TextRight Inc.

Learning Project

Portfolio

Version 6.2

June 2020

melissa@textright.co

(678) 770-8789

Instructional Design / Curriculum Development / Project Management

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MELISSA SOUTHERLAND INNOVATIVE LEARNING CONSULTANT

Training Analysis / Curriculum Design /

Learning & eLearning Development / Editing & Proofreading

When you love what you do, it shows in the quality of your work. My love of

learning and helping others learn is what sets my work apart. I am a motivated and creative learning consultant who consistently delivers high

quality training solutions that measurably drive performance. I have a

proven track record of delivering exceptional deliverables that exceed expectations in challenging, fast-paced environments.

During my 20+ years as an instructional designer, facilitator, and courseware

developer, I’ve conducted needs assessments, analyzed performance gaps, designed and developed performance-

based training, and tested and evaluated learning

materials. I’ve used the ADDIE model to create instructor-led, web-based, distance learning, and self-paced instruction that reflects my knowledge of instructional

design and adult learning principles. I focus on designing engaging, visually

appealing instruction with

diverse learning activities, and I regularly manage large

training projects from conception to delivery—on

schedule and within budget.

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I work with stakeholders, product managers, and subject matter experts

(SMEs) to understand business objectives, system requirements, client processes, and required learning objectives. This enables me to partner with

SMEs and business leaders to accurately assess needs and provide relevant,

business-driven learning solutions. My project plans identify the required development effort, resources, and deadlines to meet client-driven deliverable dates, reducing project risk and meeting aggressive deadlines.

Using a logical information flow, I

incorporate real-world

examples, role-based

scenarios, and best

practices into the courseware. I have the

communication skills

necessary to interview both technical and non-technical subject matter experts, quickly grasp information,

and make it clear for others. I am adept with most word processing,

page layout, screen capture,

eLearning, distance learning development and online

collaboration tools. I learn new

applications rapidly and have extensive experience working collaboratively in a remote environment.

I’m passionate about what I do, and consistently set high expectations for quality deliverables.

I look forward to working with you to meet your training needs today and in the future.

Melissa Southerland

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A broad range of experience creating diverse learning materials for a variety of clients enables me to easily adapt to new industries and applications:

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Instructional Design

A successful curriculum designer enjoys the consulting aspect of training development and enjoys learning about people’s work—including what they find challenging and

what helps them excel. My goal is not just to create training, but to develop a learning solution that drives performance and increases employee engagement. I focus on

the learner experience and design materials that successfully integrate client concerns and requirements into effective,

innovative, interactive learning solutions:

➢ Programs for a range of learning needs including technical, operational, management and leadership skills

➢ Classroom methods including facilitated discussion, behavior-based exercises, games, case studies, and scenarios

➢ Web-based and eLearning design, development, and support including online help and content for resources like SharePoint or internal intranet

pages

➢ Reference materials, job aids, training guides and quick reference documents including facilitator-led and self-paced guides with logical

sequencing, easy-to-read layouts and graphics, and review questions, exercises, and activities geared toward diverse learning styles

➢ Technical manuals and Standard Operating Procedures on new products, processes, and procedures which translate technical content into

user-friendly training guides are developed through extensive task analyses and process walkthroughs

➢ Blended learning combining a range of strategies including classroom, eLearning, distance learning, online help, video, web content, self-study

workbooks, and social media

In addition, creating a comprehensive training program that includes

follow-up training and ongoing reinforcement is critical. A training class (online, self-paced, or instructor-led) should only be the first step when introducing new skills and knowledge—participants must be provided with resources so they can practice and continue to develop their new skills.

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Self-paced quick reference guide for leaders on time management skills

A mentor-led, self-paced onboarding field study guide for new managers

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A printed job aid on customer service skills for mid-level leaders

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eLearning &

Distance Learning Increasingly, organizations are relying on online or blended learning solutions. When you have to do more with less, a creative approach can be the difference

between “checking the box” for training and developing a solution that works. If you’ve ever taken an online course and clicked through screen-after-boring-screen, you know that effective eLearning involves more than transferring written materials to an electronic format.

Everyone agrees that an effective learning experience needs to be creative and engaging; cost is the

only limitation. You need a training partner who understands what learning technologies can do—

without breaking the budget. It’s important that you select a partner who asks the right questions about time and budget constraints and

can help you evaluate whether a self-paced or facilitated eLearning approach is appropriate. (Self-paced learners complete coursework independently, while facilitated eLearning courses offer instructor support and collaboration among learners.) An experienced training

partner helps you balance the benefits and costs of every approach. Working with an eLearning developer who can balance design and content is

critical to success. Effective design encourages learners to focus on the content rather than the look of the course. Visual design and easy navigation are essential, combining an effective use of images, layout, and white space.

