Professional Info

I’ve had many titles over the years, but at the core what I’ve been doing for the last fifteen years is instructional design. I think the project that best sums up my career is one of my first ones: providing training for preschool instructors in rural New Mexico, some of whom were on Internet connections that made even watching a video on YouTube impossible. Time and financial considerations made face-to-face delivery an issue. I created a series of graphics-lite training modules with frequent assessments in the form of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” case study/visual novel giving them an opportunity to try out different classroom scenarios for interventions. The SME loved it. The participants said they found it not only helpful but entertaining. We found a way to reach our audience that was memorable, accessible, and conveyed the material while working in the provided constraints. I’ve learned a lot since that case study and have added new software, tools, and knowledge to my skill set including an Ed.D. from the University of Wyoming in Instructional Technology, and being trained to conduct Quality Matters reviews.

What can I do now? A little bit of everything really, all of which is listed in a more condensed version on my CV.

• I can do a needs assessment, write learning objectives, work with SMEs, load content into a learning management system and design an assessment and evaluation. Instructional design bread and butter.
• I build course materials in Captivate, Articulate, or from scratch on the web. This includes the nuts and bolts things like getting SCORM content reporting to the LMS. I can also put together materials and curricula for in-person trainings.
• I’ve administered both the front and back end of a moderately sized Moodle installation. I also have experience in Canvas, Plateau, and Blackboard.
• If you need assets I can edit audio and video, create graphics in Illustrator, and manipulate things in Photoshop.
• Recording narration and voiceovers for training content. Most notably I’ve been the voice of Lobo Lucy, one of UNM’s mascots for two different AR trainings.
• I’ve worked with 3D content and animation including editing texture files and optimizing models for polygon reduction.
• Do you want to make VR or AR content? I’ve worked in Unity, set up AR triggers in Vuforia, and built location-based iOS games in ARIS.
• Game-based learning? Yes please! I love working with gamification and games because they’re a great way to make content memorable and accessible.

My approach to working on something is first deciding what method is most appropriate. And sadly this is not always the latest neat and shiny new technology. I love technology, but sometimes a face-to-face training session with some hands-on activities is what will best solve the problem. From there, it’s all about bringing the SME’s content to life and making it understandable and accessible to the audience. This is largely based on building trust and setting expectations. No, I’m not here because I don’t think the SME knows what they’re doing. I’m here because I know they know what they’re doing and I want to help them make their content accessible, easily understandable, and memorable. They’re making an impact in their field. I’m the behind-the-scenes person that’s going to amplify that impact.

I thrive in an environment where I can be creative and solve difficult problems. If you want to see me get excited then give me some really tough content to deliver with x, y and z constraints because of budget, time, or other factors. If you want to hear unhappy instructional designer noises, give me content and a template and tell me to copy and paste from point A to point B. I love collaborating with others, but you can also leave me to my own devices and be assured that I’ll meet deadlines and produce quality content.

Personal Info

I’m a lifelong gamer and lover of technology which is something that I try to incorporate into my professional life whenever I get the chance. I particularly love “classic” games for the nostalgia factor, but I also love playing open-world, survival horror, and JRPGs (let’s be honest I’ll play anything if it’s fun). I’m very active with Extra Life which works with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to raise money with a yearly 24-hour gaming marathon. Since I started participating in 2015 I’ve raised almost $10,000 for UNM Children’s Hospital. When I’m not gaming I love horror movies, old-time radio (think Jack Benny and George Burns), and spending time with my husband and our dogs.