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Who am I?I am a designer, illustrator, and educator. I like to create ideas and products that inspire and motivate people. According to a recent "strengths" finder Gallup survey, my strengths include: "relator, learner, strategic, achiever, and futuristic."
I imagine a world where everyone has access to education designed just for them. |
My Background |
I attended the University of Cincinnati and received a bachelor’s
of science in industrial design. After I graduated from the University of
Cincinnati, I continued my career in video game art and design. I worked on one
of the first titles for the Xbox 360 that was released in 2006 as a level
artist intern. After that experience, I moved to Colorado for a better position
as a concept designer on a computer game title. My role soon transitioned into
a lead concept designer position. I really enjoyed this position and learned so
much from my peers and the company as a whole. However, I spent nearly five
years of development without releasing a title. This was a moment of extreme
introspection about my work and what kind of work I am willing to do for the
rest of my life. I decided it wasn’t worth my time unless I was directly
improving the lives of others or helping others realize their goals.
I wanted to get back into design with a focus on people. I was fortunate enough to find a small and growing company that created unique spaces for children. Often times these spaces involved illustration, art, interior design, and product design – a perfect fit based on my background and experience. I created drawings and specifications for art and illustrations, custom furniture, material and finishes, small play structures, and installation packets. Essentially, I produced instructions for shop and install personnel to create and deliver our products. We started out with just three people on our development team and since have grown to include a much larger staff of artists, designers, sales, and shop personnel. I am very proud to have been able to help this company grow and contribute to the world in the way that we do by making the best spaces for children to grow and learn, or just have fun. In addition to my work as a play and theme designer, I also taught at Front Range Community College (FRCC). Through teaching and curriculum development, I felt most fulfilled. By the end of this year, I would have taught for three years at FRCC. I have taught four different courses and intend to continue to teach. With my background in design, video games, and adult instruction I am sure my skills will be valued amongst my peers as an instructional designer. |
My Vision |
I truly believe that we are in the midst of a revolution
in education due to current state of the art and access to information. I
believe in the near future, if not already, most degree seeking students may be
enrolled in online classes. Students may also be able to achieve degrees or
certificates faster and better than ever before. I want to be a part of this
and I know that my experience will contribute to this emerging
educational landscape.
I also think instructional design will have a much bigger impact on consumer products. Whether it is a new product that a user can physically interact with or if the product is a new app, the user must learn how to use or interact with the product. I believe more companies will place high value on instructional designers in order to achieve successful user acquisition and retention. I hope to be a part of the next generation of thinkers focused on the user and how they interact with the product, and learn to use it. I want to be part of creating the communities that define how we use new technologies to learn. I imagine a world where everyone has access to education designed just for them. |
Philosophy of Design Education |
As an instructor, I have the unique opportunity to perpetuate the advancement of the profession by facilitating learning in the best ways possible with current ideologies and technology. With this, I feel a great sense of dedication to my students, college, and profession. This drives me establish my own educational philosophies based on the most effective ways to serve my students and the profession as a whole.
The most fundamental belief in my teaching philosophy is to create an inclusive learning community within each class that demands respect, fairness, and honesty. This is perpetuated by the belief that all students have something unique to offer to the class and all students deserve to be a part of the learning community equally. The ultimate goal of the learning environment created in such a way is to create a feeling of comfort and acceptance in order to nurture learning, classroom participation, and reduce stress and fear of attending class or failure to grasp course materials. The role of students is to accept responsibility for their education. Attend class, participate, perform tasks and assignments to their best ability, and assist others in the educational environment. Students are encouraged in a positive environment to help each other learn, accept feedback in the most positive way, and meet learning objectives through the educational processes. Students are also encouraged to be career minded and to be involved in the larger community of the profession. As the instructor, my goal is to lead students to establish the educational environment of mutual respect. Mutual respect for the instructor and the students alike is based on fairness and honesty. It is my goal to communicate what is fair and acceptable for the course based on individual student’s needs. It is also my responsibility to ensure the objectives for the course are being met in the most effective way possible. The course material must also relate to the profession and apply to areas of expertise related to the discipline. It is my intent to clearly define expectations for the class with some flexibility based on individual needs. Each student is instructed as a unique individual. The instructor also seeks advice and information related to the discipline from the larger professional community. This information and feedback is provided to the students so that they can be best prepared to know what is expected of them from potential employers. The instructor also continually develops skills related to the discipline based on current state of the art and professional community discussion, workshops, and seminars. The instructor is a reliable resource to the students in regards to current professional practices and techniques related to the discipline. |