Dakota J., phd
instructional designer
a bit about me
I became passionate about eLearning in early 2020 at the onset of a global pandemic. I suddenly found myself housebound 24/7 with little to no interaction in non-digital settings. At the time, I was an instructor for English as a Second Language at the University of Iowa. I had never taught online, but I suddenly found myself converting all of my classroom-based courses to virtual-instructor-led and asynchronous courses. At the time it was a challenge, but it brought me to where I am today.
Work Experience
August 2015 - December 2020
December 2020 - Present
January 2022 - Present
As an English as a Second Language instructor, I designed, taught, and managed 49 university-level courses enrolling approximately 590 students over my five and a half years at the University of Iowa.
As a Learning & Development Specialist, I work with a group of creative individuals and social workers to develop statewide training programs in an effort to assist the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services in training and deploying new statewide youth behavioral health services.
In my work as a Freelance Instructional Designer, I create interactive eLearning and self-directed courses, as well as author animated videos using Vyond for a variety of different fields and purposes.
educational experience
May 2014
Bachelor of the Arts, Linguistics & Spanish
University of Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa
June 2015
Master of the Arts, Theoretical & Applied Linguistics
Universitat Pompeu Fabra | Barcelona, Spain
December 2020
Doctor of Philosophy, English Philology - Linguistics
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona | Barcelona, Spain