Heather Carlson-Jaquez

Instructional Designer, United Network for Organ Sharing

Heather's interest in eLearning started while she was a public school music teacher. As a teacher, she experimented with new technology to enhance in-person learning. She earned a Master's in Music Education through Boston University, a fully online program, and then a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 2016. Throughout her Ph.D. program, she continued to explore ways that technology could engage students and how education could create a path to empowerment for marginalized individuals. Soon after defending her dissertation, she began pursuing a career in adult education while staying on as an Adjunct Professor at VCU. As part of her ongoing education, Heather started to pursue a second Master's Degree in Adult education while working as an Instructional Designer for the United Network for Organ Sharing, where she develops eLearning modules for the US Organ Donation and Transplantation Network. Developing for such a broad audience, Heather began to research how Instructional Designers can best meet the needs of broad, unknown learners. She continues to explore how to empower adult learners with varying abilities through eLearning design.