Instructional Designer • Learning Experience Consultant

Designing Learning Experiences
That Actually Work

For small businesses, organizations, and universities ready to transform how people learn. I bring a 360-degree approach combining instructional design, business strategy, and technical expertise to create learning solutions that drive real results.

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Kima Ellis
About Me

The 360-Degree Approach to
Learning & Development

I'm Kima Ellis — instructional designer, AI consultant, and learning experience architect who believes technology should amplify human potential, not replace it.

With eight years in higher education and a background that spans English instruction, course development, and educational technology leadership, I bring a practitioner's lens to every project. I currently serve as Senior Instructional Designer at North Carolina Central University's Office of e-Learning and as an adjunct instructor at Appalachian State University, where I teach Digital Learning Systems.

My AI consulting work goes beyond buzzwords. I specialize in prompt engineering, building customizable GPT tools and AI-powered learning assistants, and helping organizations develop intentional, ethical AI integration strategies. Whether I'm designing a course, building an AI bot, or facilitating faculty development, my goal is the same: create experiences where the learning actually sticks.

I'm currently pursuing my doctorate in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Instructional Technology Leadership at Appalachian State University. I am also a Quality Matters Peer Reviewer and Facilitator and a Canvas Power User — which means I don't just design to best practices, I helped define them.

Core Competencies

🎯 Instructional Design
📚 Course Development
🎓 Teaching & Facilitating
🤖 AI Consulting
📝 Technical Communications
🏢 Learning & Development

Certifications & Credentials

Canvas Certified Power User
QM Certified Peer Reviewer
QM Rubric Seventh Edition
QM Certified APPQMR F2F Facilitator

Education

🎓
Doctoral Candidate (EdD)

Educational Leadership

Appalachian State University

Instructional Technology Leadership

🎓
Master of Arts (M.A.)

Creative Writing

Southern New Hampshire University

🎓
Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Technical Communication & Writing

Kaplan University

🎓
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

English

University of North Carolina at Pembroke

View My LinkedIn Profile
What I Do

Services That Drive Results

Canvas LMS Expertise

Course design, setup, migration, and optimization. I build Canvas courses that are engaging, accessible, and aligned with Quality Matters standards.

Course Development (Instructional Design)

Designing higher education learning experiences that are engaging, accessible, and built to last. Every course I develop follows Quality Matters best practices — from alignment of objectives and assessments to learner support and interactive content that keeps students motivated and on track.

Learning & Development (L&D)

From employee onboarding to leadership development, I design training programs that engage learners and deliver measurable outcomes. Whether it's compliance training, professional development, or sales coaching — I create L&D solutions that improve performance and deliver real ROI.

AI Integration & Tools

Custom AI tool development and implementation. I help organizations leverage AI effectively—no hype, just practical solutions that enhance training and performance.

Strategic Consulting

AI adoption strategies, learning technology implementation, and organizational change management. I help you navigate the why and how, not just the what.

Website & Landing Page Development

Professional website design and development for businesses, organizations, and educational projects. From business sites to complex academic platforms, I create visually engaging, content-rich digital experiences.

Recent Work

Projects That Made an Impact

L.O.A.H. - Learning Objective & Assessment Helper

L.O.A.H. — Learning Objective & Assessment Helper

An AI-powered bot designed to help faculty and instructional designers craft Bloom's Taxonomy-aligned learning objectives and paired assessments. Built on Playlab, L.O.A.H. guides users through a structured process to ensure instructional alignment and Quality Matters-ready course design.

AI Integration
Integrated AI to provide real-time suggestions and validation, helping users craft better learning objectives faster while maintaining quality standards.
Quality Matters
Built to align with QM standards, ensuring every learning objective meets rigorous criteria for clarity, measurability, and instructional effectiveness.
Instructional Design
Applies systematic instructional design principles to guide users through creating objectives that drive meaningful learning outcomes and proper assessment alignment.
View Project →
Building Active Learning Objectives

Building Active Learning Objectives

Professional development course designed for workforce leaders and L&D professionals. Comprehensive training on creating measurable, active learning objectives using Bloom's Taxonomy, with practical frameworks for evaluation and immediate application to corporate training programs.

L&D Training
Designed specifically for corporate trainers and L&D professionals, bridging educational theory with practical workplace training applications.
Professional Development
Created as a complete professional development program that upskills teams in creating effective learning objectives that drive measurable business outcomes.
Bloom's Taxonomy
Teaches practical application of Bloom's Taxonomy to corporate settings, helping participants select appropriate cognitive levels for their training goals.
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AI Implementation Strategy for Universities

AI Implementation Strategy for Organizations

Comprehensive strategic framework for integrating AI across an organization. Developed evidence-based recommendations for leadership, teams, and professional development. Includes stakeholder engagement strategies, policy development guidelines, and implementation roadmaps ensuring ethical, effective AI adoption.

Strategic Consulting
Provided executive-level strategic guidance on AI integration, addressing organizational readiness, policy development, and change management across all stakeholder groups.
AI Strategy
Created comprehensive AI adoption roadmap with evidence-based recommendations, ethical guidelines, and practical implementation steps tailored to organizational needs.
Change Management
Developed stakeholder engagement strategies and professional development frameworks to ensure smooth AI adoption and sustained organizational buy-in.
View Project →
Mindful AI Design Logo
Coming Soon

Mindful AI Design & The M.A.I.D. Collective

Mindful AI Design is an AI consulting and strategy firm built on one core belief: AI is only as mindful as the humans behind it. Founded by Kima Ellis, Mindful AI Design helps educators, L&D professionals, and organizational leaders integrate AI with intention, strategy, and a human-centered approach.

The M.A.I.D. Collective is a cross-sector Community of Practice — a space where educators, corporate trainers, government leaders, and innovative thinkers come together around the idea that the future of AI belongs to people who use it thoughtfully. The A is already in human. You just need to add the I to make it a humAIn experience.

🚀 Full launch coming soon.

AI Consulting
Strategic AI adoption support for organizations seeking to implement AI thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively across teams and workflows.
Community of Practice
The M.A.I.D. Collective brings together practitioners across sectors to share strategies, tools, and frameworks for intentional AI integration.
Human-Centered Design
Every Mindful AI Design framework is built around the humans first — ensuring technology amplifies rather than replaces the people behind it.
Rosie Home Tech

Rosie Home Tech — ADDIE Case Study

An interactive branching scenario built with Claude AI that guides students through the complete ADDIE instructional design process. Students follow the fictional Rosie Home Tech company through real-world e-learning design decisions — from needs analysis through evaluation — experiencing each ADDIE phase as a practitioner would in the field. Developed for OLL 4550: Digital Learning Systems at Appalachian State University.

Case Study Design
Developed a richly detailed fictional organization and scenario to give students authentic, applied practice with instructional design decision-making at each ADDIE phase.
AI-Assisted Authoring
Used Claude AI to collaboratively develop scenario content, branching logic, and assessment rubrics — modeling intentional, educator-led AI integration in course development.
Higher Ed Course Design
Designed for a graduate-level instructional technology course, balancing theoretical grounding in ADDIE with hands-on practice applying the model to a realistic organizational context.
View Project →
Let's Work Together

Ready to Start Your Project?

Whether you need Canvas course design, employee training programs, AI integration, or strategic consulting, I'd love to hear about your project.

Email KEllis@KimaEllis.com
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