INSTRUCTIONAL SYSTEMS SPECIALIST

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In order to qualify, you must meet the specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Professional and Scientific Positions BASIC REQUIREMENT OR INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Degree: that included or was supplemented by at least 24 semester hours appropriate to the work of the position to be filled. The course work must have included study in at least four of the following five areas: Learning theory, psychology of learning, educational psychology: Study of learning theories as they relate to the systematic design, development, and validation of instructional material. Instructional design practices: Study of the principles and techniques used in designing training programs, developing design strategy and models, and applying design methods to the improvement of instructional effectiveness. Educational evaluation: Study of the techniques for evaluating the effectiveness of instructional/educational programs, including developing written and performance tests and survey instruments, and determining reliability and validity of evaluation instruments. Instructional product development: Study of the techniques appropriate for developing training materials, including identifying learner characteristics, specifying objectives, applying training strategy, validating training materials, and evaluating training. Computers in education and training: Study of the application of computers in education and training, including selecting appropriate computer software. For such positions, agencies may require course work in the applicable functional area(s) as part of the above-required 24 semester hours. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. AND In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade GS-09, or equivalent in other pay systems. Examples of specialized experience includes knowledge of instructional design principles and methods sufficient to plan, coordinate, and design instruction for full-length courses or complex development areas. Knowledge of a wide variety of instructional development methods sufficient to develop and revise instructional materials which result in complete and full-length training products for specialty areas and career management fields. Uses an instructional systems development approach to develop effective learning maps and to perform sound learning analyses from the initial training levels through the operating levels of tasks or jobs. Develops effective instructional material methodologies which includes order of presentation, level of interaction, feedback and remediation. OR EDUCATION: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. OR COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: : A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. NOTE: You must submit a copy of your transcripts. FEDERAL TIME-IN-GRADE (TIG) REQUIREMENT FOR GENERAL SCHEDULE (GS) POSITIONS: Merit promotion applicants must meet applicable time-in-grade requirements to be considered eligible. One year at the GS-09 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-11 level. TIG applies if you are in a current GS position or held a GS position within the previous 52 weeks. NOTE: Applicants applying as VEOA candidates who are current GS civil service employees or are prior GS civil service employees within the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas: Knowledge of training administration, policies, and procedures. Knowledge of the principles, practices, and techniques of instruction. Knowledge of instructional design and materials development to include use of technology for design and delivery of training. Knowledge of total quality management concepts. Ability to work harmoniously with all levels of personnel within the component. Ability to establish program objectives and to assess progress toward their achievement. Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing. Ability to analyze problems and to develop timely and economical solutions. Ability to analyze, evaluate, and accomplish special training studies and projects PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.