Content is just as important; it must be clear, concise, and presented in a well-organized framework. An appropriate level of detail is crucial; eLearning should “tell them what they need to know and let them go.” Many courses suffer from the “too much information” phenomenon, where the designer is pressured to

"put this in—they need it!" An experienced designer asks what will happen if the information is eliminated: What would learners not be able to do that they should? Notice the verb in the question is do, not know—the focus should always

be on performance. If the answer is nothing, then the content can go.

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Multi-module eLearning course

developed in Captivate

Narrated new employee onboarding course developed in

Articulate

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A series of narrated scenario-based

eLearning modules on coaching developed

in Articulate

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Visual Design

Instructional design focuses on content: it is about transferring knowledge, teaching skills, and changing behavior. While structure and format are elements

of instructional design, what the content looks like and how learners interact with it is not.

What the learning looks like—the color palette, the typeface, the layout and navigation, the appearance of buttons and other interactive elements—is the

result of visual design. When learners can’t read the type or are distracted by too many decorative items or don’t see crucial navigation elements, that is a failure of visual design. On the other hand, when text and images work together in a partnership to direct the learner through a course, this exemplifies the successful

marriage of effective visual and instructional design.

Great content presented poorly will not reach its audience because learners won’t or can’t get what they need from

it. That’s why instructional design and visual design are equally essential to the success of a learning project.

The look-and-feel of the course must be aligned with the audience, content,

environment, and instructional strategies of the project; the visual design should support the

instructional design. Only when visual design and instructional design work together can an enjoyable,

meaningful learning experience take place. Good design helps the learner

navigate through the course; poor design creates additional roadblocks.

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Images created in Photoshop, Illustrator and PowerPoint for various projects

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Script writing, visual design, and project management for a customer service

video series

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Slides, images, and handouts created for

various projects

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Work Process

Every training project is unique—that being said, there are certain processes that should be followed for every project. A training project should always begin with analysis, even in situations where it seems the training need is already evident. At TextRight, we’ve taken our years of experience and distilled it into a standardized

training analysis framework that we use at the beginning of every training project. This ensures that all the critical questions have been asked—and answered—before training development begins.

Our goal is to use every moment of analysis, design, and development time for optimum impact. The techniques we use

to gather information and to work with SMEs and stakeholders are shown to produce learning programs that support business goals, exceed quality standards,

and meet delivery schedules.

Analysis & Design

How often have you heard (or said), "We’ve

got a training problem..." or "They’re not doing it the way they’re supposed to...?" Often these statements are only symptoms of the problem. Until the problem is

understood in greater detail, proposing a solution can be a costly mistake. The analysis phase is the building block of any

training program; it is the foundation for all subsequent development. This needs assessment helps to identify training goals: the knowledge or skills the training

must accomplish so learners can meet the organization’s goals. Many training programs that fail do so because not enough time was dedicated to

understanding the underlying problem.

End-to-End Solutions

To meet your learning needs, TextRight can:

Conduct needs analyses and determine the best learning solution given resources, desired outcomes, learner needs, and business goals

Help you build a business case for your learning need and training solution

Scope project length, break work down into process steps, create project schedules, and manage development and implementation timelines

Build an instructional design team and manage course design and development

Document the project from start to finish, including project plans, analysis documents, design documents, and implementation plans

Apply standard project management methods to manage time, quality, and cost constraints

Establish regular milestone reviews

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Instructional design isn’t just about engaging, well-organized material; a successful learning initiative begins with an understanding of the need. A

training needs analysis is the first step in sound instructional design and is critical to determine:

➢ What the learner must be able to do at the conclusion of the training (performance objectives)

➢ What the learner must know to meet those performance objectives (identified during task analysis)

➢ What the learner already knows and can do before the training begins (audience analysis)

As a result of our analysis, we will develop a detailed training design for your approval. Before moving forward, we will meet with you to review this plan,

discuss the objectives, answer any questions, and make any necessary changes before beginning development. Training will be developed with clear learning objectives and learning will be evaluated based on those objectives to determine effectiveness.

Job aid outlining multipart sales

process

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Curriculum evaluation and

program redesign for complex sales

process

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Needs analysis presentation and implementation

materials

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Needs analysis and program redesign for

intricate finance curriculum

Custom learning project style and standards guide

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INNOVATIVE & VERSATILE LEARNING CONSULTANT

Training Analysis / Program Design / Instructor-Led & eLearning Development / Editing & Proofreading

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

AT&T (Consultant) — Atlanta, Georgia

SENIOR INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER

2012, 2019 – Present (Multiple projects)

Created self-paced and virtual instructor-led (vILT) leadership program for retail store managers. Gathered requirements, developed detailed design; established templates, standards, and style guides. Virtual training design leveraged breakout rooms, roleplays, chats, and other interactive features. Generated

program communications, timeline, and implementation plans; deliverables included facilitator, participant, and mentor guides.

Performed simulation development and script writing for call

center/help desk project using Articulate 360/Storyline, Rise, and

Audacity. Evaluated and selected calls and developed storyboards

to meet customer service, software, and technical skill

development requirements. Scripted simulations, managed audio

recording, and used Audacity for editing. Created and edited

graphics using Photoshop and Illustrator. Developed opening

animation for eLearning series using Vyond.

• Creative instructional designer with 20+ years’ experience in

analysis, design, development, and facilitation of

instructor-led, web-based, distance learning, and self-paced

training materials

• Skilled in designing engaging, interactive instruction

incorporating diverse learning activities and instructional

design techniques

• Able to form strong partnerships with subject matter experts

and stakeholders to assess needs and provide relevant,

business-driven learning solutions

• Exceptional understanding of adult learning theory and

extensive facilitation background support the development of

instruction that improves job performance

• Expert in leading word processing, page layout, screen

capture, eLearning, and distance learning development

packages as well as online collaboration tools; able to learn

new applications quickly

• Experienced in managing large training projects from

conception to delivery—on schedule and within budget

• Comfortable working collaboratively in a remote environment

CONTACT

Atlanta, GA

(678) 770-8789

melissa@textright.co

KEY SKILLS

▪ MS Office Suite Certified

▪ Articulate Studio

▪ Storyline 3 & 360 / Rise 360

▪ FrameMaker

▪ Captivate / Lectora

▪ Audition / Audacity

▪ Adobe InDesign

▪ RoboHelp

▪ WordPress & SharePoint

▪ MS Project

▪ Microsoft Teams

▪ Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator

▪ Adobe Connect / Blackboard

▪ Moodle & Canvas

▪ Sametime & Slack

▪ WebEx / GTM / Skype / Zoom

▪ CRM/SFA: Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, Siebel, PeopleSoft

▪ Help Desk Institute Trainer Cert.

▪ Siebel Certified Consultant

▪ Agile/Scrum Certified

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s in Journalism

Master’s in Communication

University of Georgia

Benevis Practice Services (Consultant) — Atlanta, Georgia

LEAD LEARNING CONSULTANT July 2014 – April 2019

Leveraged consulting skills to identify performance needs, recommended solutions, and managed design, development, and

implementation of learning interventions for large healthcare organization. Performed needs analysis, curriculum review,

course development, training delivery, course evaluation, and project management.

• Created end-to-end onboarding programs for clinical leaders, office managers, and healthcare staff

• Developed innovative case study material to support new competency model-based performance management system

• Extensive eLearning course development: Clinical procedures, compliance, safety, HIPAA, coaching, leadership

The Home Depot (Consultant) — Atlanta, Georgia Leadership Institute, Learning & eLearning, Operations, IT, Home Services, Supply Chain, Customer Care

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER / FACILITATOR Aug. 2004 – Sept. 2014 (Multiple projects) Contracted on multiple projects, including content development and facilitation for a CRM rollout with 40,000 users in

1,600 locations. Created instructor-led, self-paced, eLearning, distance, and blended learning solutions.

• Planned, designed, developed, and delivered training material including instructor and participant guides, presentations,

handouts, exercises, job aids, assessments, case studies, scenarios, audio and video scripts

• Storyboarded, scripted, and produced eLearning modules using Captivate and Articulate

• Created, reviewed, and edited SAP, Siebel, and PeopleSoft courses

• Developed HD Leadership program courses: Talent & performance management, leadership development, customer

service, team building, employment practices, management skills, conflict resolution, managing change, and diversity

• Evaluated kitchen design program, recommended training solutions, and developed blended learning solution

AutoTrader (Contract) — Atlanta, Georgia

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER April 2011 – Sept. 2011

Developed sales leadership training and conducted Train-the-Trainer sessions. Developed student and instructor guides,

PowerPoint presentations, job aids, and case studies. Created courses on interpreting sales data, forecasting, pipeline

management, and effective sales coaching. Developed numerous eLearning and webinar modules.

UPS Professional Services & UPS Corporate Sales (Contract) — Atlanta, Georgia

EDITOR / LEAD INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER Jan. 2006 – Jan. 2007

Led team that developed month-long Industrial Engineer onboarding program in 90 days. Developed and managed project

plan. Established course templates, standards and style guides; edited all material. Developed learning simulations using

Lectora. Created assessment questions and evaluations to determine program effectiveness. Facilitated T3 program.

IMS Health (Strategic Technologies / Synavant) — Atlanta, Georgia

FACILITATOR / TRAINING PROJECT MANAGER May 1998 – May 2004

Responsible for all technical, customer service, and project management course development. Developed training on Siebel,

SQL, SAP (FI, CS, HR, CRM), salesforce.com, and proprietary applications. Conducted company-wide needs assessments

to identify learning needs; collaborated with clients, SMEs, and instructors to determine project goals, learning objectives,

timelines, and performance measures for training programs.

The Travel Source — Atlanta, Georgia

TECHNICAL SERVICES SUPERVISOR (CRM)

August 1996 – March 1998

Morris Communications — Augusta, Georgia

SALES & MARKETING COORDINATOR

September 1993 – July 1996

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I appreciate the opportunity

to earn your business.

I look forward to working with you!

Melissa