Coburn Design

Instructional System Designers spend years turning dense military doctrine into training a 19-year-old sailor can actually use. Turns out that skill didn't stay behind when they leave for Instructional Designer positions.

If you're hiring an Instructional Designer and you come across a DoD ISD background on the resume, here's what that background actually means for your team:

🔹 We speak fluent SME. We're trained to sit down with the expert (pilot, technician, engineer, doesn't matter who) pull the knowledge out of their head, and turn it into something a novice can follow. That's the hardest part of the job, and we've done it under pressure.

🔹 We cut what doesn't teach. Dense manuals and acronym-heavy doctrine trained us to ruthlessly strip anything that doesn't serve the learner. That means leaner training and less time wasted.

🔹 We prevent costly misreads. In safety- and compliance-heavy environments, unclear instructions aren't just annoying, they cause errors, rework, and liability. Clarity is risk management.

🔹 We boost completion, not just coverage. Jargon is where learners check out. Simplifying it, without dumbing it down, is directly tied to better completion and retention numbers.

🔹 The skill travels. Acronyms change. Tech-speak changes. Compliance language changes. The instinct to turn complexity into clarity works in any industry that hires us.

The acronyms change. The clarity doesn't.
If you're an ISD wondering how this translates outside DoD, or a hiring manager trying to figure out what you're actually getting: this is it.

Happy to talk through what that looks like on your team!

If you're a hiring manager scrolling past every resume with "DoD" or "Instructional Systems Designer" on it, here's what you're actually looking at:

🔹 A jargon translator. We spend careers converting dense doctrine and technical manuals into content someone can actually learn from. That instinct - cut the acronyms, keeps the meaning - transfers to any industry with complex internal language.

🔹 A built-in trust signal. An active Security Clearance means someone already vetted us to handle sensitive, high-stakes information. That's due diligence you don't have to do yourself.

🔹 Process discipline. ADDIE, SAM, Agile ISD - we didn't just read about these frameworks, we lived inside them under strict military QA standards.

🔹 Range. Designing for junior enlisted through senior leadership means we're used to building for steep gaps in rank, skill, and learning style - not just one tidy audience persona.

🔹 An outcomes mindset. In the military, a training gap isn't a bad completion rate - it's a real-world consequence. That bar doesn't lower just because the paycheck comes from a different building.

The mission changes. The standard doesn't.

If you're an ISD navigating the transition out of DoD, or a hiring manager wondering whether that experience translates — it does. Happy to talk about what that looks like in practice.

Created my own Etsy for those who are nerdy and have anxiety / ADHD! I design my work through the use of Canva and doodles.

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheAnxiousNerdStudio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/14qmNnEZQvM/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🎂 It's my birthday!! ..and all I want is a new Instructional Design role!

I've spent my career turning complex training requirements into learning experiences that actually work - from DoD and Navy learning environments to higher ed. A few highlights from my "storyboard":

🎯 74+ SCORM modules built and deployed
📈 35% increase in learner engagement
✅ 94% course completion rate
🔒 70% reduction in phishing incidents (security awareness training)
🎓 M.Ed. in Learning Experience Design & Educational Technology
🛡️ Active DoD Secret Security Clearance

I design with ADDIE and Agile methodologies, and I'm fluent in Canvas LMS, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Confluence, and Jira Cloud.

I'm actively looking for Instructional Designer / ISD roles in the Huntsville–Madison–Athens–Decatur, AL area, or remote.

If you know a team that needs someone who can turn "we need training on this" into something learners actually finish (and remember).. let's talk. 🎉

Portfolio: AliceCoburn.com