Instructional Design Intern

Salary: $16.46 Hourly
Location : Ames - 50010 - Story County, IA
Job Type: Internship
Job Number: 27-01134
Agency: 645 Iowa Department of Transportation
Opening Date: 10/21/2026
Closing Date: 11/11/2026 11:59 PM Central
LinkedIn Tag: #LI-DNP
Point of Contact: Andrea Henry, View email address on click.appcast.io
Job Description
Are you passionate about helping adults learn in engaging and interactive ways? Are you fascinated with the connection between learning, strong communication, employee satisfaction and culture? Iowa DOT's Employee Development Bureau is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Instructional Design Intern to work alongside our team to support the development of engaging online learning experiences for the DOT's 2600 employees across the state. This internship provides hands-on experience designing, building, updating, and promoting eLearning modules.
This is an excellent opportunity for you if you are excited about instructional design, learning and development, adult education, or educational technology and applying classroom knowledge in a real-world setting.
If selected for this opportunity, you can expect your day-to-day experience to include:

• Assisting in the design and development of online training modules.
• Collaborating with instructional designers and subject matter experts to gather and organize content.
• Translating technical or complex information into clear, engaging learning experiences for non-technical audiences.
• Applying instructional design principles and adult learning best practices to course development.
• Creating interactive learning elements such as knowledge checks, scenarios and storytelling, and multimedia components.
• Reviewing and revising course content for clarity, consistency, accessibility, and quality.
• Supporting updates and improvements to existing training materials.
• Participating in project meetings and contributing creative ideas to enhance learner engagement.

• Interacting and building connections with supportive DOT teammates.

Qualifications:

• Advanced verbal and written communication skills with attention to tone and clarity.
• Ability to understand technical content and find creative and interesting ways to make the content more easily understandable by non-technical experts.
• Interest in online learning development and digital training tools.

• Experience with Articulate Rise 360 or similar eLearning tools is preferred but not required.

We are looking for an intern who demonstrates:

• Self-starter mindset with the ability to manage tasks independently
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to producing high-quality work
• Ability to understand technical content and creatively transform it into learning that is clear and engaging for non-technical audiences
• Curiosity and willingness to learn new tools and processes
• Strong written communication and organizational skills
• Creativity balanced with practicality and learner focus
• Openness to feedback and collaborative teamwork

What You'll Gain:

• Opportunities to contribute to meaningful projects that impact employee engagement.

• Hands-on experience developing real-world eLearning courses
• Exposure to the full instructional design process
• Portfolio-ready project samples
• Mentorship from experienced learning and development professionals
• Experience collaborating with subject matter experts and organizational stakeholders

This position is located in Ames in the Employee Development Bureau.
This is a part-time (up to 20/week) paid internship during the spring semester, with the possibility of full-time work during the summer.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Students must be currently enrolled; majoring in a program related to the position.