K-12 Education

Designing for the 2020 Academic Decathlon

Transforming a statewide academic event into an engaging, fully virtual experience.

Summary
In response to the shift to remote learning in March 2020, I led the design of interactive digital training materials and production-quality videos for the 2020 Academic Decathlon State Competition. These assets supported students, coaches, and event staff in navigating a complex virtual environment with confidence.

Role
Educational Technology Lead – Instructional Designer, Media Producer

Tools & Methods
• Google Sheets
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Screencasting & asynchronous walkthroughs
• Learner-centered scripting and storyboarding
• Collaboration with faculty and event coordinators

Impact
Improved user onboarding and event readiness across hundreds of students and staff statewide. The training guides became a blueprint for future virtual events at the college.

Reflection
This project taught me how to balance clarity with creativity—especially when designing for users under pressure. It also reinforced the value of modular, just-in-time support in fast-paced learning environments.

Title page of the guide (currently in its reduced version), where judges, competitors, and coaches each had their own designated color.

Title page of the guide (currently in its reduced version), where judges, competitors, and coaches each had their own designated color.

Introduction page. Describes that the guide is interactive (allowing users to directly click on the page to get to the page they are looking for.

Introduction page. Describes that the guide is interactive (allowing users to directly click on the page to get to the page they are looking for.

Example of a "Divider" page in the guide.

Example of a "Divider" page in the guide.

Example of a technical how-to page. Created to ensure users understood how to use Zoom - including images.

Example of a technical how-to page. Created to ensure users understood how to use Zoom - including images.

Example 2 of a technical how-to page. Meant to demonstrate how a text-heavy instruction page would function.

Example 2 of a technical how-to page. Meant to demonstrate how a text-heavy instruction page would function.

Example 2 of a "Divider" page. Useful to transition into included checklists.

Example 2 of a "Divider" page. Useful to transition into included checklists.

Checklist Example. Judges, competitors, and coaches were each offered their own checklists to make participation in the event as seamless as possible.

Checklist Example. Judges, competitors, and coaches were each offered their own checklists to make participation in the event as seamless as possible.

Closing page of guide.

Closing page of guide.

Sun Devil Learning Labs

Supporting Teacher Candidates, Students & Families

Summary
In Spring–Summer 2020, I helped launch and scale Sun Devil Learning Labs (SDLL), a virtual learning platform that offered clinical hours for ASU teacher candidates (TCs) while delivering live lessons to Pre‑K–8 students statewide.

Built in just days, this platform combined principled innovation and equity considerations to meet community needs.

Role
Educational Technology Champion & Live Event Producer

Tools & Methods
• Zoom live-streamed broadcasts via YouTube channels by grade level
• Bilingual captioning (English & Spanish) for accessibility
• Weekly 9 × 5 live programming with faculty and TCs
• Collaboration with faculty, district partners (like Creighton), community orgs (Boys & Girls Club), and ASU’s marketing and tech teams

Impact

  • Enabled ~450 TCs to complete required clinical hours in time to graduate

  • Reached hundreds of local families & students across YouTube and public-access TV

  • Catalyzed equitable design practices, including bicultural captioning and media translation

Reflection
This project underscored the power of rapid-response, community-centered innovation. It reinforced my belief that accessible, inclusive, and human-centered design can be mobilized quickly - and effectively - when anchored in core values and collaboration.