Resume: Sharon Huston

Experience

eLearning Architect

RealPage (April 2021 – January 2024, Richardson, TX)

• Created comprehensive SCORM solutions that catered to over 5,000 active users monthly, integrating custom JavaScript code to enhance user interaction.
• Saved 40K and 3 weeks of time during LMS migration by creating an AutoHotKey macro to upload over 2800 pieces of content to Thought Industries LMS.
• Largely self-driven. Determined my workload and goals then had brief check-in meetings with management to confirm. 
• Maintained over 16K lines of code written in AutoHotKey, Visual Basic for Applications, JavaScript, DAX, and Python
• Worked closely with the LMS implementation and support team to resolve any content-related issues.
• Managed weekly releases of 800+ pieces of content per year, including determining content categorization and tagging in the LMSs (currently in migration). Also managed releases on YouTube channel.
• Designed and supervised workflows for pre-release QA testing of all LMS content, and for functional testing conducted after LMS updates.
• Exponentially expanded the viewership of SCORM content via custom JavaScript that enabled the client-facing corporate Help platform to play bite-sized selections of longer SCORMs, saving the expense and workforce hours needed to create new interactive content for the new Help system.
• Created and maintained department templates for Captivate, Storyline, Camtasia, and Adobe Express, adhering to corporate brand standards.
• Communicated success metrics to leadership via a Power BI dashboard, harvesting the underlying content metadata (lesson length, video inclusion, branching capabilities, lesson special features, etc.) via an AutoHotKey macro that scraped SCORM ZIPs prior to official release. Led informational sessions on Adobe Express, Adobe Premiere, Bitwarden, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Visual Studio Team Explorer, and other topics.
• Primary wiki author, averaging 30+ new documents yearly and hundreds of edits. Created videos, written documentation, and graphics to support training needs.

Instructional Designer III

RealPage (April 2017 – April 2021, Richardson, TX)

• Designed comprehensive client-facing software training using tools such as Adobe Captivate, Audacity, Photoshop, Illustrator, Snagit, and Camtasia.
• Served as the first-line technical troubleshooter for the department, while proactively exploring new technologies to enhance workflow and improve the bottom line.
• Accelerated Classic Captivate closed caption/TTS generation time by over 50% harnessing Amazon Web Services (Polly) and AutoHotKey.
• Collaborated with subject matter experts to define project objectives, establish timelines, and ensure accuracy and validity of content.
• Authored JavaScript interactions to extend Captivate’s functionality.
• Worked closely with colleagues across two time zones (Richardson and Manila) to co-develop training materials.
• Created over 40 AutoHotKey macros to improve productivity and accuracy during Captivate development.
• Authored audio scripts, edited audio content, and created visually engaging graphics.
• Expanded internal documentation from about a dozen Word documents saved on a network drive to a thriving Confluence wiki with 300+ articles authored/edited by every team member, resulting in a culture of shared education and excellence. Chose the technology, designed the wiki’s initial navigation, converted 50% of the documents, and led the training.
• Implemented Microsoft Teams setup, resulting in faster team collaboration and efficiency. Designed channels, determined optimal feature usage, and trained the team, leading to improved communication and streamlined workflows. When COVID shut down our company, our prior Teams experience provided a seamless WFH transition.
• Identified and implemented Review My eLearning, reducing many pain points related to SME reviews.

Instructional Designer II

Texas A&M University (June 2012 – April 2017, College Station, TX)

• Lead developer/designer for Core Curriculum Grants Project, $72K annual budget to bring technology innovations to core classes.
• Spearheaded the development of interactive e-learning modules, resulting in increased student engagement through the use of platforms such as Blackboard and Storyline.
• Designed and developed complex learning objects using Storyline, Lectora, Adobe Creative Cloud, SoftChalk and other education-focused technologies.
• Consulted with faculty to match technologies to teaching needs and promote engagement.
• Evaluated Web 2.0 tools for potential classroom use.
• Guided faculty implementation of pedagogic best practices including rubrics and classroom assessment techniques.
• Trained faculty on Blackboard, Google Apps, copyright, flipped classrooms, and other technologies/pedagogies.

Instructional Support Specialist II

University of Maryland Global Campus (January 2009 – May 2012, Adelphi, MD)

• Developed interactive learning materials including web pages, Flash learning objects, and graphics for online and casual print use.
• Provided technical support for faculty using UMGC’s proprietary LMS and Blackboard.
• Evaluated web tools and apps for potential educational use, and recommended them for integration into the curriculum.
• Served as chair of the Second Life build sub-committee, ensuring the project was completed on time and under budget. Designed the island layout, created inventory tracking, managed the budget, terraformed the island, designed virtual classrooms and work spaces.
• Conducted online classroom QA. Provided feedback to faculty to ensure classes met UMGC standards. Specifically, in one semester I performed 285 initial class visits, 64 follow-up visits, and 3 second visits.
• Authored articles for the DE Oracle on topics such as using Creative Commons Flickr images, multimedia presentation basics, active learning in PowerPoint, and teaching with an iPad.
• Co-designed and co-delivered presentations at the CTL Summer Institute for faculty.
• Developed and delivered training to faculty and staff on a variety of technologies including SoftChalk, RSS feeds, using wikis in the classroom, and Blackboard.
• Designed, implemented and maintained the CSI Central website, an internal knowledge-sharing platform for the department.
• Migrated our distance education magazine, the DE Oracle, from ArticleMS to Joomla. Designed the new database architecture and addressed data integrity issues.
• Created a project tracking form to improve how CSI delivers instructional design services.

Faculty

Dallas College (January 2002 – December 2008, Dallas, TX)

• As Web Design Department Coordinator, supervised adjuncts and lab assistants, spearheaded curriculum development and content development (including animation and video), and performed server maintenance.
• Developed course curriculum and taught Page Design I and II, Web Animation, Web Graphics, Podcasting, JavaScript, PHP, MS Access, MS Excel, MS Word, ActionScript I and II.
• Team-taught often with the Art department (I was IT faculty). Team courses included Photoshop for the Web, Illustrator, and the Animated Algebra learning community co-taught with Math faculty.
• Served on the Teaching-Learning Team, which the college prioritized through a 40% release from normal teaching duties. This team, charged with introducing teaching innovations to the campus, won the district Innovator of the Year award for 2008. Responsibilities include training faculty in active learning and technology-enhanced teaching. As a founding team member, I routinely created training programs, drafted proposals, designed marketing items, maintained the team’s website, and played a key role in all goal-setting and planning sessions.
• Member of the Wildfire Mentor Team, composed of faculty across the college who trained their peers in the use of technology in the classroom. My sessions included Blackboard I and II, QualityMatters, SoftChalk, Wimba Classroom, the Blackboard Content Management feature, Respondus, eBooks, podcasting, wikis, and blogs.
• Other committees included the NLC Internet Policy Team, the eCommerce Curriculum Committee, the district’s Second Life committee, Organizational Learning, and the district Smart Classroom committee.
• Designed Loading Zone, a scenario-based game used to teach new faculty how to calculate teaching contracts.