Caroline Amberson's journey through instructional design education exemplifies how experienced educators can enhance their careers while maintaining their passion for teaching. As she shared in her interview on the Designing with Love podcast, Caroline has spent 22 years as a classroom educator with San Bernardino City Unified, currently teaching a fifth and sixth-grade combination class. What makes her story particularly intriguing is her simultaneous 12-year role as a program specialist and demonstration teacher—opening her classroom to observers while creating instructional content for her district and mentoring new teachers.
The transition from traditional teaching to instructional design isn't always straightforward, but Caroline's experience illuminates how these skills often develop organically through an educator's career. Her work creating professional development modules, workshops on California Standards for the Teaching Profession, and presentations for new teachers has already immersed her in instructional design principles, even without the formal title. This organic development of skills exemplifies how many educators are practicing instructional design without realizing it, making the formal education in this field a natural extension of their existing expertise.
What stands out in Caroline's educational journey is her strategic approach to career longevity. While deeply committed to her current teaching position, she's pursuing her master's in instructional design at Grand Canyon University with an eye toward potential opportunities later in her career. Her particular interest in natural history museum educational outreach programs represents a fascinating intersection of formal education, public learning, and technological innovation. This forward-thinking approach demonstrates how instructional designers can envision applying their skills across diverse educational contexts—from K-12 classrooms to museums, corporate training, or higher education.
The technological aspects of instructional design emerged as a significant theme in Caroline's experience. She highlighted how the rapid evolution of educational technology creates both challenges and opportunities for instructional designers. Her experiences with tools like Genially and Canva illustrate how today's instructional designers must continuously adapt to new platforms while maintaining pedagogical effectiveness. The excitement around integrating these tools into educational experiences—whether for fifth-graders or adult learners—shows how technology can reinvigorate educational experiences when thoughtfully implemented.
Perhaps most valuable for prospective instructional design students were Caroline's practical insights about GCU's master's program. Her emphasis on organization, working closely with program counselors, and the manageable workload provides realistic expectations for those considering similar educational paths. The accelerated timeline she's pursuing—completing the program in approximately ten months—demonstrates how motivated professionals can efficiently obtain credentials while maintaining full-time employment. Caroline's candid discussion about initially hesitating to pursue more education about teaching after decades in the classroom, only to discover new perspectives and depths to educational theory, serves as encouragement for veteran educators who might feel similarly.
The intersection of andragogy (adult learning principles) with Caroline's extensive experience teaching adults proved particularly valuable in her graduate studies. This highlights an important reality for instructional designers: the principles that guide effective learning experiences differ significantly between children and adults. Understanding these differences enables instructional designers to create more effective, targeted educational experiences across age groups and contexts—whether in classrooms, professional development settings, or public educational institutions like museums.
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