Professional Development Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
My first year in the doctoral program has been a significant step up in many ways, both academically and professionally. From becoming a reviewer and speaking at my first academic conference to leading professional workshops, I have seized and explored several growth opportunities.
You can view my presentations and paper below. Or, if you would prefer, you can view my Curriculum Vitae for the full APA citations.
academic development
I have been speaking on the industry conference circuit for several years now, but 2025 was my first time presenting at an academic conference. It was an honor that this session was distinguished as a presidential session. I led a presidential session discussion on global trends in LMS adoption and potential areas for future study. I have included my slides for your viewing.
In addition to my speaking opportunities, I have published my first article in the Journal of Applied Instructional Design, titled “Leveraging Practice-Based Scholarship to Develop Evaluation Methods for Workplace Informal Learning.” I have also included it here for reference.
I also have two papers currently under review. One is a research collaboration with fellow graduate students, Stephanie Gilstrap and Danielle Fernandez, under the guidance of Dr. Stefaniak, titled “An Exploration of Communication Skills Employed by Instructional Designers in the Field”. The second is a systematic review in partnership with Dr. Stefaniak and Dr. Rebecca Clark-Stallkamp titled, “Instructional Designers’ Challenges in Online Learning: A Conflict-Oriented Analysis Across People, Process, and Policy”.
To build on my writing experience, I have also become a reviewer for the Journal of Research on Technology in Education and have been selected to serve as a graduate reviewer for the 2026 AECT conference proposals. In addition, I am hoping to give back to future IDD students by collaborating with Dr. Stefaniak on a podcast of IDD alumni for new students to listen to for helpful hints and key takeaways from previous graduates.
industry development
I was invited to present at the Learning Guild’s Learning Leaders and DevLearn in 2025 on Gap Analysis and LMS Best Practices. You can review the slides here.