Learning Engineering Intern

Learning Engineering & Curriculum Development Specialist (Luna)

About Luna

Luna builds AI-powered learning experiences that help students think about their thinking—making reasoning visible, coachable, and improvable. We combine learning science, rigorous curriculum design, and product-grade engineering to deliver standards-aligned instruction, practice, and feedback that adapts to learners while staying transparent to teachers and students.

A core part of Luna’s R&D is a bespoke, never-before-done operationalization of conceptual change—merging Jean-François Potvin’s work and Michelene T. H. Chi’s framework(s) into a practical learning-analytics system. This means we’re not just authoring content—we’re building a new way to detect, support, and measure conceptual change in authentic student work.

The role

We’re hiring a Learning Engineering / Curriculum Development Specialist to design, prototype, and ship high-quality instructional materials and learning flows across K–12 (with an emphasis on math and science). You’ll sit at the intersection of curriculum, assessment, UX, and AI tooling—turning learning objectives into explorable, explainable learning experiences.

This is a hands-on builder role: you will write content, design assessments and rubrics, instrument learning data, and collaborate with product/engineering to implement and iterate—with a particular focus on conceptual change and conceptual ecology.

Location: New York City preferred; open to remote (US) / hybrid

What you’ll do

Curriculum & learning design

• Design standards-aligned learning progressions (scope/sequence, unit maps, lesson arcs) for core topics.

• Translate learning goals into engaging learning activities: worked examples, practice sets, prompts, tasks, and mini-projects.

• Create “explainable” learning experiences that surface student reasoning (e.g., writing-to-learn, step-by-step justification, reflection prompts).

• Build rubrics and success criteria for both automated feedback and teacher review.

Conceptual change R&D (core)

• Help design and iterate Luna’s conceptual change operationalization, translating theory into measurable learning signals and product behaviors.

• Author and structure tasks that reliably elicit student conceptions and misconceptions (diagnostic prompts, explanation tasks, contrasts, bridging analogies, refutation-style activities where appropriate).

• Define concept-level tags, misconception taxonomies, and “change trajectories” that connect curriculum intent → student responses → analytics outputs.

• Work with product/data to ensure conceptual change constructs are represented in the platform (metadata, schemas, logging, evaluation sets).

Assessment & measurement

• Design formative and summative assessments aligned to objectives and cognitive demand.

• Create item specs and item banks (including misconceptions, distractor rationales, partial-credit rules).

• Partner with data/analytics to define measurable learning outcomes and evaluate instructional impact (A/B tests, cohorts, pre/post, mastery models).

AI-assisted content production & quality

• Use AI tools (LLMs, templates, validators) to scale content creation while maintaining quality, accuracy, and pedagogical integrity.

• Define content guidelines, style rules, and review workflows (factual accuracy, bias checks, accessibility, reading level).

• Build and maintain structured content formats (metadata, tags, skill mappings, prerequisite links).

Product collaboration

• Work closely with engineering and design to implement content in the product (interactive components, hinting, feedback logic, teacher dashboards).

• Specify how content should behave in the platform: inputs, expected outputs, feedback rules, and edge cases.

• Iterate quickly based on classroom/teacher feedback, student data, and usability testing.

Teacher & classroom alignment

• Design teacher-facing artifacts: lesson guides, facilitation notes, look-fors, differentiation supports, and exemplars.

• Create classroom-ready materials that align with real constraints (time, pacing, heterogeneous skill levels, IEP/ELL supports).

What you’ll bring (minimum qualifications)

• Strong command of learning science fundamentals (e.g., retrieval practice, spacing, cognitive load, misconceptions, formative assessment).

• Demonstrated ability to write clear, student-facing instructional content and teacher-facing guidance.

• Experience aligning to standards (e.g., Common Core, NGSS, state standards) and mapping objectives to assessments.

• Comfort working with structured content systems (spreadsheets, CMS, JSON-like schemas, tagging/metadata).

• High attention to detail—accuracy, clarity, and consistency are non-negotiable.

• Collaborative mindset with product/engineering teams; ability to write specs and iterate quickly.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience designing for conceptual change (misconception-driven instruction, explanation-based learning, inquiry learning, knowledge integration).

• Classroom teaching experience (especially math/science, middle or high school).

• Experience with learning analytics, A/B testing, or experimental design in edtech.

• Familiarity with item response theory, mastery learning models, or cognitive diagnostic approaches.

• Experience building interactive digital learning (Desmos-style activities, simulations, inquiry labs).

• Working knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG), UDL, and culturally responsive pedagogy.

• Comfort with lightweight scripting or data tools (Python/R/SQL) for content validation or analysis.

Responsibilities:

• Design standards-aligned learning progressions, including scope/sequence, unit maps, and lesson arcs for core subjects.

• Translate learning objectives into engaging activities: worked examples, practice sets, and mini-projects.

• Create explainable learning experiences that reveal student reasoning through writing-to-learn and reflection prompts.

• Develop rubrics and success criteria for automated feedback and teacher review processes.

Conceptual Change R&D:

• Assist in designing and iterating Luna’s conceptual change operationalization, translating theory into measurable signals.

• Author tasks that elicit student conceptions and misconceptions, including diagnostic prompts and explanation tasks.

• Define concept-level tags, misconception taxonomies, and change trajectories linking curriculum intent to analytics outputs.

• Collaborate with product/data teams to ensure conceptual change constructs are accurately represented in the platform.

Assessment & Measurement:

• Design formative and summative assessments aligned with learning objectives and cognitive demand.

• Create item specifications and item banks, including misconceptions and partial-credit rules.

• Partner with data/analytics teams to define measurable outcomes and evaluate instructional impact through various models.

AI-Assisted Content Production:

• Utilize AI tools to scale content creation while ensuring quality, accuracy, and pedagogical integrity.

• Establish content guidelines, style rules, and review workflows to maintain factual accuracy and accessibility.

• Build and maintain structured content formats, including metadata, tags, and prerequisite links.

Product Collaboration:

• Collaborate with engineering and design teams to implement content in the product, including interactive components and feedback logic.

• Specify content behavior in the platform, detailing inputs, expected outputs, and feedback rules.

• Iterate based on classroom feedback, student data, and usability testing to enhance content effectiveness.

Teacher & Classroom Alignment:

• Design teacher-facing materials: lesson guides, facilitation notes, and differentiation supports.

• Create classroom-ready resources that accommodate real constraints, including time and diverse skill levels.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 3 years in curriculum development, learning design, or related fields, or an equivalent portfolio.

• Strong understanding of learning science fundamentals, including retrieval practice and cognitive load.

• Proven ability to write clear instructional content for both students and teachers.

• Experience aligning content to standards such as Common Core or NGSS and mapping objectives to assessments.

• Proficient in structured content systems, including spreadsheets and tagging/metadata frameworks.

• High attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and consistency in all work.

• Collaborative mindset, capable of writing specifications and iterating quickly with teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing for conceptual change and inquiry-based learning.

• Classroom teaching experience, particularly in math or science at middle or high school levels.

• Familiarity with learning analytics, A/B testing, or experimental design in educational technology.

• Knowledge of item response theory, mastery learning models, or cognitive diagnostic approaches.

• Experience creating interactive digital learning activities and simulations.

• Understanding of accessibility standards and culturally responsive pedagogy.

• Basic scripting or data tool skills (Python/R/SQL) for content validation or analysis.

Work Environment:

• Emphasize shipping, measuring, and iterating based on classroom realities and learning data.

• Treat pedagogy as a product, continuously improving through testing and feedback.

• Balance scale with rigor, leveraging AI while maintaining high standards of human expertise.

Compensation & Benefits:

• This is an unpaid position. Exceptional candidates will be considered for FT roles.

• Learning budget for professional development opportunities.

Application Materials:

• Resume or LinkedIn profile.

• A brief note outlining your fit for the role.

• (Optional) Portfolio sample showcasing your work, such as a lesson or assessment set.