Department: Temp Center
Salary/Grade: TMP/01
CTD Online: Looking for a flexible second income? Excited about working with other exceptional teachers to innovate in an online environment? CTD Online is a community of creative, passionate instructors who enjoy both working with students and the art of instructional design. We offer advanced learners from around the world enrichment and accelerated courses in math, science, English, and history for students in Pre-K through 12th grade. Our asynchronous approach offers considerable flexibility as each course typically only requires two synchronous virtual meetings for which the instructor sets the dates. Our teachers typically teach 1-3 courses a session, but you decide when and how much work you are looking for.
- Online Family Program (OFP): Courses for our youngest students serve Pre-K through 3rd grade, are 4 weeks long, and work to build families' ability to find joy in learning together. No synchronous meetings are required for this program.
- Online Enrichment (OEN) & Online Core Essentials Programs (OCE): These courses for students in grades 3-8 include 6-week enrichment opportunities to explore integrated course topics or 9-week accelerated options that are standards-aligned.
- Honors (OHN), Honors Electives (OHE), and AP: These one- or two-semester courses offer high school credit. All Honors courses are NCAA accredited, and AP courses have been authorized by the College Board.
Highlighted Subjects and Grade Levels: Below is a sample of courses in need of instructors for the 2026-2027 programming year.
- Computer Science: AP Computer Science A (9-12); Sampling Computer Languages (6-12); AP Computer Science Principles (9-12; Programming C++ Honors (6-12); HTML & Graphic Design (3-5)
- Engineering: Young Engineers: Designing Mighty Bridges (3-5); Engineering the Future (3-5)
- English: AP English Lang (9-12); Congress: Leading Change and Finding Compromise (6-8)
- Biology & Environmental Studies: Anatomy & Physiology (6-8); Doctors as Detectives: Solving Medical Mysteries (6-8); Earth Science: Environmental Chemistry for Young Scientists (3-5); AP Environmental Science (9-12); Citizen Science: Using Eco-Informatics to Explore Human & Animal Networks (6-8)
Job Summary
Instructors are responsible for designing and implementing the course curriculum via Schoology, CTD's Learning Management System.
Instruction: In an asynchronous environment, instructor presence is essential. Instructors establish this presence by:
- Sending out a Welcome email to students and families that includes key dates.
- Sending out a weekly group email to your class to check in.
- Logging in at least 4 times a week, responding to student inquiries within 24-48 hours (not including holidays), and providing support to assist students with staying on pace with coursework completion. Typically instructors spend about 5 hours responding to students each week.
- Being a frequent participant (poster) in your online discussions, responding to students throughout the discussion.
- Holding a minimum of 2 live sessions per semester. Post these dates on your Schoology calendar, in your course, and email your families with your dates once they are set.
- Grading work within two weeks of it being turned in. Frequently providing written or recorded comments.
- Providing video mini lessons when students are struggling.
- Emailing families and copying a CTD Coordinator if students are more than two weeks behind.
Instructional Design: In an online environment, planning and design are essential. Our instructors embrace this creative space by:
- Participating in our Communities of Practice discussions each semester.
- Reviewing and giving input to CTD training materials and policies.
- Using student feedback and CTD Online-wide projects, improve your curriculum each semester.
- Revising curriculum with CTD's inputs every 3-4 years. Though it depends on the length of the course being redesigned, this process typically requires between 30-60 hours to complete. (Additional compensation provided.)
- When selected, working with the CTD team and experts in the field to design new courses.
Growing Yourself and Our Professional Community: As our community centered around instruction and design, we learn together how to best meet the needs of our students by:
- Attending one virtual synchronous meeting each semester you are teaching.
- Contributing to at least two asynchronous faculty discussions for each credit taught.
- Working with staff to ensure the course matches the program's values and includes review and reflection.
Approximate Compensation
Instruction: As the amount of work fluctuates depending on the number of students, CTD Online pays instructional stipends based on the numbers of students served. Classes are typically capped at 30 students.
OFP (4 Weeks): $540 per session
OEN (6 Weeks): $945-$4600 per session
CORE (9 Weeks): $1,300- $3,000 per session
OHE & AP1 (1 Semester Equivalent): $1630- $4620 per session
OHN & AP2 (2 Semester Equivalents): $2825- $8694 per session
Design: Design stipends depend on the amount of revision and the length of your course. Stipends range from $100 to $1650 per course.
Preferred Qualifications
- A current teaching certification is required for all Online Core Essentials, Honors, and AP courses.
- Master's degree and/or experience working with high-achieving students preferred (bachelor's degree required.)
- Instructors should be subject matter experts and experienced in online classroom communication and management.
- Instructors need to be adept at using multiple teaching strategies, assessing student needs and progress, and differentiating instruction for the varied abilities of gifted learners.
Hiring Policies
As per Northwestern University policy, this position requires a criminal background check. Successful applicants will need to submit to a criminal background check prior to employment.
Center for Talent Development is accredited through Cognia by the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI)
As per Northwestern University policy, this position requires a criminal background check. Successful applicants will need to submit to a criminal background check prior to employment.
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.
The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.
Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.