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An innovative and insightful Instructional Designer with experience in developing eLearning in both Articulate and Captivate as well as instructor-led training and training guides. Excellent graphic design, organizational, and research skills as well as verbal and written communication skills. Administrative experience in several Learning Management Systems (LMS) and experience with several Content Management Systems (CMS) in addition to many years of presentation and training experience. A highly motivated, creative, and detail-oriented professional who enjoys continually learning and creating unique approaches that engage and empower learners. I have embraced AI as a helpful tool in my training arsenal (see more on my AI experience on the My Projects page).
Most of my work has been done for my employers creating and updating training for proprietary software or company clients, so I am limited in what I can share here. Currently I work for an environmental health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm. In that time I have created over 70+ courses in Articulate (Rise & Storyline) Captivate, and Camtasia and a couple instructor guides. Prior to that for six years I created, revamped, and updated software training – both eLearning with software simulations as well as instructor-led training guides and job aids for proprietary financial software used to manage mortgages and loans, and also software for professional services automation (PSA) and enterprise resource planning (ERP). Prior to that I worked on healthcare related training for providers such as company policy and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) training.
I believe that training – especially eLearning – does not have to be boring. While content is definitely king, we can use good visual design to draw the learners in and help make the experience more enjoyable. Since the human eye processes visual content 60,000 faster than text, good visual design is essential to creating an effective learning experience. I always try to be cognizant of the cognitive load of the content I’m creating while keeping in mind Mayer’s Principles of Multimedia Design (2 of my favorite topics from my master’s courses). This can be a challenge – especially when it comes to regulatory training. Sometimes design choices are overridden by SMEs as often they want all the content in print and in the audio regardless of cognitive load.
Here are some samples of my work.
Click the link below to see a sample instructor-led course I created specifically for my portfolio. This course deals with the difficult topic of writing an impact analysis when you don’t know the software for which you are writing the training. One of my previous employers required the instructional designers to create an impact analysis and then get subject matter expert (SME) sign off prior to updating training materials for a software release. This was one of the most overwhelming topics for our new IDs – most of whom had never written training for software. This topic was something I mentored new IDs on as part of our department’s robust onboarding program because I remembered how overwhelmed I felt when I was new to the team. Note that there is also a short eLearning sample on this same topic.
I was a die hard Adobe Captivate fan for 12+ years. However, I saw there were far more job opportunities for Articulate trained IDs. So in 2022 I took a crash course in Articulate and developed a sample course so I could add it to my portfolio and my resume. I have worked almost exclusively in Articulate since 2023. I’m comfortable with all the advance features (triggers, variables etc.) and the awesome AI features Articulate keeps releasing. I’m now a die hard Articulate fan – it is so much faster and easier. Articulate does not offer a certification course but Yukon Learning is working on one. When that is released, I plan to get my Articulate certification.
Formerly Certified Professional
In December 2020, I completed the Adobe Captivate 2019 certification which expired in December 2022. As I transitioned to a primarily Articulate role I did not renew it. In 2024 we had one client request Adobe Captivate for all their courses, so I have worked in the “All New Adobe Captivate” for that client.
