About Me
Hey there! I am Ryan. I am an educational technology professional, currently serving as the Textbook Affordability Coordinator at the University of Florida Center for Teaching Excellence. My work focuses on making education more accessible and affordable for students while supporting faculty in adopting open and affordable course materials.
My joy is in being able to merge many of my favorite interests into my career: psychology, teaching, writing, and technology. I get to make people's lives better through education and learning, which is such a privilege.
Education
University of Florida
- PhD Candidate Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Educational Technology
- Master of Arts in Education Curriculum and Instruction
- Bachelor of Science Psychology (with honors)
How Did I End Up in Training and Instructional Design?
Growing up, I had an innate love of education. I enjoyed giving presentations and I served as a TA in both middle and high school. One of my earliest "classes" was giving a presentation to a computer user's group in Hawaii where I spent three years. I was in middle school at the time. The topic was on how to build your own website. I talked through material very quickly, but I was described as really enthusiastic. That enthusiasm never seems to have left me, because the word came up several times in evaluations from my students when I taught First Year Florida in Fall 2020.
While I was a student assistant during college, my boss decided that I would go to a national conference (ACUHO-I) and present on basic computer security for collegiate housing professionals. Imagine that—being asked to talk at a national conference while still a student! I remember heading to that presentation, nervous and just not believing in myself. However, once I started talking, I found myself leaving the stage and walking among the audience while giving my talk. I just got into the zone, somehow!
A colleague was in the audience and reported back to everyone at the office about my presentation. I found myself suddenly being asked to teach the workshop several times. This workshop evolved into the Computer Security Bootcamp that I still present during New Employee Orientation.
After graduation, I was an IT specialist. I did a lot of things—computer repair, writing policy documents, and so forth. However, teaching workshops remained part of my job. My superiors in the department knew that my true passion lay in education and training, and I was promoted after a short few years to be a training and education coordinator.
What Makes Me Passionate About What I Do?
I enjoy my field so much because I get to help others. I also get to see people thrive and meet their own goals. For example, some of my happiest moments are when one of my GED students graduates. Seeing them walk across the stage and then able to get that promotion or new job that they have been seeking makes me so proud of their effort and my role in helping them along the path.
Education and training really merges together a lot of my passions. I changed undergraduate majors several times before deciding on Psychology. Psychological theory can be of such benefit in understanding how people learn. I also enjoy writing and even computer programming. I thrive because I get to live so many of my passions at once—I do not have to pick and choose.
Notable Accomplishments
- Authored a book chapter on technology master planning
- Taught First Year Florida, a college success class for first-year students
- Led a regional college housing officer association (SEAHO) into a new era of a robust web presence
- Developed side projects to build and practice additional skills
- Taught and facilitated special year-long programs, including computer literacy and language learning, for staff
- Played with wolves at three different wolf reserves