Diana's Resume
Summary
Result-driven instructional design professional with a multi-faceted background in instructional design, instructional technology, and technical writing. Adept at leveraging pedagogical expertise and best practices to create engaging and effective learning experiences for online, face-to-face, and information literacy sessions. Demonstrated proficiency in technical knowledge and writing, consistently producing high-quality documentation to enhance reader comprehension across diverse audience levels. Skilled in teaching technical writing and public speaking, effectively imparting knowledge and fostering skill development. Exceptional project management abilities, ensuring successful completion of complex initiatives. Known for adaptability, swiftly acclimating to new situations and technologies while maintaining impeccable organization and work ethic.
Experience
University of Pittsburgh (University Library System)
Instructional Designer (Feb. 2016 to present)
- Assisted in development and assessment of lesson plans, learning objectives, and activities for student instruction sessions.
- Created and assessed interactive information literacy tutorials with pre- and post-tests.
- Led assessment and quality assurance efforts for reference assistance provided by librarians and staff, including evaluation of workflows
- Interviewed subjects, coded transcripts, and analyzed results as part of a national research project to assess instruction with primary sources.
- Created and led a community of practice to help colleagues learn from each other and share learning resources
- Implemented a self-enroll organization with certification in Blackboard and Canvas for academic integrity and information literacy modules.
- Developed interactive modules for academic integrity using Captivate and Rise 360 SCORMs.
- Instructed the University community on academic integrity, information literacy, and citation management software.
- Created and presented workshops to colleagues on professional writing and accessibility compliance
- Reviewed all new web resource guides for functionality, style, and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) compliance.
- Performed administrator level tasks for several applications within Springshare’s library platform.
Point Park University
Adjunct Faculty (Sept. 2010 to Dec. 2017)
Technical/Professional Writing Instructor
- Developed course content and assignments and taught: a technical writing class for engineering majors, a professional writing class for business majors, and an effective speech class for the general student population.
- Developed and delivered an online technical writing course through Blackboard LMS.
University of Pittsburgh (Pitt Online)
Instructional Designer (Oct. 2013 to Feb. 2016)
- Assisted faculty members in a variety of disciplines with course content appropriate for an online learning environment.
- Worked as a lead member of the Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education’s Accessibility Task Force, developing web content on creation of accessible instructional materials based on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) design standards
- Evaluated learning materials for accessibility and revised as needed.
- Assisted in the development of a facilitated online course to teach effective online pedagogy to faculty.
- Created and presented workshops on Quality Matters’ rubric and teaching tools for Learning Management Systems (LMS).
- Initiated process to determine best practices in online course development and documented the best practices.
- Implemented Quality Matters’ Rubric for quality assurance of educational processes and instructional materials for online education.
- Created instructional content, including lecture modules, assignments, quizzes, and discussion boards for online courses on Blackboard, utilizing CSS style templates.
- Proofread and edited reports and other documentation for online publication.
University of Pittsburgh (Center for Research on Health Care)
Project Manager (Feb. 2010 to present)
Project Management
- Managed database projects and acted as customer service liaison between researchers and database/application programmers.
- Recommended and managed helpdesk software to manage database and project requests.
- Implemented a project management plan for the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) by documenting tasks, determining schedules, and applying deadlines to the tasks.
- Implemented a project tracking system for the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE) using scope documents for each task and Microsoft Excel for project status.
- Created a timeline with tasks and deadlines to smooth the process of annual grant updates.
- Maintained meeting agendas and created a standardized format for meeting minutes and action items.
Writing, Communication, and Web Development
- Created instructional documentation on the CTSI tracking system for both end-users and staff members.
- Created a single source plan for documentation using Master Documents in Microsoft Word.
- Standardized the language and presentation for all communication presented by the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE).
- Created style guides to standardize documentation creation.
- Researched and implemented software solutions for repetitive tasks, such as creation of data dictionaries.
