Sparking curiosity and growth by supporting faculty expertise with intentional, forward-thinking design.

My Instructional Design Journey

I'm delighted you're here - I'm Kelly. I've been a music professor, a librarian, and now an instructional designer — three titles for what's really been one job: helping people learn. Curiosity is the thread, and it's what I design for.

My first career and first faculty job was in classical music, at a school known for music education. It's where I first fell in love with teaching - my students were inspiring, fabulous people who pushed me to see both their collective information needs and their individuality as learners. I designed and continually revised a four year curriculum, introduced new courses to the degree tracks, and integrated innovative, technology-supported learning tools.

I chose to explore new challenges by pivoting to academic librarianship. I'd worked in libraries previously and always loved the opportunity to support students in their critical thinking, information and digital literacies, and information assessment skills. I earned my MLS with a focus in research and instruction, and enjoyed nearly 10 years of experience teaching and collaborating with faculty across disciplines.

Education & Background

Now and What's Next

My collaboration with faculty on instructional pieces and learning outcomes - from single assignments to co-teaching and curriculum design - has led to my newest chapter. My own continuous learning of new technologies and effective instruction were informed by needing to know how adult learners have evolved. My perspectives on learning were shaped by the move to hybrid and fully remote formats. As a liaison, seeing that faculty didn't always have the time to be subject experts and stay current on new teaching technologies and frameworks, I was inspired to ask - how can I support them?

I arrived at the position of instructional designer through deep dives into universal design, adult learning theories, and the need to authentically engage students regardless of course structure. As seen in my portfolio, I've collaborated on numerous projects with faculty, designed workshops and instructional materials with design-forward thinking, and moved with intention toward inclusivity and diversity in practice and student engagement.