About
Hi! I'm Ally Thorpe. Thanks for visiting my site. I'm a learning professional and mom who strives to bring creativity, kindness, and good communication to the table at home & work!
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My Career in a Nutshell
I began my ID career in the Academic Technology Department at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. There, I was lucky to work with a skilled team, serve as point person and lead trainer for various Academic Tech, provide LMS support, lead teachers in course design and Academic Technology integration, run analysis and report on departmental data, and collaboratively design and develop IT and HR compliance training.
Before that, I taught in middle school and elementary classrooms, where I worked to build inclusive, engaging environments that empowered my students to constructively learn. Hundreds of hours of work with academic tech and district curriculum development eventually led to my next career in Instructional Design!
Models & Theories
My favorite analogy of learning theories and models compares them to tools in a belt: there are some you'll use in every project and some, only sparingly. Being a good designer requires that we figure out when it is the best time to use which tools.
I have the most experience with ADDIE with integration of UDL principles, and my time in the classroom gave me a strong background with Backward Design. However, I use a flexible, iterative interplay between preparation, design, and development from Agile models such as SAM wherever it makes the most sense. I'd love to gain more experience using SAM on a team. On the evaluation end, Kirkpatrick's Model has been a great guide when designing and analyzing surveys, poll and formative question data, panel interview data, and technology use data.
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Theories that I integrate often are: Cognitive Load Theory to guide design principles; McClusky’s Theory of Margin to consider training delivery methods and scope; Constructivism for active learning, Humanism for differentiation and engagement, Behaviorism for tutored feedback, and Cognitivism for foundations, scope, and scaffolding. Social Learning Theory has been helpful in collaborative LMS page construction and synchronous training.
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I'm looking forward to joining a team that works to make learning accessible and engaging for all!
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