- Tested web-based database forms for usability and functionality.
Vivisimo
Technical Writer (Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010)
- Updated tutorials and an 800-page manual on the Velocity search application.
- Created tutorials and documentation for new software features.
- Tested usability and functionality of software during the development phase.
Carnegie Mellon University (Human-Computer Interaction Institute)
Writer (Summer 2008 Internship)
- Recommended design, content, and information structure for the CogTool software user manual. CogTool is a software application that allows developers to prototype a user interface and predict task execution times.
- Implemented design recommendations and updated the CogTool user manual in InDesign.
University of Pittsburgh (Computing Services and Systems Development)
Technical Writer (2006-2008)
Writing, Communication, and Web Development
- Wrote announcements and instructional materials for the Daylight Savings Time change, Microsoft Windows Vista release, Office 2007 release, Google Search for administrators, and the University’s Emergency Notification System.
- Proofread and edited documentation created by my co-workers.
- Suggested guidelines for analysis of technology.pitt.edu Google search results to improve quality and content of the website and documentation.
- Spearheaded efforts to organize the group’s workflow with the implementation of content management using SharePoint.
- Appointed to the technology.pitt.edu web site redesign committee. Analyzed page content and made recommendations on design, structure, and content.
Project Management
- Project leader on the University’s Enterprise-wide implementation of Microsoft Exchange. Coordinated and oversaw the migration of departments from individual Exchange servers to the University service. Wrote documentation describing the service in detail. Identified and wrote the instructional documentation needed to use the service and configure various E-mail clients for both Windows and Mac operating systems.
- Project leader for Office of the Chancellor and Office of the Provost migrations to Enterprise-wide services and firewall. Coordinated the efforts of the technical leads responsible for the services.
Systems Analyst IV (2003-2006)
Technical/User Experience
- Provided end-user support to departments for operating system, hardware, and software for Windows and Mac users, and provided server support for Windows 2000.
- Provided hardware support for Windows and Apple platforms.
Writing
- Created instructional materials on software use and computer security issues for users of various experience levels.
Contracts Program Coordinator (2001-2003)
Management
- Managed a group of 25 full-time and five part-time computer support personnel.
- Identified training needs of computer support personnel, and organized seminars to provide training.
Writing and Communication
- Instituted a process for documenting services provided by the support personnel with run-books.
- Researched and wrote proposals for new ways to address the computing needs of the departments and the university as a whole.
Systems Analyst III (1997-2001)
Technical/User Experience
- Provided end-user support for faculty and staff using Windows based operating systems and software packages.
- Instituted a training program to familiarize student workers with computing practices at the University of Pittsburgh and common troubleshooting steps.
Skills
Software packages: MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite (including Acrobat Pro, InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Captivate), Articulate/Rise 360, MS Project, Tableau, and bibliographic reference applications (EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero)
Video captioning with Panopto Recorder & SCORM creation with Captivate and Rise 360.
Web page creation using HTML and CSS.
Document creation with XML and conversions into other formats with XSL
Operating systems: Microsoft Windows OS, Mac OS X, and Linux (Ubuntu: user with minor system administration).
Education
MA: Professional Writing, Carnegie Mellon University (December 2008)
Coursework: Software Documentation, Document Design, On-line Document Design, Multimedia Authoring, Writing for Multimedia
BA: Physics & Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh (August 2001)
Coursework: Stellar Structure & Evolution, Galaxies & Cosmology, Modern Physics, Electrical Circuits 1 & 2, Semi-Conductor Theory
Committee Involvement
Co-Chair of the ULS Planning and Budget Committee (2018-2020)
- Appointed to the position for leadership capabilities and overall general knowledge of ULS.
- Provided oversight and planning for development of ULS strategic goals.
- Provided project management guidance by developing logic models that described options for the following fiscal year’s strategic plan.
- Coached and mentored the ULS PBC team to produce deliverables, including logic models and reports on activity.