LEARNING STRATEGY · COURSE DESIGN · EDUCATIONAL MEDIA
Instructional Design
That Makes Learning Clear
I’m Michael D. Young, an instructional designer and learning-experience developer who turns complex ideas into engaging, measurable learning. My work combines classroom experience, practical design frameworks, thoughtful media, and a storyteller’s eye for keeping learners moving forward.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE + DESIGN SYSTEMS
A teacher’s perspective. A designer’s toolkit.
I bring seven years of public-school teaching experience, master’s degrees in Instructional Design and Educational Leadership, and full-time design experience with Brigham Young University and Middlebury Interactive Languages. I’ve also completed freelance learning projects for organizations including TestOut Corporation.
Learning Strategy
ADDIE, SAM, Kirkpatrick, Gagné’s Nine Events, backward design, measurable objectives, and quality assurance built around learner needs.
Course Development
Online course architecture, SME collaboration, storyboarding, assessment writing, accessibility-minded development, media coordination, and Canvas implementation.
Media & Tools
Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Camtasia, Audacity, Canva, InDesign, Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and multimedia production workflows.
RECENT WORK · SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2026
Recent Learning Projects
Interactive learning, practical training, and tools for teachers. These independent projects show how I turn learning goals into tasks, feedback, and useful evidence of learner work. Explore the public demos or request a walkthrough of private work.
Storytelling · 3D Reading & Book Authoring
Paper Theater Storybook Studio: 3D Storybook Maker
I created an interactive 3D pop-up storybook reader and a reusable Book Studio for creating books. Creators add pages and narration, keep their books private, and share them with selected accounts. Readers explore stories through a visual book format with audio support.
Design approach: Text-first reading replaces the 3D stage with written scene descriptions. Adjustable type, a reader-friendly font, high contrast, and reduced-motion settings give readers several ways to participate.
Work to review: A published storybook authoring and reading studio with support for imported narration recordings.
ChatGPT sign-in required · Access to shared books depends on the creator’s sharing settings.
World Languages · Immersive Course Design
Kleinhausen: A Story-Driven German Course
I designed a sixteen-episode first-year German course around an explorable town and a continuing story. Learners use German to complete everyday tasks, listen, speak, and contribute to the town’s anniversary celebration. The course targets ACTFL Novice High and includes a lower-graphics route.
Design approach: Recurring situations, guided conversations, listening and speaking tasks, revision, and adaptive review connect practice across episodes.
Work to review: An interactive course demo with saved progress and a portable learner portfolio of writing and recordings.
Private project · A walkthrough is available on request.
Literature · Game-Based Assessment
The Lantern & Quill: Literary Escape
I designed a five-room literary escape adventure set at a European Festival of Stories. Learners inspect objects, talk with residents, identify poetic devices, and connect famous works with their authors. Each completed puzzle unlocks the next room and leads toward the festival finale.
Design approach: Clue discovery, staged hints, room journals, and a separate Puzzles Only mode make literary reasoning central to progression.
Work to review: A playable illustrated demo with seventeen questions, five room seals, and no time limit.
Public demo · Choose exploration or Puzzles Only.
Learning Experience Design · Public Demo Collection
Escape Room Lab
I built a public showcase that lets visitors compare text-based, illustrated 2D, and first-person 3D learning adventures. The examples include literary puzzles, German language tasks, and AP Spanish vocabulary challenges, alongside a related fantasy exploration game.
Design approach: Clear launch choices, explanations of each format, and direct Puzzles Only links help educators choose a format for their learners.
Work to review: Five playable browser demos, a GPT-ready text adventure prompt, and visual guides to format selection and accessibility.
Public showcase · Browser demos open without a ChatGPT account; AI-guided text play uses ChatGPT.
Educational Tools · Teacher and Learner Workflows
Vocabulary Spotlight Studio
I designed a vocabulary workspace for teachers to create activities and learners to practice. The project connects reusable activity design with individual learner progress and supports launching activities from Canvas.
Design approach: Separate teacher and learner workflows use ChatGPT sign-in to keep activities and progress private.
Work to review: A published application entry point for vocabulary authoring and learner practice.
ChatGPT sign-in required to use the application.
Adult Learning · Workshop and Facilitation Design
UpwardLight AI Productivity Lab
I designed a three-hour workshop that helps participants use AI for meaningful workplace and classroom tasks. An eighteen-page participant workbook and facilitator deck move learners from basic concepts into guided prompting, responsible-use scenarios, and an authentic workflow lab.
Design approach: The LIGHT prompting framework, four practical AI patterns, output review, and a seven-day action plan support transfer beyond the workshop.
Work to review: A coordinated participant workbook and facilitator presentation; samples are available on request.
Workshop materials · Workplace and educator audiences.
Curriculum Design · Independent Learning
German Class, Covered
I created five standalone German 1 lessons for classes led by a substitute who does not speak German. Each lesson moves from vocabulary and reading into using information, guided writing, and an exit reflection, with English directions and no required devices or internet.
Design approach: Substitute guides, word banks, sentence starters, early-finisher challenges, and complete answer keys support independent review and practice.
Work to review: A twenty-seven-page packet designed around a forty-five-minute lesson, with guidance for adjusting the timing.
Printable curriculum · A selected sample is available on request.
More than one route to the learning goal
Several escape-room demos offer a separate Puzzles Only mode. Learners can work with the clues, hints, and answers without navigating a character or a 3D room. This approach keeps attention on the learning task while providing another way to participate.
Course Development, Video & Assessment
Professional work in instructional video, storyboarding, assessment design, and large-scale online course development.
Instructional Video · World Languages
Situation-Based German Grammar Video
I created this Canva-based demonstration for a first-year German online course at Brigham Young University. Learners first imagine ordering food in a restaurant, receive targeted grammar instruction, and then return to the same situation to apply what they learned. The pre- and post-task structure makes progress visible while keeping grammar grounded in a practical context.
Storyboard · Technical Training
Data Privacy & Security
Created for TestOut Corporation, this storyboard translates technical concepts into clear objectives and digestible segments for aspiring technology professionals.
Assessment Design · Technical Training
Automation Technologies Assessment
These TestOut assessment items use plausible distractors and descriptive feedback so learners demonstrate mastery and learn from incorrect responses.
Online Course Development · Canvas
Brigham Young University World Language Courses
I helped design and build online American Sign Language courses for high-school and college learners. My role included collaborating with subject-matter experts, coordinating media production, guiding the build in Canvas, and overseeing quality assurance.
What Collaborators Say
“Your professionalism, creativity, highly developed skills, communication, and general good nature have made our jobs so much easier. And it has made the German course fantastic.”
William Anderson, Media Specialist
Middlebury Interactive Languages
“Michael always had the most creative activities and ideas for his courses. Team members from other languages would turn to him for added insight and creativity.”
Kandyce Coston, Manager
Middlebury Interactive Languages
“Michael’s strengths as an effective leader, a curriculum expert, and an excellent instructor will continue to help him in any educational endeavor he seeks.”
Clint Poole, Principal
West Elementary
Organizations & Experience
Let’s Build a Better Learning Experience
Need an online course, instructional video, assessment, or learning experience that is clear, engaging, and built around measurable outcomes? I’d be glad to talk about the learners you serve and the problem you’re trying to solve.