Biography

Kelly Alvarado is a Lead Instructional Designer (ID) within the Center for Instructional Innovation (CII) at University of Massachusetts Global. In her role Kelly collaborates with Subject Matter Experts on the development of new courses, as well as assists with implementation of course updates and course reviews to elevate the courses delivered by University of Massachusetts Global. She also creates resources and trainings for UMass Global faculty on best practices and technical aspects of instruction and course development.

Kelly has earned an M.A.Ed. in Educational Technology from University of Massachusetts Global and is currently in an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership focusing on Instructional Design. Before achieving her goal of being an ID, Kelly steadily moved up the ranks during her eight years at University of Massachusetts Global holding such positions as Manager of Academic Technology Support and Lead Instructional Technology Specialist. 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.

While at UMass Global Kelly has played an instrumental role during the transition from the fully online courses being offered on eCollege to having an online component for every course in Blackboard. During this period she 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. With the knowledge gained over the years of utilizing multiple aspects of Blackboard, Kelly presented along with other CII members at Blackboard World twice. 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 of University of Massachusetts Global.