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in instructional design, learning sciences, educational technology, or a related field.
Quality Matters Peer Reviewer or Applying the QM Rubric certification.
Experience using generative AI in course design or student learning activities.
Familiarity with authoring and media tools such as Articulate Rise, H5P, Camtasia, or Figma.
Background in a professional field such as health, business, education, or public policy.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Learning Architect to translate program goals and course maps into detailed course designs.
Lead working sessions with faculty to define learning outcomes, sequence content, and develop activities and assessments.
Coach faculty who are new to online teaching and provide clear, tactful feedback on their drafts.
Write and edit course content, instructions, rubrics, and discussion prompts in a consistent, student-facing voice.
Design interactive and scenario-based learning, including AI-enabled practice activities where appropriate.
Storyboard video and multimedia and collaborate with media producers to develop them.
Build courses in an LMS or provide clean specifications to course builders.
Make courses accessible to WCAG 2.2 AA standards and align them with Quality Matters standards.
Score courses against the EPIIIC scorecard and revise them based on reviews and student feedback.
Manage each course’s build timeline and flag risks early to the Learning Architect and university team.