Hey, I'm Alyssa!
With a background in education, I have a passion for creating engaging, performance-based learning,
I'm currently on the lookout for a contract ID role and I'm excited to show you why I'd be a great fit for your team!
view my resume
Instructional
Designer
How I work
We've all had to sit through those required trainings. You know the ones — slide after slide of dense text, narration you stopped listening to three screens ago, and a "Next" button you're clicking purely on autopilot, just waiting for the progress bar to hit 100%.
Yeah...I design the of that.
Gamification over gimmicks. Active learning over passive. Application over information. I design around what learners need to do, not just what they need to know (and I only include the information that's absolutely necessary to help them do it).
opposite
We've all had to sit through those required trainings. You know the ones — slide after slide of dense text, narration you stopped listening to three screens ago, and a "Next" button you're clicking purely on autopilot, just waiting for the progress bar to hit 100%.
Yeah...I design the of that.
Gamification over gimmicks. Active learning over passive. Application over information. I design around what learners need to do, not just what they need to know (and I only include the information that's absolutely necessary to help them do it).
Philosophy
My Approach
Tools I Use
I collaborate closely with SMEs and requesters to identify the gap the learning experience needs to fill, and I do that by asking the hard questions. Questions like: What do we think we know that we haven't confirmed? What are learners doing now? What do we want them to do instead? What's getting in the way?
From there, I design practical, learner-centered solutions through an iterative, feedback-driven process. I have experience with both ADDIE and Agile frameworks and bring exceptional organizational and project management skills to every project. I'm extremely self-directed and flourish in remote, asynchronous environments with maximum autonomy.
Philosophy
My Approach
Tools I Use
- Articulate Storyline 360
- Articulate Rise 360
- Vyond
- Canva
- Adobe Illustrator
- Cognota
- Monday
- SmartSheet
Philosophy
My Approach
Tools I Use
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft Office Suite
- SharePoint
- ChatGPT/Claude/Copilot
- Camtasia
- Kahoot
- Microsoft Teams
To name a few...
While I haven't always had "Instructional Designer" in my title, I've been designing learning my whole career. My journey into ID is a big part of what makes me so good at it.
Grab your time turner. Here's every chapter that made me the designer I am today.
iykyk
My Journey
nonlinear
chapter 1
ch. 1
Deaf education Teacher
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn
- Accessibility-first design
- Scaffolding and chunking information
- Creative instructional approaches for diverse learners
- Cross-functional collaboration (teachers, interpreters, specialists)
- Documentation and individualized goal tracking
- Learner advocacy
STATS
story
skills
story
I loved school as a kid. Growing up, I played teacher with the neighborhood kids as my (semi) willing students. Suffice it to say, teaching was never a question for me.
During high school, I started watching a show that introduced me to ASL, Deaf culture, and the Deaf community. I was fascinated, and the curiosity wasn't going away. I soon discovered there was a deaf school less than a mile from my house. One day of observing a classroom sealed the deal.
I took ASL in college and completed my practicum at a school that housed all of the D/HH students in the district (including a large population of refugees). Many came from cultures where deafness carried stigma. Some had been denied language entirely in their early years.
Working with them lit a fire in me to make sure every learner has access to language, a voice, and someone in their corner teaching them how to use it.
skills
STATS
STATS
years in the role
Students taught
3
15
85+
Learning Experiences Created
skills
story
chapter 1
ch. 2
STATS
story
skills
Elementary Education Teacher
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn
Those four years in the classroom developed skills I use in every project today, including:
- Identifying knowledge and skill gaps
- Learner engagement and intrinsic motivation
- Designing accessible learning for diverse learners
- Facilitation and delivering learning experiences
- Creative instructional approaches to bridge performance gaps
- Documentation and multi-project management
story
skills
STATS
Elementary Education Teacher
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn
After a few years in deaf education, I found myself wanting to reach more learners, so I made the jump into General education. I received my Master's in Education and started teaching second grade at the same school I worked at as a deaf education teacher.
Over the next four years, I taught learners in classrooms and online (during COVID) at two schools in the St. Paul school district. The school I spent the most time at had over 25 languages spoken in students' homes, many I'd never heard of before.
The majority of my students were refugees or from low-income families, and many were expected to read at a second or third grade level without knowing any English. Teaching in that environment pushed me to find creative, flexible ways to reach every learner, regardless of language, background, or where they were starting from.
STATS
skills
story
years in the role
Students taught
4
120
100+
Learning Experiences Created
Elementary Education Teacher
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn
chapter 1
ch. 3
STATS
story
skills
Curriculum Designer
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn | Teachers pay teachers
Those years of building resources and redesigning district curriculum developed skills that translate directly into my ID work today, including:
- Curriculum design and sequencing
- Evaluating and improving existing learning materials
- SME and stakeholder collaboration
- Iterative design based on learner feedback
- Applying visual design & structure to support learning clarity
story
skills
STATS
Curriculum Designer
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn | Teachers pay teachers
While teaching, I was also posting resources that I was already creating in my own classroom in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop.
And on my summers off, I spent two of them designing curriculum for my district. One year redesigning the social studies curriculum, and one helping completely rebuild the math curriculum alongside twelve other teachers from the district.
