Ruth - The Professional Side

What I do @ ConnectsUs

Listen, watch and learn.  I take it all in and then 

• Design systems, products and solutions
• Connect interlocking pieces
• Share the vision, lead the build, test the outcome
• Write & edit/edit/edit/edit/edit/edit

Background

I got my start in instructional design 25 years ago by saying, "Pick me!" when the multi-national high tech I worked for asked for a volunteer to train project managers world-wide. I knew nothing about either subject, but wanted to travel.  Always one to learn on my feet, I found a good SME (subject matter expert), took a Training 101 course, and never looked back.

I worked 10 years in training design and management for that company till my kids were born, then spent 10 years self-employed leading tech writing and instructional design projects for clients in industries as varied as high tech, mining, pharma and apprenticeship. The world of certification standards and assessment intrigued me and I spent 5 years creating and leading a system for governance of apprenticeship standards in B.C. 

A life-long learner, I returned to school and finished an MA in Learning and Technology in 2011, specializing in the needs of adult learners with learning disabilities. This remains an area of passionate interest. Last year I travelled to Australia to become a certified administer of the Q Test, a language-free, culture-fair assessment that identifies the core 'trainability' of learners who have gaps in essential skills.

I worked with ConnectsUs at its inception in 2004 to design and write the original ClearSite product, and rejoined the team in 2015 to build the product design and online Resource Center for the current release.

I love the challenge of making something complex, simple; something cloudy, clear. I think in analogies, diagrams and flow charts, and believe functional, sustainable design begins with a clean and simple process map.