This annotated transcript details the following information for the courses I took as part of my Master of Arts in Learning Experience Design at Michigan State University: years enrolled, semester of enrollment, instructor, and description of course subject matter. The description explains some of the major course concepts, theories, and topics I learned as well as some of the major assignments I completed.
The courses I took fall into one of the following three departments:
- Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education (CEP)
- Department of Educational Administration (EAD)
- User Experience (UX)
The majority of my courses helped me obtain the following three graduate certificates:
- Graduate Certificate in Learning Sciences
- Graduate Certificate in Learning Design
- Graduate Certificate in Learning Design Leadership
The exception is my capstone class, which helped me synthesize my experiences and learning within the program.
Graduate Certificate in Learning Sciences
These courses focused on understanding the varied types of learners (how they learn, in what contexts, and what can help and hinder learning) and design learning experiences for these learners grounded in theory, research, and evidence-based practices.
The Psychology of Learning in Schools and Other Settings | CEP 800 | Fall 2024 | Brittany Dillman
In this course, I studied the psychology of learning in schools and other settings. From early theories such as behaviorism to modern concepts such as neurodiversity and culturally relevant pedagogy, I learned about subjects that weren’t necessarily psychology, but related to it such as: trauma informed practices, neuroscience, and play. By studying these theories and concepts: I applied them to different learning scenarios in order to determine when a particular theory could or should be applied. Building from this, I analyzed what learning should and could look like in and out of schools. Finally, I created a Theory of Learning by synthesizing the theories I studied.
Adult Learning | EAD 861 | Fall 2024 | Emiko Blalock
I studied theories of adult education in this class. From early theories of andragogy to more recent developments such as spiritual theories informed by knowledge of the whole person, I learned about shifts and trends in adult education across time, focusing specifically on the 20th and 21st centuries. I then applied this knowledge to a project-in-parts that focused on authentic facilitation of a professional development opportunity. The project covers memorandums of understanding regarding why the professional development is necessary to an executive summary explaining the elements of the project.
Approaches to Educational Research | CEP 822 | Spring 2025 | Cary Roseth and Sheza Mansoor
This course was my first foray into quantitative and qualitative research methods. I learned about statistical analysis, what tests to run given a set of data, and how to read research studies and look for falsified data. After understanding the basics of quantitative and qualitative data and research methods, I completed research for an annotated bibliography. I made sure to find quantitative as well as qualitative studies and engaged in inclusive and critical practices to make sure I was including all types of voices in my bibliography, not just the ones academia can favor.
Graduate Certificate in Learning Design
These courses allowed me to create and iterate all parts of the instructional processes for varied groups of learners with learner-centered and accessible practices in mind.
UX 835 Accessibility and Design | UX 835 | Summer 2025 | Louise Stauffer
Accessibility and user-friendly design are the two major concepts covered in this course. I explored how to make more accessible designs through user testing and accessibility audits. Utilizing the WCAG guidelines and other markers of effective design, I created accessible digital designs such as an accessible survey and also analyzed physical and digital spaces for accessibility. The guidelines I learned in this course are now constants in my designs.
Electronic Assessment for Teaching and Learning | CEP 813 | Summer 2025 | Brittany Dillman
This course covered the history of assessment as a tool for estimating learning and how factory-style methods of education, in part, lead to the proliferation of standardized testing today. I also explored various methods for grading from rubrics with points to upgrading methods. After gaining an understanding of assessment, I practiced using universal and backwards design to ensure optimal outcomes and effective alignment. After ensuring alignment between assessment, objective, and assignments, I made a variety of creative assessments.
Teaching and Learning Online | CEP 820 | Spring 2025 | Nicole Zumpano and Anne Heintz
I learned about the history of online education, best practices for teaching online, and practiced designing coursework for online spaces. The history of online education portion of the course showed me the various means, methods, and modes online education has undergone: from Massive Online Open Courses to Digital Charter Schools. From the various case studies and research I explored in class, I developed a manifesto for online learning. Once I had a better understanding of best practices in the digital classroom, I created an ultimate unit designed to teach argumentative writing to virtual students.
Graduate Certificate in Learning Design Leadership
These courses helped me apply a variety of project management and leadership strategies to organizational contexts, grounding the approach in human-centered and growth-based theories.
Learning Design Leadership | CEP 856 | Fall 2025 | Blair Stamper
I explored leadership, coaching, and project management models in this course. Ultimately, I created a leadership dashboard that showcases my approach to leadership and project management. This dashboard showcases behind the scenes work for project management such as selecting the appropriate project management model and also the front-facing work such as creating a project scope and sample end products. This course gave me the confidence to pursue more leadership opportunities in my work.
Current Topics and Trends in Learning Design | CEP 857 | Fall 2025 | Candace Robertson
Though the field of Learning Experience Design grows and changes as technologies and understanding of learning evolve, this course gave me the tools and knowledge of current trends to keep growing my practice as a Learning Experience Designer. To inform my practice, I created a learning design model. Then, I explored topics such as designing for and with justice, creating a professional development opportunity for teachers from this work. I also explored current trends such as generative AI and planned future learning opportunities centered around soft skills in education.
Upskilling in Learning Design Leadership | CEP 858 | Spring 2026 | Andy Saltarelli
This course challenged me to continue learning and growing as a Learning Experience Designer. Each unit, I would engage in targeted study around a topic or trend in learning design such as accessibility or technology, and then apply it to my context through guided research, exploration, and creation. For example, I explored technologies like Adobe Captivate and Genially to make learning modules for my students, and recorded guides and made handouts to share what I learned with colleagues.
Capstone Seminar
Capstone Seminar | CEP 807 | Spring 2026 | Matthew Koehler and Megan Eikey
As proof of my learning, and a culmination of some of the best work I have done for my degree in Learning Experience Design, I created a living, digital portfolio for this course. The web pages reflect accessibility standards I learned in previous courses. Likewise, the design and layout is intentional to improve navigation throughout and between pages. The pieces of flair help distinguish my portfolio and showcase more of myself as a designer and person.