Course Design Fundamentals: Create Effective edX Learning

Brian McCandless serves as a Lead Instructional Designer at 2U/edX, bringing over a decade of experience in educational technology since 2009. His expertise spans designing, developing, and delivering both asynchronous and live training programs, with particular focus on learning management systems optimization. As a faculty training specialist at 2U, he takes a collaborative approach to faculty development, allowing instructors to drive consultation topics while helping them maximize their use of educational platforms. His role includes acting as a subject matter expert and administrator for edX, Moodle, and Canvas LMS platforms, where he optimizes onboarding program delivery. Beyond his professional work, he maintains an active interest in action sports, producing and editing YouTube videos, and skiing. His teaching philosophy emphasizes empowering users to leverage technology effectively while maintaining a collaborative and consultative approach to faculty development.

Abby Wentworth serves as an Educator Community Liaison on the Educator Engagement and Development team at 2U/edX, where she has established herself as a key figure in educational technology implementation since joining in 2020. Working across both Degree and Open edX product lines, she has developed extensive expertise in onboarding educators to new course design workflows and implementing best practices in online education. Her role focuses on building strong relationships with education professionals and utilizing multiple communication modalities to enhance the teaching experience. She plays a crucial role in developing and delivering edX's course development series, which guides educators through the complete process of creating and managing online courses. Her work encompasses helping faculty master the edX platform while ensuring their courses meet established design principles and accessibility standards. Through her collaborative approach, she continues to support educators in creating effective online learning experiences, contributing significantly to the advancement of digital education practices and faculty development in the online learning space.

Alyssa Neville serves as a Senior Instructional Designer on the Educator Engagement and Development team at edX, where she specializes in creating engaging online learning experiences. Her expertise lies in applying design thinking methodologies to solve learner experience challenges and optimize educational outcomes. As part of the edX team, she contributes to developing effective instructional strategies and supports educators in creating impactful online courses. Her work focuses on implementing evidence-based design principles to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes while addressing the unique challenges of digital education platforms. Through her role, she helps shape the development of accessible and effective online learning experiences that meet the diverse needs of both educators and learners in the edX ecosystem.