Instructional Designers: Teachers at Heart

Instructional designers have multiple roles: guide, analyst, consultant, researcher, designer, evaluator…and teacher. When viewing most instructional design job descriptions, one will often find that teaching, working with students or working with faculty are included as preferred qualifications. DELTA’s team of instructional designers have a range of experience in these areas, including the invaluable role of teacher.

Daniel Davis taught history at the Lakeside Middle School in San Diego, California. He has also worked with faculty on the design of courses and programmatic competencies across many universities including Gonzaga, University of San Francisco, Wheeling Jesuit and Fordham.  “While I don’t get to do direct instruction as much as I once did, I enjoy working within an organization that values lifelong learning while creating consequential programs and initiatives that assist faculty in delivering their content in ways that contribute to student success!”

Caitlin McKeown was a middle school music teacher for six years. She taught sixth, seventh and eighth grade band and guitar during that time. Her bachelor’s degree is in music education, and she was certified in teaching K-12 music. Since earning her Ph.D. in 2021, she has been teaching a graduate course at NC State about instructional design for the Learning Design and Technology program. The course is ECI 516: Design and Evaluation of Instructional Materials. As an instructional designer she has worked closely with faculty and subject matter experts to create courses on a variety of areas including higher education, medical education, deaf education and adult basic education. She says, “One of the things I enjoyed most about being a music teacher was the challenge of teaching different instruments, parts, ages, and ability levels all in the same class. I found myself needing to create systems, materials and processes to promote individual student progress and achievement within a group performance setting. Those creative problem-solving experiences were my first exposure to instructional design and inspired me to pursue an instructional design degree and career.”

Jordan Phillips is a combat veteran with 17 years of experience developing training and instruction for the U.S. Army and allied nations’ armed forces. He has also collaborated with SMEs and developed instructional materials at international companies and government agencies.

Jakia Salam grew up in a family where her father was a college instructor and her mom also taught at the college level in Bangladesh. Her husband is also a faculty member at UNCG. Growing up in an academic environment sparked her interest to work in the field of education. Prior to joining DELTA, she worked in various roles including as a senior instructional designer at UNC-Chapel Hill, an instructional technology consultant at UNC-Greensboro, a full-time faculty member at Guilford Technical Community College, a chemical engineer and an application developer. She taught computer courses while teaching at the Guilford Technical Community College. At UNC-Chapel Hill, she worked as a faculty mentor and trainer, and conducted workshops for faculty development. Jakia holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and completed her M.S. in Computer Science at UNC-Greensboro in 2002. She also obtained a Graduate Certificate in e-learning from the College of Education at NC State in 2013. “Instructional Design is something where there is always a chance to explore and innovate. I love to use my teaching experience and technology to enhance student learning,“ she said.

Rebecca Sanchez grew up with a mom who was a teacher and librarian, which fueled her interest in education and set her on a path to a certificate in Education, Ph.D. in Cognitive and Developmental Psychology, and additional graduate coursework in instructional design. She’s taught in K-12 and university settings (Research Methods, Intro to Psychology and Graduate Statistics) and developed interactive online courses for all ages. Rebecca has worked in various fields including higher education, public health and behavioral health research environments. She says, “I love integrating the science of how people think and learn with instructional design theory and practical experience in the classroom. When faced with a new instructional challenge, I imagine it from each of these perspectives to come up with a solution that works from all angles.”

Yan Shen worked as a co-instructor in an educational technology course for pre-service teachers at the University of Georgia, where she completed her Ph.D. in Learning Design and Technology. She says, “My limited teaching experience gave me insights of an undergraduate course and inspired my doctoral research in scaffolding higher-order thinking during problem solving, which had a big influence on my instructional design work today.”

Jennifer Tagsold holds an M.A. in English and a Ph.D. in Learning Design and Technology. She has taught English and education courses at various colleges and universities around the Triangle, including William Peace University and NC State. Courses range from Advanced College Composition and Technical Writing to Instructional Technology. She has also collaborated with faculty and administrative staff to develop digital learning workshops and trainings. She says, “As an instructional designer, I get to learn something new every day. I also enjoy getting to share expertise with faculty to enhance the course experience for all learners. During my undergraduate years, teaching blossomed into a passion when I worked as a tutor for students in middle and high school.”  

Jessica White taught at a private business college for several years in Greensboro upon graduation from undergrad. Her favorite classes to teach were English, Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Word, Excel), business communications and professional development (interviewing and résumé writing). She taught career development (upskilling previous work skills, selling newly learned skills, elevator pitches, interviewing, etc.) to individuals transitioning into IT careers at a non-profit organization in Dallas, Texas, before working as a government contractor building a training program curriculum in Washington, D.C. She teaches a graduate course, EAC 582:  Organization and Operation of Training and Development Programs, as an adjunct teaching assistant professor in the College of Education. The course focuses on instructional design and project management.  Jessica says, “For me, instructional design and teaching are about how many meaningful connections you can help students make with the content. Those of us who teach never stop learning. I tell my students the one thing about learning is that once you have it, no one can take it away from you —it’s yours forever.”

Bethanne Winzeler taught science at a middle school for six years and then worked with faculty and administrators as an instructional technologist and coordinator for the Center for Teaching Excellence at Cape Fear Community College, where she also taught online and hybrid courses as an adjunct professor. She also taught web design classes at DREAMS of Wilmington and computer skills at a retirement community.