EdTech Careers
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Academic Profiles

Meagan Nielsen

1/13/2023

 
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Companies and Schools:
BYU (IP&T); In-Focus Education Group

Job Titles:
Adjunct Professor; Curriculum Designer
View my profile on LinkedIn
Why did you pursue a career in the instructional design and technology field?
I really wanted to help support teachers and educators by creating and providing solid instruction, resources, and materials that were easy to use, helpful, and based on research.

What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles?
Teaching pre-service teachers how to use technology in the classroom; creating lessons and materials for teachers to use.

How have you found your jobs? What advice do you have for someone trying to find a job in the instructional design and technology field?
I have found my jobs through professors and contacts from my time in the program.

In what ways did your graduate program prepare you for your career?
I had a lot of real life experience working with real clients on multiple design projects in my program. Those experiences have helped me become a better designer which really helped me to design the course I am teaching as well as design curriculum for teachers to use in their classrooms.

Enoch Hunsaker

3/17/2020

 
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Companies and Schools:
Brigham Young University

Job Titles:
Associate Instructional Designer​
View my profile on LinkedIn
Why did you pursue a career in the instructional design and technology field?
I started out my career as a classroom teacher, but soon found that my favorite part of the job was actually planning the lessons. I got excited about finding the right materials, scoping out units, and discovering how to present them in interesting ways. I also really enjoyed my IP&T class at BYU, where I learned to make a website and run some other cool educational technologies. And I have a strong passion for the importance of teaching and learning in effective ways to build individual capacity and personal freedom. Those things combined helped me decide that instructional technology was the right field for me.

What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles?
Managing course production projects, building Canvas pages, administering the LMS, managing student assistants, storyboarding content, coordinating with faculty/SMEs, ensuring course quality, ensuring course compliance with copyright and web accessibility standards, answering emails from online teachers and TAs, managing media production projects, learning new technologies, pursuing professional development.

How have you found your jobs? What advice do you have for someone trying to find a job in the instructional design and technology field?
I honestly feel that the biggest factor in finding a job was putting myself in the correct mindset. I knew what kind of job I wanted and at what type of institution. I did my best to remain positive throughout the job hunting process, and that positive growth mindset helped me to be recognized as someone that my current colleagues wanted to work with. My employers also said they were impressed by my professional-looking resume (after all, I was applying for a design position), my knowledge and commitment to the institution's mission and vision, and my previous experience working with faculty and designing courses similar to what I would be doing at my new job. My advice is to get as much practical experience as possible during school, to display that experience beautifully on your resume and in your portfolio, to have a clear idea of what you want, and to maintain a positive attitude throughout the job search.

In what ways did your graduate program prepare you for your career?
My graduate program helped give me an identity as an instructional designer. It helped me build my confidence that I can design courses, gave me language with which to talk about my experience to other professionals, and helped me have the theoretical and practical background I needed to be successful in my career.

Melissa Larsen

3/10/2020

 
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Companies and Schools:
Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University  - Hawaii, University of Utah, Utah Valley University, UC Berkley Extension

Job Titles:
Accounting Faculty
View my profile on LinkedIn
Why did you pursue a career in the instructional design and technology field?
I wanted to take classes in IP&T to improve my students experience in my undergraduate accounting courses. I think technology has disrupted how students access information and learn and I wanted to have time to "think" about innovations in higher education and what value I could add to the courses I teach.

What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles?
In addition to the time I spend teaching in the classroom, I develop curriculum, assessments, learning experiences, and present at conferences.

How have you found your jobs? What advice do you have for someone trying to find a job in the instructional design and technology field?
I don't know much about specifically getting a job in the instructional design and technology field but I would say, do good work and the work comes to you. Network, find your passion, and then share your talents.

In what ways did your graduate program prepare you for your career?
Collaborating in groups and working with others. The opportunity to learn from others and also being able to share my insights with others.

Min Hu

3/10/2020

 
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Companies and Schools:
Brigham Young University

Job Titles:
Instructional Designer, Research Assistant
View my profile on LinkedIn
Why did you pursue a career in the instructional design and technology field?
I am enthusiastic about education. I believe IDT will play an essential role in education.

What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles?
Collect course materials, organize course materials, and design courses on Canvas.

In what ways did your graduate program prepare you for your career?
Foundation of learning theories, research approaches, critical thinking, technology, project developing and managing, and more.

Matt Armstrong

3/9/2020

 
Companies and Schools:
Thanksgiving Point, Utah Valley University, Brigham Young University

Job Titles:
Exhibit Design Assistant, Content Development Intern, Experiential Studio and Online Learning Supervisor
View my profile on LinkedIn
Why did you pursue a career in the instructional design and technology field?
I loved the opportunity to think about learning and design and combine my interests of multimedia, graphic design, learning theory, and service.

