Reviewed by: Sharron Swain
This local traveled the world, worked in the film industry + now graduated with her MSITD
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Jen Awwad has worked countless hours in the film industry and lived in Baghdad and Dubai, but ultimately, she found her passion in the Shoals area completing her MSITD (Master of Instructional Design + Technology) at UNA.
Read on to learn about Jen’s incredible travels and how the instructional design industry is booming in the Huntsville area.
Traveling around the world
Jen graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in Technical Theater, specializing in sound design, lighting and set design.
Upon graduation, she began working for a film company based in Cyprus. She mostly worked in North Africa and the Middle East, filming in Egypt, Morocco, Chad, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Djibiouti and other countries, and meeting her husband along the way.
When she returned to the States, she completed her master’s degree in ESL (English as a Second Language) education before soon realizing she wanted a more hands-on degree.
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Top-notch professors at UNA
While working in education, Jen fell in love with instructional design.
“My first job in the educational sector was not in teaching but in designing curriculum. As I was building online classes, I realized I was doing instructional design but had no formal training in it. As soon as I realized UNA offered the MSITD, I jumped on the opportunity.”
Jen Awwad, MSITD graduate + Instructional Designer
Jen loved the curriculum and the hands-on help from UNA’s amazing MSITD professors—like Dr. Natasha Lindsey who has been a professor at the university for over 20 years.
Dr. Lindsey incidentally entered the instructional design sphere but has now become a prominent voice in the industry.
“The first time I ever taught a course, I had to develop a brand-new class from scratch and was immediately thrown into the world of instructional design. UNA’s MISTD curriculum was created with what I wish someone would’ve told me when I began my career.”
Dr. Lindsey, Associate Professor, Instructional Technology + Design, UNA
Ready to enter one of the nation’s fastest-growing career fields? Apply to UNA today for the MSITD program.
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Flexible MSITD program with incredible career opportunities
Web and Digital Designers are predicted to have a 23% industry growth rate in the next 10 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
This trend can be attributed to the increasing need for online training materials. Check out some of the industry numbers:
- As of June, 2023, 16% of all U.S. companies were fully remote, and 15% of all job opportunities involve remote work (Flynn, 2023; Peck 2023).
- 80% of businesses now offer online learning and training solutions (Peck, 2023).
- Online training and learning improve employee performance by 15-25% (Peck, 2023).
- Corporations with comprehensive training programs earn 218% more and reap 24% higher profit margins (Chernev & Ivanoc, 2023).
As Huntsville continues to grow and attract more professionals, the need for instructional designers, corporate trainers, organizational learning development specialists and onboarding training specialists will continue to increase.
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Jen loved how UNA’s MISTD included personalized feedback and a project-based curriculum.
“You have a lot of freedom to choose topics pertinent to your current position. While completing the MSITD, I was able to learn more about different software and build projects that I could use in my job. Now I can show my portfolio and say, ‘hey, here’s real work that I’ve done.'”
Jen Awwad, MSITD graduate + Instructional Designer
In the words of Dr. Lindsey, if you are in “the business of educating others, value clear communication and have a keen eye,” the MISTD is for you—apply today.
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