I absolutely loved doing both. More than teaching, more than grading, more than anything else the job asked of me. Sitting down to design a curriculum, to think through the sequence, the scaffolding, the learner experience from start to finish, felt less like work and more like the thing I was supposed to be doing. That realization is what led me to instructional design.
STATS
skills
story
years on TPT
7
4.8
Average Rating (327 Reviews)
100+
Learning Experiences Created
Curriculum Designer
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn | Teachers pay teachers
chapter 1
ch. 4
STATS
story
skills
Instructional Designer
Optum, remote
- Applying adult learning theory to learning design decisions
- Using instructional design models to guide learning solutions
- Proficiency with industry-standard authoring tools
- Storyboarding & structuring learning experiences before development
- Designing scenario-based & interactive learning experiences
- SME and stakeholder collaboration
- Managing projects independently from idea through delivery
- Strong self-management & time-management habits
- Working autonomously while staying focused & accountable
story
skills
STATS
Instructional Designer
Optum, remote
The best part about teaching for me (other than the students) was the curriculum. And after seven years of designing it on the side, I was ready to do it full time.
Before making the jump, I spent a few months going through the Teacher to Instructional Designer course from Teacher Transition, learning the language of the field, understanding the tools, and building an initial portfolio. From there, I networked, applied, and landed a role at a major healthcare organization, where I've spent the last three years designing learning experiences for call center agents and clinicians.
As I seek a contract ID position, I'm excited to partner with new teams, tackle new challenges, and keep doing what I love. No matter the project, I bring curiosity, enthusiasm, and a passion for designing learning that is engaging and effective.
STATS
skills
story
years in the role
3
1,000+
Learners Reached
150+
Learning Experiences Created
Instructional Designer
Optum, remote
chapter 2
ch. 2
Elementary Education Teacher
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn
Those four years in the classroom developed skills I use in every project today, including:
- Identifying knowledge and skill gaps
- Learner engagement and intrinsic motivation
- Designing accessible learning for diverse learners
- Facilitation and delivering learning experiences
- Creative instructional approaches to bridge performance gaps
- Documentation and multi-project management
skills
story
STATS
story
After a few years in deaf education, I found myself wanting to reach more learners, so I made the jump into General education. I received my Master's in Education and started teaching second grade at the same school I worked at as a deaf education teacher.
Over the next four years, I taught learners in classrooms and online (during COVID) at two schools in the St. Paul school district. The school I spent the most time at had over 25 languages spoken in students' homes, many I'd never heard of before.
The majority of my students were refugees or from low-income families, and many were expected to read at a second or third grade level without knowing any English. Teaching in that environment pushed me to find creative, flexible ways to reach every learner, regardless of language, background, or where they were starting from.
skills
STATS
STATS
years in the role
Students taught
4
120
100+
Learning Experiences Created
skills
story
chapter 3
ch. 3
Curriculum Designer
St. paul public schools, st. paul, mn | Teachers pay teachers
Those years of building resources and redesigning district curriculum developed skills that translate directly into my ID work today, including:
- Curriculum design and sequencing
- Evaluating and improving existing learning materials
- SME and stakeholder collaboration
- Iterative design based on learner feedback
- Applying visual design & structure to support learning clarity
skills
story
STATS
story
While teaching, I was also posting resources that I was already creating in my own classroom in my Teachers Pay Teachers shop.
And on my summers off, I spent two of them designing curriculum for my district. One year redesigning the social studies curriculum, and one helping completely rebuild the math curriculum alongside twelve other teachers from the district.
I absolutely loved doing both. More than teaching, more than grading, more than anything else the job asked of me. Sitting down to design a curriculum, to think through the sequence, the scaffolding, the learner experience from start to finish, felt less like work and more like the thing I was supposed to be doing. That realization is what led me to instructional design.
skills
STATS
STATS
years on TPT
7
4.8
Average Rating (327 Reviews)
100+
Learning Experiences Created
skills
story
chapter 4
ch. 4
Instructional Designer
Optum, remote
- Applying adult learning theory to learning design decisions
- Using instructional design models to guide learning solutions
- Proficiency with industry-standard authoring tools
- Storyboarding & structuring learning experiences before development
- Designing scenario-based & interactive learning experiences
- SME and stakeholder collaboration
- Managing projects independently from idea through delivery
- Strong self-management & time-management habits
- Working autonomously while staying focused & accountable
skills
STATS
story
story
The best part about teaching for me (other than the students) was the curriculum. And after seven years of designing it on the side, I was ready to do it full time.
Before making the jump, I spent a few months going through the Teacher to Instructional Designer course from Teacher Transition, learning the language of the field, understanding the tools, and building an initial portfolio. From there, I networked, applied, and landed a role at a major healthcare organization, where I've spent the last three years designing learning experiences for call center agents and clinicians.
As I seek a contract ID position, I'm excited to partner with new teams, tackle new challenges, and keep doing what I love. No matter the project, I bring curiosity, enthusiasm, and a passion for designing learning that is engaging and effective.
STATS
skills
STATS
years in the role
3
1,000+
Learners Reached
150+
Learning Experiences Created
skills
story
