Title
Sr. Instructional Technologist/ Instructional DesignerMSU IT - Instructional Technology and Development Team
Education
- Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Mathematics Department, Michigan State University
- Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc), Mathematics Department, Michigan State University
- Michigan Virtual University Master Trainer online certification
Work Experience
I have a teaching background in mathematics and have always been interested in using educational technology to enhance teaching and learning. Shortly after teaching online courses, I took a part-time position at the Center for Teaching Excellence at Lansing Community College to support others with their online classroom design and technology needs. During this time, I accumulated certifications for online teaching and co-facilitated the LCC Teaching Online Certification course. I became an expert in each learning management system that was used through the years (Blackboard, ANGEL, and D2L) and facilitated workshops.I took on a full-time Instructional Designer role at MSU in May 2014, helping with the transition from ANGEL to D2L. I currently serve in working groups that include MSU Learning Systems and University Services (LSUS), and the D2L Technical Account Manager (TAM) biweekly meetings. I also serve as one of the Quality Matters Coordinators at MSU. I developed and maintain several training sites and communities, including the Student D2L Training course, the Instructor D2L Self-directed training, the QM at MSU Community, and the HTML Content Templates site, among others. With the help of the MSU Social Work department, we designed a full course model (course design template) that has been updated by our MSU ITDev team to include professional looking visuals and interactives, as well as student-facing course resources to give instructors a quick start when developing online courses from scratch.
Professional Interests
I enjoy consulting with instructors and peers on LMS features and other edtech tools. For several years now, I have led the monthly D2L Interest Group for Instructional Needs (DIG-IN) - for IDs, trainers, and experienced online instructors with the intent to “empower broadly” and enrich the MSU landscape with D2L experts across departments and programs.Links to Useful Resources/Articles
Feel free to contact me, halicks@msu.edu, with questions or comments about the following resources and let me know if there is another topic you are interested in learning more about.- D2L Training Courses Flyer (PDF)
- MSU IT Course Design Models (Mediaspace)
- Quality Matters (QM) at MSU
- D2L New Content Experience (Lessons) FAQ
- D2L Semester Start Checklist
- D2L Course Cleanup
- Creating Awards in D2L
- D2L Grades at MSU
- Getting Started with the Quick Discussion Grader in D2L
