I weave together skills from the worlds of professional writing and editing, higher ed, and adult education to create learning experiences that help people achieve performance goals.
Working with me, your team gets
- someone who cares a lot about applying the latest insights and best practices from the field of learning design
- a creative collaborator who draws on an interdisciplinary background that includes a PhD in English (Composition) and a certificate in e-learning instructional design
- a former magazine writer/editor who distills oodles of info into engaging, learnable content
- an expert interviewer who maximizes time with busy SMEs.
She/her/hers
Connect with me:
Featured Project
This sample shows how I applied my learning design skills to tackle a fictionalized challenge: Faculty in a university’s school of business were frustrated that students’ writing was not improving despite feedback and revision opportunities.
I created a step-by-step outline of the project that emerged to address this issue, detailing my thought process and rationale for each key design decision. Sample artifacts are included in the document along with the outcomes, my reflections on the project’s success, and next steps.
Co-host of The Social Learning Lab Podclass
“Connection over Content”:
How Play Levels Up Social Learning
This conversation is bursting with fun ideas for weaving improv games into trainings (cue confetti!). Gary Ware, founder of Breakthrough Play, shared why play isn’t just a nice-to-have but a necessary component for effective learning design. Why? For starters, play encourages people to feel safe taking risks. To learn more, listen to the episode and check out the experiment brief I created using a Canva template from the Your Instructional Designer team’s graphic designer.
“Think Headlight not Spotlight”: Storytelling for Social Learning
What makes a story an effective learning tool? Check out this episode—I interviewed Hadiya Nuriddin, author of StoryTraining: Selecting and Shaping Stories that Connect, to find out. To accompany the episode and help listeners apply the tips and insights, I also created an experiment brief.
Your ID in the Lab
The Your Instructional Designer team played a social learning game designed by our founder Nicole, which I adapted for virtual play by using a Miro template. Our fully remote team got social…and hilarity definitely ensued. Check it out—along with my experiment brief.
“Start Small and Make It Happen”: Community Building for Social Learning
Creating spaces where people can network, collaborate, and share ideas supports innovation and effective upskilling. But how to grow a community from scratch? In this episode, I interviewed the founder of Hacking HR, Enrique Rubio, who offered some actionable insights.
Copywriting that Compels People to Connect
In this episode, I chatted with Nicole, founder of Your Instructional Designer, about two of my favorite copywriting techniques that I use to make engaging and memorable learning content.
Video
During the early stages of the pandemic, I designed and developed an online learning module for a school nurse who needed portions of the annual CPR/AED training distributed virtually. The audience included high school faculty and staff who had varying levels of familiarity with emergency protocols.
The module aimed to prepare participants for the in-person training that followed. Each lesson included a video introduction to engage learners, communicate the stakes, and highlight key takeaways. I scripted and developed the videos based on my interviews with the school nurse (SME) and later updated them using Pictory.
Microlearning
Need to Feel More Inspired to Achieve Your Goals? Set FUN Goals!
I used brief, character-driven scenarios in this microlearning module to help learners apply a strategy for goal setting developed by a disability rights activist.
What Are My Glimmers?
Nominated for an Impact Award (top 10 out of 100+ microlearnings published by the team of Rumie volunteers during spring 2023), this module defines a term coined by a trauma expert and provides specific ways to soothe the nervous system in day-to-day life.
Send a Gentle Email Reminder in 4 Steps
Using a stepwise approach, I broke the task down into discrete parts and provided examples to model ways of writing a professional follow-up request.
How to Answer, “What Does Empathy Mean to You?” in a Job Interview
Learners come away from this microlearning module able to apply the STAR method, share about a time they empathized with someone at work, and offer their takeaway from that experience.
Conscientious and collaborative
“Working alongside Katie was a refreshing experience. Her conscientious approach to our project was so welcome—from keeping in mind the bigger picture to actively seeking and incorporating feedback. What stood out most was her openness to collaborate throughout the process. And she was adaptable—delivering high-quality work while remaining responsive to project needs. I would recommend her to anyone in need of a creative and collaborative instructional designer.”
Heidi Kirby, PhD
Learning and Development Strategist
Experienced and organized
“I had the pleasure of working with Katie on a complex project in the healthcare space, which turned into an exceptional experience under her skilled guidance.
Katie is a deeply experienced, collaborative, and organized learning designer and project leader with next-level interpersonal skills.”
Aaron Frigard
Freelance Instructional Designer and Content Writer
Dedicated and creative
“Katie’s dedication and creativity never cease to amaze me. She has an incredible knack for strategic thinking and innovative design, which she brings to every project she touches. Katie’s expertise in curriculum development, learning strategy, and instructional design is nothing short of exceptional. Her ability to manage complex tasks with precision, coupled with her collaborative spirit, makes her an invaluable team member.”
Goes the extra mile and finds solutions
“Katie is an incredible talent, a kind human, and an excellent colleague who consistently brings her best, demonstrates integrity, and goes the extra mile. As an instructional designer, Katie’s curriculum design always reflects deep consideration for the end user and practical application for the business. Katie has been thrown a lot of complex, undefined work as a member of a startup working with clients that often have their own messy issues to tackle. Rather than backing down, she continues to find solutions and advance her skills.”
Nicole Papaioannou Lugara, PhD
Learning Strategist and Founder of Your Instructional Designer
Blog
Digital Body Language: It’s More Than Smiling on Zoom Calls
After reading Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance, I pulled out some takeaways for instructional designers facing the challenge of creating learning experiences for remote and hybrid teams.
7 Strategies for Building Thriving Learning Communities with Influence
Robert Cialdini’s book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion has fantastic insights for instructional designers considering how to inspire people to actively engage in social learning experiences. I explored a few of them in this post.
3 Ways to Design Digital Learning that Sparks Conversation, Engagement, and Transformation
One of my new favorite books in my learning design library is Priya Parker’s The Art of Gathering. This post highlights some memorable insights that I keep top-of-mind when designing learning experiences.
For Those Days When You Need to Write Faster but You Can’t Write Anything at All
Aimed at busy learning pros who have writer’s block (been there!), this post offers some of my go-to strategies for getting words on the page.
Let’s chat about learning!
What’s the biggest challenge your team is facing?
Katie Hynes 