Established a new department for a well-known university by combining various divisions within the system. Developed policies and procedures for department and accreditation; hired and trained new staff; retrained existing staff; evaluated, selected, and implemented vendor products to streamline upgrades and manage contracts; innovated new training program; presented best practices at local, national and international conferences. Results: Spread the use of educational technology and best practices across the university. Reduced cost to university and students by selecting one vendor per technology product.
Launched a training program for the digital division of a large company. Developed training procedures, materials, and courses; implemented training protocols and scripts for consistent delivery; prepared schedule of training sessions. Results: Increased satisfaction and use of technology within the client community.
Spearheaded the family night series by delivering engaging family activities that aligned with the organizations mission. Developed policies and procedures for the organization to follow for consistency of protocol. Conducted all the family nights at zero cost to the organization. Results: Increased family engagement and inclusion within the organization, which in turn produced more volunteers throughout the year. Was accepted at the state level conference to present on our family engagement initiatives.
Expanded the faculty development program at an established renowned university by developing a competency-based teaching certification. While working with the deans and department chairs throughout the university, I identified 12 teaching techniques that were needed but missing from the established training program and then built out 12 unique courses to address each technique. Each course was stand-alone and included resource materials, engagement activities, both synchronously and asynchronously, and assessments to determine level of competence for that technique. Results: A record number of faculty and graduate students participated in the training, including full departments. This, in turn, increased the level of teaching skills and student satisfaction across the university.
Standardized educational technology across two large well-established universities. Due to purchasing multiple of the same technologies, the university, departments, and students were paying double, sometimes triple the cost. I organized an instructional technology committee comprised of staff, faculty, and students to look at all technologies across campus to eliminate the extra costs. This allowed the input of many constituencies, which then allowed me to initiate the consolidation of educational technologies that would be selected for the university. Results: Lowered the cost of educational technology across campus for staff, faculty, departments, colleges, students and the universities as a whole.
Upgraded a large learning management system at a well-established university by assembling and guiding a team through the implementation process and working with the vendor to create a plan to support the migration. Developed training and documentation to move faculty from one system to the other and establish policies, procedures, and timelines for the new learning management system. Results: Negotiated a migration path with the vendor, so the cost of the product didn’t increase. Successfully moved all faculty to the new system within the year of transition.
Supervised the outings of all the enclave groups within a large non-profit for adults with disabilities. All the coaches reported to me their outing schedule and I checked them in at the end of each day. I trained the coaches on required documentation to develop a consistent format for all the clients regarding each outing and competencies completed. Results: Increased the accuracy and completion of all documentation and achievement of competencies by the clients.
Spearheaded the inclusion of my clients with disabilities into a local community college. Established step-by-step procedures for the clients at a large non-profit for adults with disabilities to attend the local community college. This included transportation needs, registration process, schedule management, college navigation, and resource management. Results: Clients learned to be empowered to take courses and complete an associate’s degree.
Overhauled the curriculum for a low-level high school math course by completely rewriting the course. The district decided that they were going to eliminate all lower level classes, and replace all of them with this one. It was hands-on, collaborative, and fun. The district is still using the curriculum today. Results: High school students who didn’t think they could be successful in math, were shown that they were smart and talented in all areas of math.
Developed and chaired a Product Advisory Council for a privately-owned company. Created a mission and strategic plan for the council along with policies and procedures. Brought together the council once a month and led a three-day retreat to gather information about our products, resources, and training. Results: Improved our products, resources, collateral, and training through the on-going feedback.
rhondablackburn 