WHAT DOES AN INSTRUCTIONAL DEVELOPER DO?
Published: Sep 19, 2025 - The Instructional Developer designs and delivers customer education materials by applying adult learning best practices and managing projects through the full instructional design life cycle. This role leads curriculum development aligned with business goals, software release cycles, and certification programs while creating engaging storyboards, scripts, and learning solutions. The developer also drives process improvements, monitors learning metrics, and supports continuous growth by mentoring team members and adopting emerging industry standards.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Instructional Developer
1. Instructional Developer Duties
- Training Analysis: Analyzes training requirements and media requirements, to include job-task analysis, gap analysis, and media selection analysis
- Learning Objectives: Develops appropriate learning objectives, test methods and designs instructionally valid training materials
- Instructional Design: Designs and develops instructional approaches and strategies to meet training requirements
- Course Materials: Develops instructor-led and virtual instructor-led training materials to include lesson plans, trainee guides, PowerPoint/HTML-based instructor presentation materials, and job aids
- Storyboard Development: Develops storyboards and flow diagrams for Interactive Multimedia Instruction (IMI) delivery
- Media Strategies: Develops creative media strategies for ILT/VILT/IMI presentation
- Test Development: Develop test items based on learning objectives
- Content Accuracy: Interacts with customers and subject matter experts to ensure the technical accuracy of instructional content
- Course Evaluation: Conducts Level 1 and 2 courseware evaluations
- Training Metrics: Develops and monitors metrics for evaluating training and development effectiveness
- Technical Writing: Writes technical plans and reports
2. Instructional Developer Details
- Course Development: Collaboratively plan, design, and develop online and hybrid courses, modules, learning objects, materials, and activities for academic communities
- Project Support: Support instructional design staff to ensure the successful completion of assigned projects within the production schedule
- Best Practices: Provide best practices and guidelines to align course objectives, assessments, and activities
- Accessibility Compliance: Apply Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and institution-specific standards to instructional content for compliance
- Content Management: Manage instructional content within the EIM Learning Library or CMS, including acquisition, storage, and delivery
- Quality Assurance: Conduct quality assurance reviews and corrections to academic courses before delivery or launch
- Data Reporting: Generate and disseminate outcomes data and user reports to assess instructional content effectiveness
- Technology Integration: Recommend creative uses of technologies to enhance instruction and learning environments
- Faculty Training: Assist in training faculty in online course development concepts and tools for course delivery
- Technology Support: Provide technology support for online teaching and learning tools used by faculty and students
- Ticket Management: Triage Freshdesk tickets, assign tasks, and coordinate with the E-Learning Manager for external support
- Help Desk: Provide on-call, after-hours help-desk support for faculty requests in the Faculty and Student Support Center
3. Instructional Developer Responsibilities
- Curriculum Design: Develops curriculum design and development in alignment with CATE, NETC credentials, program goals, and industry certifications
- Outcome Alignment: Assists faculty and staff in aligning learning outcomes through objectives and CATE certification
- Course Design: Assists faculty with degree, diploma, certificate, and course design, ensuring credential alignment and OER use
- Proposal Review: Reviews submitted proposals and provides feedback to faculty, Dean, and Curriculum Committee
- Credential Facilitation: Facilitates curriculum development through the stackable credential model at the college
- Program Support: Supports college initiatives related to CATE completion through program development and industry alignment
- Research Analysis: Supports benchmark research for program development including feasibility, validation, and labor market data
- SME Collaboration: Collaborates with internal and external subject matter experts using state and national data sources
- Course Approval: Leads the course approval process for CATE completion status of programs
- Accreditation Support: Supports the curricular aspects of the accreditation process
- Workshop Facilitation: Organizes and conducts workshops for high school instructors and curriculum developers
- Instructional Innovation: Serves as a member of the Center for Teaching and Innovation to inspire quality and innovative education
- Professional Development: Plans and implements professional development activities for faculty and staff
- Educational Planning: Serves on task forces and assists with educational planning events such as DACUM analysis and design charrettes
4. Instructional Developer Job Summary
- Learning Design: Design highly effective and engaging learning experiences using Adult Learning Theory and ISD principles that result in skill attainment and enhanced employee performance
- Stakeholder Partnership: Partner strategically with key stakeholders, Subject Matter Experts, and learners to uncover true training needs through observation, questioning, and analysis
- Tool Evaluation: Evaluate, test, and implement new instructional tools, technologies, and methods to improve and shorten the learning curve to skill mastery and performance
- Content Production: Design and produce content to support a blended training approach such as interactive eLearning, video, micro-content, PowerPoint, ILT, and VILT
- Curriculum Review: Review curriculum and course materials for participants and facilitators
- Content Accuracy: Interact with different teams and subject matter experts to ensure the technical accuracy of instructional content
- Instructional Alignment: Evaluate materials during development for instructional alignment and appropriate styles and specifications
- Technical Support: Assist with the completion of technical tasks
- Curriculum Analysis: Assist with analyzing curriculum learning needs and partnering with subject matter experts and business management to provide input for course content
- Course Editing: Assist in editing the concept for the course or curriculum, ensuring the needs for the course are met, the course medium, content delivery, assessments, accompanying materials, and complementary learning approaches
- Training Metrics: Use metrics for evaluating training and development effectiveness
5. Instructional Developer Accountabilities
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build and maintain strong relationships with Project Management, Product, and Customer Care teams to align goals, prioritize tasks, negotiate content, communicate timeframes, and ensure content accuracy and quality
- Adult Learning: Use advanced knowledge of adult learning best practices to design, develop, and maintain customer education materials
- Project Management: Independently manage projects through the entire instructional design life cycle from analysis through implementation to complete deliverables within planned scope, quality, and timelines
- Project Leadership: Lead larger instructional design projects involving multiple team members and stakeholders
- Curriculum Alignment: Align curriculum development projects to the software release cycle and go-to-market schedule
- Program Oversight: Own and manage oversight of special education programs such as Academic Alliance and lead material creation for certification programs
- Process Innovation: Ideate and lead new processes and learning strategies that improve curriculum design and development to better meet business outcomes
- Storyboard Design: Design storyboards, scripts, and related materials to develop highly engaging and impactful learning solutions
- Adaptability Skills: Thrive in a fast-paced environment, remain flexible, and adapt to shifting priorities
- LMS Collaboration: Collaborate with LMS and Certification team members on curriculum placement, additions, and updates
- Learning Metrics: Monitor key learning metrics on quality, customer satisfaction, and impact to enhance education for continuous improvement
- Team Coaching: Coach and mentor team members by providing constructive feedback and giving direction on best practices
- Technology Awareness: Build a knowledge base of technology trends, industry standards, and best practices to ensure learning offerings engage all demographics of participants