Akaya MCelveen

Hi, I’m Akaya.

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I'm an instructional designer and learning technologist currently completing my Master of Science in Instructional Design & Technology at Western Governors University. I take a learner-first approach to every project -conducting audience analyses, building learner personas, and evaluating cultural, social-emotional, and experiential factors before any design decisions are made. From there, I apply frameworks like ADDIE, Design Thinking, Bloom's Taxonomy, and Universal Design for Learning to create solutions that are accessible, evidence-based, and measurable.

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My background spans classroom teaching, technical writing, and AI-driven learning system development, and my portfolio reflects that range. I've designed a complete e-learning module built around a real instructional problem, engineered an AI agent that reduced IEP-aligned resource creation from 45 minutes to under 30 seconds, and produced an educational explainer video for a mixed-level special education class. I take on contract and consulting work with organizations that want something thoughtful and not just a filled-in template. If you're building something that needs both human-centered design and emerging technology, that's exactly what I do.