DESIGN & INNOVATION
I don’t only study learning technologies. I build them.
My design work sits at the intersection of instructional design, user experience, and learning research. I translate complex goals into experiences that are clear, accessible, and useful—then use evidence from real use to improve the next iteration.
01
Digital learning ecosystems
Scalable course systems, badging experiences, LMS structures, and learning pathways.
02
Interactive eLearning
Scenario-based modules, knowledge checks, guided practice, and accessible asynchronous instruction.
03
Immersive learning environments
3D and virtual environments designed around learning goals rather than technological novelty.
SELECTED WORK
Three projects that show how I approach design.
The projects differ in audience, platform, and scale, but each began with the same question: what should learners become better able to do?
DIGITAL LEARNING ECOSYSTEM
CASE 01 · CAREER READINESS AT SCALE
Designing a co-curricular badging system for asynchronous career learning.
The challenge was to turn a broad set of career-readiness goals into an experience students could navigate independently. The resulting system uses short, modular learning experiences and digital badges to organize professional-development activities into a coherent pathway.
CHALLENGE
Design a co-curricular, asynchronous digital badging system that supports university student career readiness.
TOOLS
Rise 360 · Storyline · Photoshop · PowerPoint
CASE 02 · IBSTPI INSTRUCTOR COMPETENCIES
Turning a professional competency framework into an interactive learning experience.
This project translated the IBSTPI 2021 Instructor Competencies into an eLearning module intended to help stakeholders understand and use the framework. The design emphasized clarity, progressive disclosure, and interaction rather than presenting the competencies as a static reference document.
CHALLENGE
Develop instructional resources that support understanding and use of the IBSTPI 2021 Instructor Competencies.
TOOLS
Rise 360 · PowerPoint
AWARD-RECOGNIZED eLEARNING
IMMERSIVE LEARNING DESIGN
CASE 03 · VR LANGUAGE LEARNING LAB
Using spatial experience to make academic writing structure tangible.
The VR Language Learning Lab was developed as a virtual learning environment for undergraduate multilingual learners studying academic writing structure. Rather than using immersion as decoration, the environment uses spatial organization as part of the instructional representation.
CHALLENGE
Help undergraduate multilingual learners understand academic writing structure through an immersive environment.
TOOLS
Unity · VR interaction design
ADDITIONAL BUILD WORK
Different platforms, same design logic.
LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Canvas course and lesson design
Structured LMS experiences for instructional-design knowledge and ESL grammar learning, with attention to navigation, sequencing, and instructional clarity.
MULTI-USER IMMERSIVE LEARNING
Immersive Chinese
A shared Mozilla Hubs environment designed to support interactive Chinese-language learning and social participation inside a 3D space.
MY PROCESS
Design starts with the change we want to see.
I treat design as an iterative cycle rather than a handoff. Goals, constraints, learner needs, prototypes, evidence, and revision all remain connected throughout the work.
01
Define the objective
Clarify the desired change, constraints, success conditions, and known unknowns.
02
Consult stakeholders
Learn from learners, subject-matter experts, and sponsors before deciding what to build.
03
Prototype the concept
Make the idea visible early enough that it can still change cheaply and meaningfully.
04
Build for accessibility
Develop and test from the learner point of view, focusing on clarity, cohesion, access, and ease of use.
05
Deliver and adapt
Reduce friction at launch, gather feedback, and make immediate adjustments where needed.
06
Assess and look forward
Compare outcomes to expectations, preserve reusable assets, and use evidence to shape the next iteration.
A DESIGN PRINCIPLE
Alex Barrett 