Pioneered by MIT, Harvard, and Carnegie Mellon, the role of "learning engineer" came to Northwestern in 2016, but with our own spin. Just as engineers blend science and technology to solve problems, learning engineers blend pedagogy and cognitive science with educational technology to solve teaching and learning problems. An extension of more traditional instructional design roles, the learning engineers here at Northwestern hold relationships at the center of their work. Often embedded within schools or departments, learning engineers foster deep partnerships with faculty and engage not only in transforming on-ground classes to online ones, but also in consulting on broader program design and evaluation, long-term technology initiatives, and faculty development.
There are currently three learning engineers at the university:
Alyssa Dyar
| Alyssa Dyar works with the Master of Science in Law program at the Pritzker School of Law, which is preparing to launch an online version of its program. In this role, she is responsible for not only designing the online classes but also managing the transition more broadly, including curriculum design, faculty development, and student on-boarding. |
Heather Haseley
| Heather Haseley works on projects across all of the schools at the university, including those awarded Digital Learning Fellowships from the Provost's Office. In this role, she works on major course redesigns, the transition of courses from in-person to online and blended formats, the creation of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and the design and implementation of teaching innovations projects. She also helped found and serves on the program committees for both the Northwestern Learning Designer Community and the Educational Technology Teaching Fellows. |
Reggie Jackson
| Reggie Jackson primarily works with the Medill School of Journalism's Integrated Marketing Communications online program. In this role, he is involved with course development for new online courses, updating existing courses, and consulting with faculty on teaching strategies. In the year since he joined Northwestern, his role has expanded to include consulting with IMC faculty who teach in-person classes and working on projects within Medill's Journalism program. |
Stay tuned for future updates on projects the learning engineers are working on, including course redesigns, online program and MOOC development, and teaching innovations projects. Have something in mind and want to review it with a learning engineer? Contact them at: