Instructional Design Landing Page

July 2, 2025

What We Support

TILT instructional designers (IDers) have been trained to systematically design and develop effective and engaging online and blended courses. We support all the FHSU faculty. If you need help, you can make an appointment with an instructional designer. We have three instructional designers who can provide face-to-face and asynchronous support through zoom. You can contact any of us. We are happy to provide the support you need.

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What We Do

TILT instructional designers (IDers) have been trained to systematically design and develop effective and engaging online and blended courses. When partnering with faculty to design and develop courses, instructional designers make suggestions, brainstorm ideas, and provide support regarding:

Varied types of assessments and authentic assessments
Course mapping using a course blueprint template in a word document and Coursetune
Instructional strategies and practices for Inclusive Excellence
Active learning strategies
Varied types of learning activities
Varied tools for effectively delivering content
Clear and effective instructional messages in course shell
Identification of course outcomes and measurable and specific module learning objectives
Effective ways to integrate Open Educational Resources (OER)
Course review by following the OSCQR rubric

Faculty Testimonial

“I have had the opportunity to create several courses with the TILT professionals at FHSU. Through this process, I have learned how to develop courses that meet the objectives of the class, target learning outcomes for our department, and align with FHSU’s vision and mission. Learning how to incorporate class, department, and university objectives has supported my development as an instructor as a now have better understanding of the critical components that make a course successful. Every time I have developed a new course, I have learned about new technology and supports. Course development keeps me up-to-date on systems used by FHSU and I find that I can better navigate platforms like Blackboard and Outlook. As a result, I can better utilize these platforms to support the student experience in and out of the classroom. I highly recommend every instructor participate in the course development process!” .

“The TLT team especially Seung was a great help to me in the design of my two courses. Being a first-time online instructor at Fort Hays, I had a lot to learn. The TLT staff spent time educating and suggesting ways to improve the course. Even as the course is open, I still send questions to Instructional Designer whom I worked with, and she is always quick to reply. The TLT is definitely an asset to curriculum design and development. Thank you for all you do!”

"I have worked with TILT professionals for the last three years to develop and design math general education courses for online and on-campus students. With their help, I made precise connections between the courses’ learning objectives, assessments, and instructional activities that facilitated the mapping back to the department’s and state’s standards. TILT continuously supported integrating new technologies through Blackboard that promote active and diverse learning environments. For that reason, substituting commercial textbooks in my courses with Open Educational Resources was a breeze! I highly recommend them to other faculty members."

Instructional Designer Team

Zhongrui Yao

Zhongrui has provided course development support for faculty from various disciplines and provided faculty consultation on effective teaching and learning with technologies.

Danielle Reilley

Dani is an Instructional Designer and eLearning Developer for TILT. She works specifically on online faculty professional development projects and the NDTC de-escalation grant. Her background is in teaching K-5 with a BA in Education from KU and a MS from FHSU in Instructional Technology.

Thomas Horne

Thomas Mathews Horne has dedicated over a decade to higher education. While his primary focus has been on English Composition and Rhetoric, he has successfully led numerous course redesigns and coordinated programs while teaching at two-year and four-year institutions. Thomas is eager to leverage his expertise to support faculty in achieving their objectives while effectively addressing the needs of their students.

Alexa Summers

Alexa Summers has a background in computer science and education, with emphases in web development, UI/UX design, and course development. Alexa has experience teaching at two-year and four-year institutions, in addition to working with Ed Tech and performing course evaluations. Alexa looks forward to helping you structure your class with easy navigation, for both you and your students!

Bridgette Yaxley

Bridgette M. Yaxley brings several years of experience in higher education, where she has developed and taught asynchronous online courses, designed curriculum, and actively contributed to student success initiatives through committee service. Over the past decade, she has transitioned seamlessly into the field of instructional design, where she now supports faculty in course redesign, learning management system training, and the effective use of instructional technologies. Bridgette is passionate about collaborative problem-solving and looks forward to partnering with faculty and staff on all aspects of instructional design and digital pedagogy.