Amy Ragland helps teachers bring online education to students
Amy Ragland likes to see education differently.
As an instructional designer for the Office of Online Learning, Ragland helps University of Georgia faculty deliver courses to students through digital means.
Education has always been important to Ragland. His mother was a college teacher and his father was a professor at UGA. They both instilled in him a love of learning and an understanding of the value of an accessible education.
“As a child of public educators, I learned to think about things,” Ragland said. “How can we empower and help people through educational innovation to improve their lives? How can I ensure students learn what they need to succeed? »
Before becoming an instructional designer at UGA, Ragland worked as a teacher in Athens schools. At the time, schools were beginning to adopt new technologies to improve learning, but Ragland soon discovered a problem.
“I was frustrated,” she said. “It felt like the technology was designed by the developers and not necessarily the educators.”
This realization led her to pursue a Master of Education in Learning, Design and Technology at UGA. As part of the program, Ragland worked to find innovative ways to use technology to enrich learning outside of the classroom.
After graduating, Ragland and her family moved to Boston where she continued to work with technology to improve the learning experiences of students with reading difficulties. She then returned to Georgia to be closer to her mother and found herself on the inaugural Office of Online Learning team.
Ragland’s personal experiences with the university and the purpose of the institution reinforced his already held beliefs regarding the power of public education.
“I have a lot of ties to UGA. My father taught here and I went to school here,” she said. “But it’s also a public institution, and its mission is to improve the lives of people in our state, either through education or through what people do with their education here. It’s something I truly believe in, which is why I’m here.
Amy Ragland works with university faculty members from the development stages of their courses through the actual class sessions. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)
Ragland works with faculty across the university from the development stages of their courses through sessions. The process begins with a rigorous week of planning in which she works with faculty to define courses, develop module roadmaps, and design assessments.
“Even if I’m not an expert on a particular topic, I can help a professor think about what they would normally do,” Ragland said. “I will review the materials they send me, and then we will collaborate on the best way to present the materials in eLC and be intentional in how we present the content to students.”
When class begins, Ragland spends the semester attending classes live with professors and providing assistance with any problems or difficulties.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Online Learning really began to experiment with how technology could be used for learning.
“I helped with a bit of art history and had to think about ways to translate something that is usually taught face to face. If you plan to see the David statue in person versus seeing it online, it’s a very different experience,” Ragland said. “We had to help teachers think about new ways of teaching and assessing students. Things like online museum archives have become very useful.
The experience changed the way members of the university thought about online learning.
“When COVID protocols were lifted and people went home, a lot of our teachers really realized how useful technology could be,” she said. “Online tools like eLC or text chat channels can be helpful for students to get the support they need. »
When Ragland is not in front of the computer, she enjoys connecting with nature. Every summer, she and her son go hiking and camping in Maine.
No matter how far Ragland is from technology, she continues to appreciate the importance of an education that is accessible to all students.
“When you consider and design courses for marginalized people, regardless of how they learn, you improve everyone’s experience,” she said.