Learning Experience Designer
Shira Richman
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Skilled strategist with wide range of experience in development and implementation of innovative online and hybrid courses and programs. Provides specific expertise on creating engaging, active learning in synchronous and asynchronous platforms. Establishes and promotes best practices for success consistent with learning experience design principles. Skilled in streamlining processes and procedures in instructional design development.
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EXPERIENCE
Feb 2020-Present
ALBSAR ENTERPRISES
Director of Customer Education
Produce tailor made engaging e-learning modules and aids for small businesses and non-profit organizations, ranging in industry from entertainment, finance, and defense. Collaborate with subject matter experts to create written and visual materials to organize and synthesize large amounts of information. Employ best practices in online pedagogy to communicate information expertly and ensure successful, supportive, customer education.
Sep 2018-Feb 2020
THE NEW SCHOOL
Associate Director of Distributed Education
Create cutting-edge programs for a broad range of higher ed. degree, certificate, and continuing education programs. Manage and mentor team of Instructional Designers serving over 10,000 students, and 2,000 faculty members. Explore new methodologies to develop strategic plans for innovative and scalable online course and program development that ensures best practices in online pedagogy. Serve on University’s Academic Policy Committee to facilitate development of academic policies and procedures for programs and divisions across the University; draft support documents for university-wide implementation and outreach. Ensure academic departments across the University are utilizing most current online methodologies, strategies, and best practices for online teaching. Assist academic units in developing online offerings to function optimally.
Jan 2015-Sep 2018
THE NEW SCHOOL
Assistant Director of Distributed Education
Collaborated with domestic and global faculty in the development and implementation of online and hybrid courses for target audiences. Established formal processes for course development and instructional design for online and hybrid courses University-wide. Served as member of University Academic Policy Working Group to facilitate development of effective and broadly applicable academic policies and procedures.
Jul 2008-Dec 2014
THE NEW SCHOOL
Feb 2021-Present
JACKRABBIT LX
Learning Experience Designer & Writer
Produce engaging digital learning experiences for diverse range of adult learners. Research and apply current best practices of adult learning theory. Remotely collaborate with teams and cross teams to develop content and assessment for modules. Collaborate with SMEs, create learning overviews and content pacing. Work with graphics and UX designers to align visuals with written content and bring learning to life. Anticipate needs of team and proactively attend to them. Build trust and maintain strong relationships with diverse set of clients.
Feb 2020-Present
ALBSAR ENTERPRISES
Director of Customer Education
Design and develop tailor made e-learning modules and aids for small businesses and non-profit organizations, ranging in industry from entertainment, finance, and defense. Collaborate with SMEs to create written and visual materials that organize and synthesize large amounts of complex information into meaningful learning. Employ best practices in online learning to communicate information and ensure successful, supportive, customer education.
Sep 2018-Feb 2020
THE NEW SCHOOL
Associate Director of Distributed Education
Created cutting-edge programs for broad range of degree courses across the university’s five colleges, and certificate programs for the Continuing and Professional Education division, in collaboration with administrative and academic units. Managed and mentored team of Instructional Designers serving over 10,000 students and 2,000 faculty across the globe. Developed scalable strategic model for department’s creation of high-quality, multimedia online courses and programs; tracked progress of department projects, prioritized competing timelines, ensured all projects met quality standards and employed best practices in online pedagogy. Served on university’s Academic Policy Committee to facilitate academic policies and procedures applied across the university; drafted support documents for university-wide implementation and outreach.
Jan 2015-Sep 2018
THE NEW SCHOOL
Assistant Director of Distributed Education
Collaborated with domestic and global faculty in development and implementation of high-touch synchronous and asynchronous online and hybrid courses for target audiences. Established formal processes for course development life cycle. Organized and led faculty workshops onsite and online; provided expertise on effective practices and strategies for online pedagogy, showcased examples of excellent online coursework, and promoted quality standards for academic excellence. Recruited, trained, supervised team of student assistants that supported faculty in using LMS and educational technologies, and increased department’s support across the university.
Jul 2008-Dec 2014
THE NEW SCHOOL
Instructional Designer
Developed and provided recommendations for interface design, sequencing of instruction, innovative multimedia, graphic elements, and design of course materials and activities. Worked closely with content experts to develop effective, meaningful, engaging experiences. Trained and supported faculty and students in using educational technologies. Pioneered design and implementation of department workshop and appointment scheduling system, which streamlined communication, saved time, and identified new workshop opportunities.
EDUCATION
2005-2007
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
Teachers College
Master of Arts, Instructional Technology and Media
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2000-2004
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
Douglass College
Bachelor of Arts, Communication and Visual Arts
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FEATURED PROJECTS
Introduction to Web and Mobile
​I developed this course, the first in an online Web Design Certificate, for a professional education audience. In this nine-week course, beginners interested in learning how to design and code engaging webpages learn how to use HTML and CSS to create their own websites, and apply Responsive Web Design principles. As the Instructional Design lead on this project, I spent several weeks working with the SME to plan all course content (lectures, demonstrations, exercises, projects, resources, interactions, etc.), prior to directing the SME’s studio filming. Each lecture and demo video were meticulously planned to be brief, 3-10 minutes long, to focus on essential content and retain student attention.
Designing Care Services & Systems
​This project-based course is the last of three, five-week classes, in a Human-Centered Healthcare Certificate. I worked with the SME to build on the student experience from the previous courses and continue their journey toward identifying an opportunity to improve a healthcare system, using a Systems Thinking approach. Systems Thinking is a highly collaborative design process, and I developed the course to reflect that, creating synchronous and asynchronous high-touch learning experiences, including both peer-to-peer and instructor interactions.
Basic Drafting
​This course is a modification of a 15-week on-site class, recreated into a consolidated 9-week online course. This class had a lot of information and project building to pack into 9 weeks and was especially tricky because each week students must demonstrate a certain skill level to successfully move forward and complete their final project. I worked closely with the SME to first map out all the original course content, then reconfigure the course content for online. We consolidated lectures, readings, and assignments, where possible, and fleshed out the course with new materials such as engaging video demonstrations, virtual field trips, and guest speakers. The weekly online synchronous video conferences that we built into the curriculum were essential in providing learners with prompt communication, live demonstration, and support from the instructor, as well as peer-to-peer interaction.
Fashion Entrepreneurship
​This course is a hands-on learning experience for those interested in becoming entrepreneurs in the fashion industry and operating a successful fashion business. I worked closely with the SME to create “virtual field trips” for the course, providing online students with an experience comparable to in-person field trips for on-site students. I produced and directed several virtual field trips at showrooms of successful fashion brands in NYC. These videos include personal guided tours of fashion facilities, and interviews with key players in the companies such as owners, managers, and designers. These field trips immerse students in the real world of fashion and provide a candid behind-the-scenes view of the industry, one that they would likely not have access to otherwise.
SKILLS
Canvas | Blackboard | Voicethread
Zoom | Adobe Connect | Kaltura
Articulate | Adobe Creative Suite | Final Cut | iMovie
Wordpress | HTML | CSS | Figma
Asana | Workday | Cherwell
MS Office | Google Suite