What are the responsibilities and job description for the Freelance Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs) position at Ohlinger Studios?
Ohlinger Studios, a company serving higher education, K–12, and workforce learning markets, does not currently have any open full-time positions available.
With freelance roles available, we welcome growing our network.
Freelance Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs)
We’re currently looking for experienced subject-matter experts (SMEs) in high school and college science to participate in the development of digital assessment items for biology and environmental science. The assessment items will support an existing online collection of science curriculum resources and align with the high school and college learning objectives covered by those materials.
The project requires a commitment of 5–15 hours per week, beginning in August 2025 and continuing through March 2026. During this time, selected SMEs must complete a combination of live virtual training and asynchronous online training, collaborate with their content development team, author assessments, and meet deadlines.
SME Requirements:
possess a Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree in a science discipline such as biology, environmental science, ecology, or other relevant science degree
show evidence of successful experience in writing or teaching in a relevant science discipline
have previous experience writing online assessment items
follow authoring guidelines, including using a checklist based on identified best practices of assessment writing
author scientifically accurate, standards-aligned assessment items, at least half of which address higher-order thinking skills according to Bloom’s taxonomy
craft the components that support the effective use of online assessments, such as rubrics for constructed response questions, plausible distractor answer choices, constructive wrong answer hints, and precise specifications for graphics requests
cite legitimate scientific sources for authored content
collaborate virtually with a team of content leads, development editors, copy editors, and accuracy checkers, following routine feedback and revision cycles
adhere to provided deadlines to meet project schedule needs
create and revise content in collaborative online environments, such as Microsoft Teams and Google Drive documents
We welcome inquiries from those who meet these requirements. Please submit your resumé. In your email, please describe any previous experience you have writing assessment items, particularly for online learning. Compensation, project details, and additional information about schedule will be shared with candidates during the selection process, after our mutual confidentiality agreement has been signed.