Date: 2023 - Present
Role: Instructional Designer and Implementation Lead
Tools: Canvas, DesignPLUS, AI Image Creation
Goals:
To implement and scale the use of CidiLabs DesignPLUS tools across a private university, improving course consistency, visual hierarchy, and student navigation while reducing cognitive load.
Project Description
As online learning expanded post-pandemic, 60% of courses at the university moved partially or fully online. Student surveys revealed frustration with inconsistent design and navigation.
4I led the DesignPLUS onboarding program to improve course design quality and cohesion:
4Introduced DesignPLUS tools through faculty presentations and demos.
4Developed a standardized home page and module page template emphasizing visual hierarchy and student-first design.
4Incorporated program-specific footers linking institutional resources to foster belonging and community.
4Created a job aid library connecting each DesignPLUS feature to learning theory and best practices.
4Scaled adoption through iterative improvement, guided by semester-end student and faculty feedback.
Impact
450% of 140 online courses now fully use DesignPLUS templates.
4Student surveys show reduced cognitive overload and improved navigation.
4Departments requested custom templates, increasing standardization and design ownership.
4Built a sustainable onboarding model that balances consistency and instructor autonomy.
Standardized home page template with customizable areas to support instructor agency. Template brings essential topics from syllabus (assessment measure, schedule, required texts, etc.) document using visual hierarchy to create clarity and support student organization. Footer accordion contains academic program support resources anchors courses within their academic program.emphasizing visual hierarchy and clarity. Footer accordion contains academic program resources to support students and anchor them within larger community.
Example 1: Customized Course Homepage
Example 2: Customized Course Homepage
Example 2: Course Subpage from template with embedded content in categories (visual hierarchy) to convey learning path and to reduce student disengagement.
"OtherTools" is a DesignPLUS job aid I composed to demonstrate learning items in DesignPLUS for instructor support and connect the features to at least one use-case learning theory application.
