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Online Course Video
& Materials Design

In 2023, my team was tasked with developing and facilitating a professional development course on social-emotional learning and trauma-sensitive teaching. My role in course development included:

  • Editing video scripts in collaboration with subject matter experts, prioritizing clear spoken language.

  • Working with a set designer and film studio to create a theme-appropriate set.

  • Directing presenters during filming and providing feedback on script delivery and body language.

  • Designing branding, visual supports, and supplementary materials for the course.

  • Directing the videographer on the timing of animations and cuts from one take to another.

Content from this course is no longer publicly available on YouTube.

However, as this course is designated as CC0, I will share short excerpts to illustrate my work.

Podcast Consulting

As the co-creator of the Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, I have shaped the podcast from its very beginnings. Some challenges I’ve undertaken:

 

  • Choosing a name for the podcast that reflects its focus on reflective practice for teachers;

  • Designing a logo and developing consistent branding for the podcast across its website, social media, and other appearances;

  • Building and maintaining the podcast’s website, leveraging SEO, and distributing episodes on hosting platforms;

  • Planning monthly episode content, writing scripts, scheduling guests, and writing interview questions;

  • Engaging guests in dynamic interviews that communicate the impact of their work and tangible takeaways for listeners;

  • Editing episodes that weave together interview recordings and host commentary in a seamless, engaging listening experience, using tools such as Audacity (manual editing) and Descript (AI-powered).

 

Work with me, and take your new or existing podcast to new heights!

Sample A: Visual Aids in Lecture Videos

Problem: The lecture videos required visual aids to support learner comprehension and provide a break from talking-head frames.

 

Solution: I created a series of simple graphics to make the concepts illustrated come to life. I then split each composite graphic into smaller assets and worked closely with the videographer to define the timing of each animation so that learners' attention would be directed to the appropriate content as it was spoken.

Sample B: Textual Support in Lecture Videos

Problem: Although the set supported our theme (calm, welcoming, warm), it caused issues in post-production when overlaying textual support due to the varied colors and textures in the background. 

 

Solution: I designed a faded black side panel with white contrasting text and icons to create a clearer visual contrast across different frames and to support cognitive processing throughout the videos. I directed the videographer to have the side panel slide out at the end of the scene for a more engaging, seamless transition.

Podcast Consulting

As the co-creator of the Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, I have shaped the podcast from its very beginnings. Some challenges I’ve undertaken:

 

  • Choosing a name for the podcast that reflects its focus on reflective practice for teachers;

  • Designing a logo and developing consistent branding for the podcast across its website, social media, and other appearances;

  • Building and maintaining the podcast’s website, leveraging SEO, and distributing episodes on hosting platforms;

  • Planning monthly episode content, writing scripts, scheduling guests, and writing interview questions;

  • Engaging guests in dynamic interviews that communicate the impact of their work and tangible takeaways for listeners;

  • Editing episodes that weave together interview recordings and host commentary in a seamless, engaging listening experience, using tools such as Audacity (manual editing) and Descript (AI-powered).

 

Work with me, and take your new or existing podcast to new heights!

Sample C: Connecting Content Across Materials

Problem: In addition to lecture videos, the course included supplemental materials and tasks on the in-house LMS (LearnDash) used to administer the course.

 

Solution: To reinforce content, stimulate recall, and create continuity across materials, I integrated graphics from the lecture videos into the supplemental materials for each course module. Similarly, designs from previous lectures were reiterated in subsequent lectures as a visual reminder to activate learner recall.

In the example below,

  • Each principle of trauma-sensitive teaching was introduced individually in Session 4 using discrete numbered tiles (see "Introduction to Trauma-Sensitive Practices" in Sample B above).

  • I then included the composite graphic of all five tiles in the supplemental handout that accompanied the lecture video to represent the five principles of trauma-sensitive teaching as a unit.

  • The tiles appeared again in a Padlet activity for course participants to engage with, to anchor their responses to the relevant course content.

  • The composite graphic finally re-appeared in Session 5 of the course as a whole, with each tile illuminated as it was mentioned to stimulate recall and make a clear connection to concepts previously covered in the course.

Image 5.3f.png

© 2026 by Anna Ciriani-Dean. All rights reserved.

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