Biography

Kelly Alvarado is a part-time Instructional Design Specialist (ID) within the ATL at University of Rhode Island, while also holding a full-time position at UMass Global leading a team of Instructional Designers. In her role Kelly collaborates with Subject Matter Experts on the development of new courses, adapting existing courses, as well as assists with implementation of course updates and course reviews to elevate the courses delivered by URI Online. She also creates resources, content and trainings for URI Online faculty.

Kelly has earned an M.Ed. in Educational Technology from Brandman University and is currently in an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership program focusing on Instructional Design at Idaho State University. Kelly has worked in higher education since she was a teenager where she has worked at such colleges as Cypress Junior College, Fullerton College and Cal State Long Beach. She has continued to develop her skills and knowledge in instructional design and working with adult learners during her tenure in higher education to achieve her goal of being in a leadership role overseeing an instructional design team.

In her career as an Instructional Designer, Kelly has played an instrumental role during the transition from the fully online courses being offered to having an online component for every course while transitioning LMS’s. Kelly assisted in the creation of courses in Blackboard, as well as participated in the training of all instructors on the use of the new LMS. Kelly has attained Blackboard’s Advanced Certification in Teaching and Learning Online, as well as certification in Course Delivery GUI Administration. Kelly is also a certified Quality Matters (QM) Peer Reviewer and certified in QM Rubrics. As an ID through the use of educational technology and innovation, Kelly strives to bring about an engaging and authentic learning experience for the students.

Primary Responsibilities 

• Provides direct instructional design support for faculty creating and/or adapting online courses, certificates, and/or programs both for URI and URI Online
• Serves as Lead Instructional Designer for URI Online’s Cannabis, Supply Chain,  Communications and Library Science programs
• Co-Facilitates Online Design Program
• Reviews online courses for quality assurance as a certified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer