StudyForge Learning Experience Design Animator

Do you love to creatively use animation and technology to help people learn?

Do you love exploring how animation can be used to communicate ideas and enjoy getting to make those explorations a reality. Do you think every student should have an animated textbook, assembling each page like a choreographed whiteboard? Are you someone who hears about new ways that websites are teaching students and desperately wants to tinker with how those methods would actually work? Are you undaunted by discussing academic content directly with course writers? Are you looking for the next step in your animation career to gain more independence and responsibility?

Does this describe you? Then apply to become a StudyForge Learning Experience Design Animator.

How we work:

Prioritize the Person. Innovate through Iteration. Collaborate Constructively. Insist on Integrity.

These core values at StudyForge influence everything we do. For the curriculum team this means:

• People truly matter and we believe that our product will help teachers and students. We want to design learning activities that build people up.
• We don’t always get it right the first time, but we learn, improve and try again, always looking for ways in which we can be better.
• We’re a team and we carry the load together and each member of our team brings strength to the table that we can draw from.  
• It’s important that we seek excellence in all that we do, taking responsibility for our work, and honestly pursuing quality without cutting corners.

What we do:

Education world wide is rapidly being disrupted by new technology. Students are starting to learn at different times and in different locations from each other. This is making it incredibly difficult to stay connected to their students and provide the relationship that is so crucial for student success. We are a team of passionate educators working to change the world by empowering teachers and students to stay connected with amazing curriculum powered by innovative technology. 

We create digital curriculum for middle school and high school students and we host that curriculum on our proprietary platform. Teachers are able to use our platform to gain insights on how their students are interacting with the material. As students watch videos, read lessons, or work on questions we are tracking their engagement without stifling their experience. We then use that information to let a teacher know if a particular student is stuck on a problem, compare their students progress, or find out if a student is not putting in enough effort. Teachers can know if a student is not engaged before they fail the exam and offer on-time intervention even if they have never met in person.

The StudyForge team is the curriculum development department of Heritage Christian Online School (HCOS), a K-12 Distributed Learning school, providing fully-accredited education to students in British Columbia. The StudyForge platform and curriculum is licensed to other schools across Canada and the United States, delivering over twenty five thousand courses to students every year. HCOS is a part of Kelowna Christian Centre Society, a non-profit organization headquartered in Kelowna, BC with employees and contractors spread all across Canada.

As a StudyForge LXD Animator:

You will be joining a team of learning experience designers as a dedicated in-house animator. Your passion will be to make sure our students have an engaging, fun, and effective learning experience. You will work closely with the learning experience design team, fellow animators, as well as visual designers and course writers to produce and advance the creative development of our instructional video streams. You will also work in various education technologies as the seasonal rhythms of production move with the team’s efforts. We will rely heavily on your animation experience and forward thinking intuition, and seek your creative voice in charting the path of StudyForge instructional video production.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Create and review animated content using Adobe CC Suite apps, ensuring a high standard of quality
• Collaborate with other teams and team members across StudyForge to understand and influence design intent when developing content
• Review animated content created by other team members, and discuss reviews from other team members of your own work
• Develop and present a creative vision for animated content as you become accustomed to the work and environment
• Implement curriculum beyond animated content such as lessons, activities, and interactives as seasonal production rhythms require
• Support and maintain existing products by repairing and updating videos
• Give open and honest feedback about potential problems with the product, your job, or the work environment
• Be willing to receive feedback, collaborate with others, and actively participate in creating a better workplace for everyone
• Represent the values and mission of HCOS and StudyForge well, in all internal or external communications
• Contribute in similar ways to the curriculum or business of projects from other divisions in the society

What we are looking for:

• A decisive knack for understanding how animation communicates ideas
• At least a strong intermediate Animate CC and/or Adobe After Effects CC skillset
• A high standard for quality animation, creating effective and beautiful motion, and the ability to hold others to those standards
• A solid understanding of iterative design processes as it applies to animation
• An extreme attention to detail, prepared for real stakes for students when details are missed

We have high expectations for all of our team members:

• Excellent communicators, both verbal and written
• Valuing of relationship, empathetic, servant-hearted
• Relentless and determined when solving complex issues
• Open and willing to both give and receive constructive feedback
• Flexible and willing to learn new technologies

What we can offer you:

• Impact:
  • StudyForge reaches tens of thousands of students each year
• Collaboration:
  • Work with curriculum writers, UI/UX designers, senior software developers
• Variety:
  • Regular projects and challenges
• Balance:
  • 3 weeks annual vacation to start
• Flexibility:  
  • Work from home, in the Kelowna office, or wherever you feel productive
  • Work when inspiration hits and set your own hours as long as you are available for meetings and training and you get your work done
• Competitive Compensation:
  • Salary based on qualification and experience
  • Benefits: RRSP Match Program, Life Insurance, Dependent Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, Travel Insurance, Extended Health and Dental, Health Spending Account, Employee & Family Assistance Benefits