Instructional Designer

Thomas
Starr

M.S. Applied Learning Sciences  ·  National University

I design learning experiences that treat learners as the experts in their own context — building systems that are purposeful, evidence-based, and genuinely useful.

Credentials & Context

Education

M.S. Applied Learning Sciences
University of Miami

Current Study

Instructional Design
National University

Current Role

STEM Club Leader & Curriculum Designer
City Church Academy

Location

Deltona, Florida

What I Do

Learning design that
starts with the learner.

Every project begins with the same question: what does the learner need to understand, and what's the clearest path to get them there? The framework changes. The question doesn't.

01

Curriculum Design

Full-semester learning experiences built around clear outcomes, curated evidence, and sequences that build toward understanding — not just coverage.

02

Assessment & Evaluation

Performance tasks, rubrics, and feedback systems designed backward from desired results. Evaluation that tells learners and instructors something true and useful.

03

Multimedia & Visual Design

Slides, student materials, and digital content designed according to Mayer's cognitive principles — coherent, signaled, and built to reduce extraneous load.

04

Accessible & Equitable Design

DEI-centered design that goes beyond compliance — materials that genuinely serve diverse learners rather than accommodating them as an afterthought.

05

Project Management

Scope, schedule, risk, and communication planning for instructional design projects — keeping complex, multi-deliverable programs on track from kickoff to close.

06

STEM Education

K–5 science and engineering curriculum grounded in NGSS, hands-on investigation, and the engineering design process — built for real classrooms and real students.

"Design is not decoration. It is the argument
made visible."

I believe every design decision is an ethical decision — about who is centered, what is valued, and whose knowledge shapes the learning experience. My practice is grounded in backward design, evidence-based multimedia principles, and a commitment to genuine equity.

Read My Philosophy →

16+

Lesson Plans Designed

2

Full Semesters Delivered

3–5

Grade Levels Served

7

DEI Design Criteria