About Me

As an experienced Instructional Designer, I specialize in creating engaging and meaningful learning experiences.

With a strong background in curriculum development, e-learning, and LMS administration, my aim is to make learning accessible, engaging, and tailored to the unique needs of each project, all while ensuring that the content enhances learner outcomes and fulfills client expectations.

Throughout my career, I have successfully developed and delivered courses on a wide array of topics, including:

  • Business and Entrepreneurship: "How to Start Your Own Business" and "How to Plan a Wedding Ceremony."

  • Technical Training: "Basics of Bitcoin" and "Foundations of Power Generation."

  • Sales and Project Management: New hire training on sales tools (HubSpot, PandaDoc) and project management tools (Asana).

  • Corporate Onboarding and Development: "New Hire Onboarding," "Recruiter Training" (reconfigured and designed in Coassemble), and various business and professional development courses.

  • Continuing Education: A course for certified medication aides and multiple interpersonal and communication skills training courses, including "Responding to Conflicts," "Communicating Skills for Impact & Influence," "Interpersonal Skills for Managers," and "Assertive Communication Skills."

  • K-12 Digital Education: As part of a major e-learning development team for Zia Learning, I contributed to building and enhancing online courses and curriculum for K-12 education.

  • Youth Organization Curriculum Development: I played a key role in developing and digitizing curriculum for a client's LearnDash LMS system, interfacing with 4H Club Management software for one of the largest youth organizations globally.

  • Advanced Technology Education: I developed an extensive course on the foundations of artificial technology for a college-level audience.

My experience also extends to serving as an instructional design SME, helping clients identify common use cases for their software and transforming these insights into effective training solutions.

Skills and Expertise

Instructional Design & Development

- Curriculum Development

- E-Learning Development

- Interactive Content Development

- Content Editing and Quality Assurance

- Accessibility Compliance

Learning Management Systems (LMS)

- LMS Administration

- Content Management & Upload

- User Experience Optimization

- HTML Code Editing and Maintenance

- Metadata Management & Tagging

Technical Proficiency

- Authoring Tools (Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate)

- Educational Technology Proficiency

- Multimedia Integration

- User Training

- Troubleshooting & Technical Support

Education

Master of Science in Instructional Design and Development, University of South Alabama (2019 – Present)

Bachelor of Science in Instructional Design and Human Performance Improvement, Minor in Psychology, University of South Alabama (2013 – 2019)

Professional Experience

I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects, from helping aspiring entrepreneurs with "How to Start Your Own Business" to developing advanced technology courses like "Foundations of Artificial Technology" for college students. My work spans various fields, including business, technical training, corporate onboarding, and K-12 digital education.

My recent experience at Zia Learning allowed me to support a major contract with a school district, where I played a critical role in maintaining high-quality standards across thousands of educational materials.

In this role, I was responsible for:

  • Instructional Material Development: Constructing and updating a vast array of instructional materials, including worksheets, Articulate Storyline activities, and multimedia elements, based on feedback, assessment results, and the latest educational practices.

  • LMS Administration: Uploading materials for both students and teachers, developing interactive lesson plan booklets, and creating assignments, discussion boards, quizzes, and tests from provided blueprints. I ensured all content was visually appealing, fully functional, and accessible by editing and refining HTML code.

  • Quality Assurance & Troubleshooting: Conducting rigorous quality assurance checks for both teacher and student materials, performing edits based on feedback, linking PDFs to make them searchable within the LMS, and metatagging all content for effective metadata management.

My work consistently focused on ensuring coherence, accuracy, and accessibility, ultimately enhancing the educational experience for both students and educators.

Current Endeavors

Currently, I am actively seeking new opportunities through UpWork, where I aim to bring my skills to new projects and clients. I am also in the process of designing and developing my own courses.

Feel free to connect with me for potential collaborations or opportunities through the following links:

Creative Pursuits

When I'm not designing instructional content, I create handmade jewelry for my online shop, Katie Rooks Design. My passion for researching the history of jewelry, fashion, and colors deepens my understanding of design principles, allowing me to create meaningful pieces that blend vintage and contemporary elements.

This meticulous attention to detail and love for storytelling in my jewelry work directly enhances my instructional design skills. It sharpens my ability to create visually engaging and meaningful content that resonates with diverse audiences.

In addition, I continually refine my digital design skills and develop my own courses using my flexible design process. These creative endeavors not only keep my artistic abilities sharp but also fuel my innovation and adaptability in instructional design.

By exploring new creative techniques and design strategies, I bring fresh perspectives and enhanced creativity to every project I undertake.

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