About Me
I help turn complexity into clarity.
About Natalie Paul, PhD
This section is an overview of my professional story.
Sometimes on the way to one dream, you get rerouted and find another - I changed my major during my senior year at MIT. With the help of a friend, I realized that all my extracurricular activities were in the field of education. I was a substitute teacher, mentor, and a tutor. After graduating with a joint degree in electrical engineering and comparative media studies, I went on to pursue a master’s degree in mathematics education at Boston University.
After graduation, I taught high school geometry, and that's where I found my specific passion for instructional technology. I had designed an interactive website for my diverse students; several were English as a Second Language learners. They were able to replay tutorial videos I made with PowerPoint and Camtasia and learn at their own pace. Over 90% passed their state standardized exams. It was an amazing accomplishment and very fulfilling to be able to facilitate learning for my students.
This experience led me to pursue a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Learning Technologies at Florida International University. For my dissertation research, I investigated the experiences of university students who have dropped or failed an online course. Additionally, I inquired about design elements that they believed may have helped them succeed if incorporated in their online courses.
Additionally, I began working as a Technical Trainer/Instructor - which evolved into several roles over the years that landed in instructional design. I have a passion for designing training and strategizing workforce development initiatives. Recently, I obtained my Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, which focuses on continuous process improvement and uses statistical tools and visuals that can benefit training programs. My philosophy is that training should solve a problem and that all staff can learn with the right training design.
Effective training empowers employees.
Sometimes on the way to one dream, you get rerouted and find another - I changed my major during my senior year at MIT. With the help of a friend, I realized that all my extracurricular activities were in the field of education. I was a substitute teacher, mentor, and a tutor. After graduating with a joint degree in electrical engineering and comparative media studies, I went on to pursue a master’s degree in mathematics education at Boston University.
After graduation, I taught high school geometry, and that's where I found my specific passion for instructional technology. I had designed an interactive website for my diverse students; several were English as a Second Language learners. They were able to replay tutorial videos I made with PowerPoint and Camtasia and learn at their own pace. Over 90% passed their state standardized exams. It was an amazing accomplishment and very fulfilling to be able to facilitate learning for my students.
This experience led me to pursue a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Learning Technologies at Florida International University. For my dissertation research, I investigated the experiences of university students who have dropped or failed an online course. Additionally, I inquired about design elements that they believed may have helped them succeed if incorporated in their online courses.
Additionally, I began working as a Technical Trainer/Instructor - which evolved into several roles over the years that landed in instructional design. I have a passion for designing training and strategizing workforce development initiatives. Recently, I obtained my Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, which focuses on continuous process improvement and uses statistical tools and visuals that can benefit training programs. My philosophy is that training should solve a problem and that all staff can learn with the right training design.
Effective training empowers employees.