Reviews
One of Cheryl's standout skills lies in designing visually captivating eLearning material. Her courses not only capture attention but also enhance the learning experience through interactive components and engaging animations. These elements are carefully crafted to reduce cognitive load and maximize the potential for effective knowledge transfer, underlining her commitment to creating high-impact educational content. Cheryl's contributions to our organization in the area of innovation were remarkable. Her HTML5 research was instrumental in halting the development of a second breakpoint, resulting in significant time and cost savings for our Instructional Design team. She further exhibited her innovative prowess by introducing state change as a replacement for hide-show advanced actions, streamlining the work of our Instructional Designers. Cheryl's adaptation of the QuickStart slides for enhanced interactivity not only improved the quality of our courses but also reduced development time. Her initiative extended to producing training videos, which were immensely beneficial to our teams. Cheryl's versatility and expertise extend beyond innovation. She was an asset to our organization in the creative domain as well. Her involvement in client promotions and basic design projects consistently resulted in aesthetically pleasing and engaging materials, showcasing her creativity and artistic flair. ***Full reference available upon request***
I have known Cheryl for almost 6 years during which time she worked as an Instructional Designer and Learning Management System Administrator on my team at Black Knight, Inc., where I was her manager. During this time, Cheryl displayed the skills and attitude necessary for her job. Cheryl's initiative to take on complex projects that require her to learn new software, processes, and create new relationships with stakeholders made a huge difference in the productivity on our team. In addition, Cheryl's positive attitude and collaborative nature were a positive influence on our entire team. Some of Cheryl’s duties include working with numerous software development teams to keep training materials and eLearning courses up-to-date with each software release. Cheryl is also responsible for mentoring new employees on the team, leading the eLearning task force, publishing eLearning content to the Learning Management System, and creating and maintaining the eLearning template used to create several hundred eLearning assets. Cheryl is a lifelong learner, very bright, and extremely motivated. She has a positive attitude, is highly productive, and her passion for eLearning is evident in her work. During the time I’ve known Cheryl, she’s completed a Master’s degree, Adobe Captivate 2019 Certified eLearning Developer training, SAFe Agile training, and numerous other professional development opportunities. Cheryl is a quick learner and has shown the ability to digest large volumes of information. In addition, Cheryl has mentored numerous colleagues throughout her tenure at Black Knight. When I was Cheryl’s manager, she took it upon herself to streamline many of the processes used by the team to create and publish eLearning content. Cheryl’s creativity and graphic design expertise are recognized throughout the company and she frequently works on high- profile projects including custom eLearning courses and client-facing presentations. Cheryl is exactly the type of colleague I want on my team and I recommend her without reservation.
I had the absolute pleasure of working with Cheryl as a member of Black Knight's Learning Solutions team. As an Instructional Designer, Cheryl is passionate for her craft and effectively manages the creation of sound eLearning content & training deliverables! She is a lifelong learner and quickly adapts to new content development technology, enhancements, and features. Cheryl is focused on the learning outcomes of the projects she works on and values collaboration with coworkers to meet & exceed project tracking goals. As my eLearning mentee from 2017-2018 Cheryl demonstrated an eagerness to learn new content development programs, draft new SOPs for the extended team, and resolve legacy issues with our LMS processes to improve efficiency for banking clients who needed to register for our training deliverables.
Cheryl was assigned a project to conduct a needs analysis and accompanying evaluation of a learning performance issue. Cheryl elected to create a scenario that responded to concerns over government training requirements for university physicians. In turn, she conducted a very detailed needs analysis in accordance with a prescribed taxonomy, and went on to prescribe a sound instructional intervention specifically designed to address stakeholder concerns. Further, she authored a practical plan of evaluation to assess the training program expectations and the subsequent achievement of the stated outcomes. This effort resulted in perfect score for her final project (which doesn’t come easy in my class). This is but one, of many, examples of the applied knowledge and creativity demonstrated by this individual.
I don't know what to say. You have far surpassed my expectations for this project. (Medical Decision Making Capacity, 2017)
I worked with Cheryl for many years in a multi-level marketing company where we both ran highly successful home businesses. We worked collaboratively to equip each other’s teams with the best training, skills, and knowledge. Cheryl was one of the outstanding trainers on my team of thousands of consultants/leaders. Her training and presentation skills are top notch. She didn’t need any guidance. She had a topic, did thorough research, was confident in her stage presence, poise and speaking skills, and her presentations were always extremely informative, yet creative, with practical application. Cheryl worked well alone but was also a great team player. She offered brilliant insight, is a creative genius, shared freely to benefit those around her, paid attention to details, was easy to work with, went above and beyond, was systematic in her thoughts and presentations, and was a consummate professional, She gets the job done and does it well. I highly recommend Cheryl for any position related to training, presentations, research, learning and development, and public speaking. Any company would be better with her and find her to be a very valuable asset.
Feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I am available for small freelance projects as well.
904-710-9883
Cheryl.Ann.MacLeod@gmail.com