What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles?
Coordinate projects with a design team of 3. I meet with librarians and collaborate to create solutions and resources for the teaching efforts. I also manage scheduling and resource development for a collaborative space in the library.

How have you found your jobs? What advice do you have for someone trying to find a job in the instructional design and technology field?
I volunteered at a place until I was hired, then worked on a project which led me to another job. I would recommend talking and shadowing as many people as you can. I crossed off a lot of jobs I thought I would enjoy by asking about people's day to day work. Also, don't over stress because you can't find the specific dream job. It always works out.

In what ways did your graduate program prepare you for your career?
I can't remember a lot of the specific things we discussed, but going through the design process so many times really helped to develop the right instincts for design. It provided a solid foundation of ways to think and knowing what kinds of questions to ask when solving problems.

Keith Proctor

3/7/2020

 
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Companies and Schools:
Brigham Young University, University of Phoenix, Argosy University

Job Titles:
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Director, Associate Director, Manager, Specialist, Regional Trainer, Trainer, Analyst​
View my profile on LinkedIn
Why did you pursue a career in the instructional design and technology field?
Because I love to help people achieve their fullest potential and there are limitless opportunities in instructional design and technology to do that.

What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles?
Teach courses, evaluate performance of students and employees, run reports, create data visualizations, advise, life design, research, analyze data, web design, conflict resolution, suicide prevention, advocacy, make presentations, lead university-wide training, deliver workshops, etc.

How have you found your jobs? What advice do you have for someone trying to find a job in the instructional design and technology field?
All of my jobs have been found via networking with others who are in an organization or role that I am interested in. I usually approach them to get information about the culture, work tasks, and goals to see if the company would be a good fit for me.

In what ways did your graduate program prepare you for your career?
The skills I learned in each class I am now able to use daily. In the program I learned how to prioritize and learn quickly so I can accomplish work tasks and adapt to changing environments. I feel extraordinarily agile because of the preparation of my program. The program also helped me change the way I think about my own potential and the potential of others for growth and development. My eyes were opened to key principles of design for the pursuit of happiness and success.​

Carolyn Andrews

3/3/2020

 
Companies and Schools:
Brigham Young University

Job Titles:
Faculty Consultant, Adjunct Faculty, BYU Online Program Administrator, Academic Product Manager, Academic Product Consultant

View my profile on LinkedIn
Why did you pursue a career in the instructional design and technology field?
It is very applicable to my job responsibilities.

What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles?
Responsible for Independent Study and BYU Online: model course, course quality, instruction, marketing, innovation, and new academic products.

How have you found your jobs? What advice do you have for someone trying to find a job in the instructional design and technology field?
I applied for them. I had a lot of online teaching experience.

In what ways did your graduate program prepare you for your career?
I have studied and researched best practices in online learning. It has put me in a position to make better informed decisions particularly in intervention applications.

Spencer Perry

3/2/2020

 
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Companies and Schools:
Local K-12 School Districts, Brigham Young University

Job Titles:
Teacher, Adjunct Professor
View my profile on LinkedIn
Why did you pursue a career in the instructional design and technology field?
I was looking for a change in pace for my career, though I didn't really know where I wanted to end up. I knew that IP&T was a broad field and that it would open a lot of doors.

What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities in your roles?
Teaching class, mentoring student teachers, planning and carrying out outreach opportunities for local science teachers.

How have you found your jobs? What advice do you have for someone trying to find a job in the instructional design and technology field?
My jobs have mostly come from networking and talking to a lot of people. I built the relationships and when they needed someone to fill the job, they called me and asked me to apply.

    About

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    Learn more about the career paths and day-to-day responsibilities of people working in the Higher Education and K-12 sectors of the IDT field! Respondents are students and alumni of the BYU IP&T program.

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  • Explore Field
    • Introduction
    • Job Sectors
    • Job Competencies
    • Job Titles and Responsibilities
    • Current Trends
    • Alumni Video Interviews
  • View Profiles
    • Corporate Profiles
    • Academic Profiles
    • Other Job Sector Profiles
    • Add Your Own Profile!
  • Earn a Degree
    • BYU IP&T Program
    • History of the BYU IP&T Program
    • Map of Where BYU IP&T Alumni Work
  • Find a Job
    • Advice for Job Seekers
    • Job Board Resources
    • Professional Associations
    • Salaries
    • Example IDT and eLearning Portfolios