Artifacts:

1. Handmade by GiGi Video project (Summer 2025 - EDIT 7550e)

2. Design Blueprint for a No-Cost, Equitable, Adaptive College Algebra Module (Fall 2025 - EDIT 7520e)

Design and development have always felt like the heart of what I do. It is where analysis turns into something tangible, creative, and meaningful. It’s the part of the process that gives form to ideas, shape to learning, and rhythm to collaboration. The two artifacts I selected for this theme: the Handmade by Gigi Video Project (Summer 2025, EDIT 7550E) and the Design Blueprint for a No-Cost, Equitable, Adaptive College Algebra Module (Fall 2025, EDIT 7520E), show how I’ve grown as a designer who values both artistry and structure. Together, they reflect how I approach design as an act of creativity balanced with purpose: inclusivity, data-informed, and guided by empathy.

The Handmade by Gigi Video Project was one of the most joyful experiences of my program. It was a collaborative client-based project that asked us to design a short instructional video on how to tie a bow tie. Definitely looks simple on the surface, but rich in opportunities to apply multimedia design, storyboarding, and production planning. Our client was running a small business “Handmade by Gigi”, so the video needed to serve both instructional and marketing goals. Working with a real client was exciting and brought a level of authenticity that instantly elevated our motivation and accountability. There were deadlines, iterative feedback chats, and that wonderful energy that comes from knowing someone is genuinely counting on your work.

My primary responsibility was developing the storyboard, a process I absolutely loved. I owe much of my comfort with this to Dr. McCalla’s courses, which taught me how to visually map a story that blends narrative flow, instructional pacing, and aesthetic balance. This was my first time creating a storyboard that would be used directly by another teammate for final production. Because of that, clarity and precision mattered as much as creativity. I had to include enough detail to convey both instructional intent and brand tone. e did pivot from creating an animated video to using a live model in creating the video. But, when my teammate used my storyboard as the blueprint for production, it reinforced for me how strong documentation can serve as both a communication tool and a trust-building bridge across roles.

The project reminded me that design isn’t a solitary act! It is a conversation between people, ideas, and tools. Our client corresponded with one of our teammates who took on the role of the project manager, and we received feedback that kept us aligned in the right direction. I found myself blending formal design principles with artistic instincts, thinking about how to guide attention through framing, how color palettes affect tone, and how timing influences comprehension. It felt like a perfect fusion of structure and creativity. Beyond the technical work, it taught me the value of shared vision, iterative communication, and the humility to adapt when someone else’s insight makes the design stronger. Those experiences align beautifully with ibstpi competencies related to collaboration, professional communication, and producing media with precision and purpose.

The Design Blueprint for a No-Cost, Equitable, Adaptive College Algebra Module took me into a completely different space. This one merged my teaching identity with my instructional design practice. This independent project focused on creating a D2L-based, three-week modular course for College Algebra that uses Open Educational Resources (OER), adaptive quizzes, and Desmos-based interactive activities. My goal was to design a course that eliminated cost barriers, supported conceptual understanding, and promoted equity in one of the most challenging gateway mathematics courses in higher education.

Where the Handmade by Gigi project had been about creative expression, this blueprint was about systematic instructional design and scalability. I developed measurable learning objectives and mapped each one to purposeful assessments and adaptive pathways. Each module included low-stakes adaptive quizzes, interactive visualizations, and reflection prompts that encouraged metacognitive awareness. Drawing on constructivist and cognitive learning theories, concepts I first explored in EDIT 6400E with Dr. Knapp, I designed for multiple forms of engagement: learner-content, learner-learner, and learner-instructor. I wanted students not just to complete tasks, but to connect ideas, visualize patterns, and see themselves as capable problem solvers.

I also completed a LinkedIn Learning certificate course on D2L/Brightspace to strengthen the technical side of my design. This helped me align the blueprint to real-world LMS constraints, ensuring that the structure I envisioned will be implementable and instructor friendly. Accessibility was another priority. I tested color contrast ratios, ensured alt text for all images, and avoided content structures that would disadvantage screen-reader users. Designing with equity in mind meant considering not only who had access to technology, but how students experienced the learning process itself from emotional, cognitive and social aspects.

The process was deeply personal because it connected to my teaching practice at my home institution. It made me think about how technology can either narrow or widen learning gaps, depending on how intentionally it is designed. This project, while hypothetical in the course context, will lay the groundwork for an Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) proposal that my colleagues and I plan to submit in Spring 2026. We’ve already started collaborating with our LMS team to explore how AI-assisted resources could support adaptive feedback loops in future iterations. It feels exciting to see coursework evolve into something with potential institutional impact.

If the Handmade by Gigi project represented my creative side, the College Algebra blueprint reflected my strategic, analytical side. Together, they taught me that good design is as much about empathy as it is about expertise. Whether I’m crafting a visual storyboard for a small business or architecting a digital module for hundreds of students, the process always begins with the same question: Who am I designing for, and how will this help them learn or succeed? Again, it is all about the people! 

Both projects deepened my ability to apply ibstpi competencies related to systematic design, purposeful media selection, and professional collaboration. The Handmade by Gigi project strengthened my communication, teamwork, and aesthetic decision-making. The College Algebra design expanded my leadership in aligning goals, theory, and technology within a sustainable, equitable framework. Together, they illustrate how I have learned to move seamlessly between creative artistry and structured instructional design.

And I have to admit; these projects also rekindled my creative energy. I often joke that I miss painting with acrylics, but designing multimedia instruction scratches that same itch in a more purposeful way. During that same summer, I also storyboarded and produced a mindfulness video for kids, a small side project inspired by my coursework. My children served as my unofficial “models,” which made the project even more fun. It reminded me that design can be joyful and human and that empathy and playfulness belong in our professional work too.

In the end, both artifacts reaffirm why I love this field: the blend of creativity, problem-solving, and the potential to make learning more meaningful for others. They have helped me see design not just as producing deliverables, but as crafting experiences that connect, inspire, and empower all learners.