Hi there!
Welcome to my site! My name is Viki - with a K.
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I am educator turned instructional designer with 8+ years of experience working with adult learners.
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I'm based out of Chicago, though I am originally from Hungary (the country, not the queasy sensation you get before lunch). I spent the majority of my life living in various cross-cultural settings between Europe and North America. I am bilingual (English and Hungarian) with a soft spot for anything linguistics. I am also a mom of two who keep me on my toes. When I'm not in front of the computer working or taking care of the day-to-day at home, you can find me at the climbing gym part way up a 60-foot wall!
For the last several years, my work has been at the intersection of education and technology. I am detail-oriented but creative, and I always aim to design meaningful and engaging learning experiences. (Because let's face it, nobody should have to doze through another dull training...)
Work with me to see how I translate learning theories into creative, attractive, and practical applications so that your team can experience a truly powerful instructional solution!
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Not convinced? Keep scrolling.
My Story
Where Did This Come From?
My background is in linguistics and higher education. I have a love for languages - in fact, I am fluent in both English and Hungarian. I have a very international background, and I have worked with individuals from 30+ different countries and cultures. For the last 8 years, my focus was on higher education where I have had the privilege of designing meaningful courses and creating effective instruction for a very diverse population of adult learners.
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I have a masters degree in Teaching, specifically, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. During my studies, we covered various learning theories in educational psychology, as well as various teaching methods and techniques. In practice, I tend to mix-and-match various theories, techniques, and media to ensure that my instruction is tailored to the needs of my particular learner population. While I love teaching, the area of my work that has received consistent praise is my course design and organization. My use of instructional design techniques has allowed me to create courses that meet the needs of my learners, ensure alignment of learning materials, and achieve desired learning objectives.
Of Everyone Out There - Why Me?
You've got great instructional designer choices out there. I'm sure of that. And on their profiles, you likely read the same strengths and skills. And like most others out there, you can trust me to use reliable instructional design theories and models (like ADDIE). You can trust that I know my way around design and authoring tools (like Canva, Storyline and Rise). You can trust that I will apply design thinking to facilitate change for your organization so that your people can be more equipped to do what you need them to do. You can trust that I will strive for excellence in all of my instructional solutions so that your team can find their training engaging and effective.
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And while these are true - and I think they sound great - they make me just about the same as everyone else out there. So what makes me different?
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One of the significant benefits of having a background in teaching the English language is that I know it. Really. I like to say I know the "back end" of English. I know its structure, the hows and the whys. I study it, research it, teach it and apply it. Because you shouldn't have to proofread your designer. (And yes, I did use a fragmented sentence. We'll call it "creative liberty.")
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I also have a meticulous eye for detail. I don't just double-check my work. I triple and quadruple check, because I want to make sure that my final presented work is completed with excellence.
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And lastly - you'll enjoy working with me. (I know, I know - that's exactly what everyone else wants you to believe, too.) I like to have fun, and I like to get to know the people I work with. I am also driven, and I am a self-starter. You can expect me to be on top of things - whether that's managing multiple things at once, showing up on time, meeting deadlines, or navigating multiple schedules and collaborations to ensure your instructional project gets done, you can always know I will do my best to ensure the work is done to the best of my ability.
Ready to chat?