Samantha Homer

I taught in Texas public and charter schools from 2013 to 2018, primarily teaching World History and U.S. Government, but also social studies for grades 7 through 12. This experience gave me the opportunity to design social studies programs from the ground up, considering both vertical alignment across grade levels and horizontal alignment with other subjects. It also highlighted the need for instructional design and curriculum development support for educators, which led me to pursue additional training and opportunities in the field.

I then designed curriculum for a trade school network, collaborating with subject-matter experts as diverse as Cosmetology, Medical Billing and Coding, and Welding. I found great satisfaction helping experts translate their knowledge into effective learning experiences. Learning how to teach trade classes online during COVID was a particularly wild and creative challenge! This work also gave me a broader understanding of the business and legal sides of the higher education ecosystem.

I joined UJ in 2021 after being asked to bring instructional design expertise to the newly conceived UJ Accelerated. The opportunity to help build something from the ground up was thrilling, and I have enjoyed serving UJ in a variety of capacities since then. Currently, the Office of Instructional Design and Development oversees over 200 courses and a dozen academic programs from associate through doctoral levels. Our role is to partner with faculty—the content experts—to help translate that expertise, along with effective teaching practices, into learning experiences that work in an asynchronous online environment.

I genuinely enjoy the partnership and the puzzle of designing learning experiences: figuring out how to make complex ideas accessible, meaningful, and engaging while supporting faculty in achieving their learning goals. I am also interested in the neuroscience behind learning and how we can support learning across the lifespan.

I was born and raised in the Austin area and still live in Texas with my husband and two cats.