Navigating the Journey: Caroline Amberson's Transformation Through Instructional Design

Navigating the Journey: Caroline Amberson's Transformation Through Instructional Design

From Designing with Love by Jackie Pelegrin

May 24, 2026 · 46 min · Season 4 · Episode 118

About this episode

Jackie Pelegrin interviews Caroline Amberson about her journey in instructional design and the impact of research on her teaching practices.

Curiosity turns into clarity when a seasoned teacher names the practices that work. Jackie sits down with Caroline Amberson, a K–12 demonstration teacher who completed her M.S. in Instructional Design at Grand Canyon University, to unpack how research transformed instinct into intention. She walks us through the moment Mayer’s multimedia principles gave her a common language, how UDL and cognitive load theory run alongside them, and why the Kirkpatrick model finally made evaluation feel pract...

People in this episode

Host: Jackie Pelegrin

Guest: Caroline Amberson

Topics covered

  • instructional design
  • education
  • K-12 teaching
  • evaluation
  • cognitive load
  • universal design for learning

Keywords

  • instructional design
  • K-12 education
  • Mayer’s principles
  • UDL
  • cognitive load theory
  • Kirkpatrick model
  • teacher transformation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Grand Canyon University, Kirkpatrick model, UDL, cognitive load theory

Books & works: Mayer’s multimedia principles

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