Why I do this
Every learner deserves to feel they belong in the room, and to know how to learn once they’re there. Starting university, joining a new campus, or trying something unfamiliar can be disorienting, and so much of what helps people succeed goes unspoken. I do this work to make that hidden curriculum visible: to design learning that welcomes different minds and backgrounds, and to give people the tools and confidence to keep learning on their own. Student success, equity, and access are the questions I keep coming back to.
How I work
I borrow from design thinking and systems thinking, so I take time to understand a challenge before rushing to fix the symptom.
The best solutions come from the faculty, students, and colleagues who will live with them, so I bring them in from the first conversation.
A designer’s eye for structure and visual clarity lowers the load on learners and lets them focus on what matters.
Learning out loud, trying something new, and revising as we go are part of the process, not signs that something went wrong.
What I do
Inclusive Learning Design
I design courses, modules, workshops, and resources around how people actually learn, drawing on the cognitive and learning sciences and a designer’s eye for clarity and structure. Accessibility is part of the design from the start, not a fix at the end. I build with neurodivergent learners and a wide range of needs in mind, using Universal Design for Learning to offer clear structure, flexible paths, and more than one way to engage. Recent work includes a required academic integrity course for an entire student body and accessible, easy-to-navigate course spaces in Canvas.
Facilitation, Teaching & Community Building
My best work happens with people, not for them. I lead workshops where participants do the thinking, teach courses that help people build real skills, and look for ways to turn one-off sessions into communities that keep learning together. That has meant workshops on generative AI for faculty and staff, hundreds of in-class workshops for students, and a community course in Islamic pattern construction at VCUarts Qatar, which draws people from every walk of life into the same room. To learn more about this and other community courses and to register, please visit VCUarts Qatar’s Community Class Schedule.
Scholar-Practitioner
I read the research closely, then ask what it looks like on a Tuesday morning with real students. My doctoral research on how first-year students transition into an international branch campus shapes how I think about belonging, the hidden curriculum, and helping students learn how to learn. I bring that evidence into my own practice and help faculty turn it into everyday teaching decisions.
Who I am
I’m an educator with a designer’s eye and a researcher’s curiosity. My work sits where design, teaching, and the science of learning meet, and I’m happiest in the room where ideas get built together.