In late 2023, Robin Baker made the profession pivot from assistant professor at OHSU-PSU College of Public Well being to studying designer at Dartmouth Faculty. I requested if Robin can be prepared to share some ideas about her profession path, and he or she graciously agreed.
Q: What motivated you to shift from a conventional school place right into a studying designer position? What preparation and background did you deliver to the work of a studying designer, and what benefits and challenges have been posed by coming from a school position?
A: I made a decision to transition from a conventional school position to a studying designer place after appreciable reflection on what I wished my work and life to appear to be. I used to be in a comfortable cash–funded place, the place success usually felt tied to analysis output and securing grants. However in follow, most of my vitality went into educating and supporting college students, the elements of the job that really mattered to me. Over time, I started to understand that the tempo and construction of that type of tutorial position weren’t sustainable for me in the long term. As I believed extra deeply about what points of my work I discovered most rewarding, I noticed that, along with educating and mentoring, I discovered immense satisfaction in designing studying experiences that had been inclusive, genuine and related. I usually spent important time redesigning assignments and actions to make them extra partaking and significant for my college students. Studying design supplied a option to keep linked to the core of what I worth: educating, studying and pupil success.
I dropped at this position a robust basis in pedagogy, evaluation and curriculum design, developed by way of years of deliberately reflecting on my educating. Every time I observed a method fell flat, I dug into the literature and experimented with new approaches, refining my follow primarily based on proof and remark. One other benefit that my earlier life as a school member has supplied me is that I’ve developed empathy and sensible perception into the challenges that school face when making an attempt to create sturdy studying experiences, present significant suggestions and keep a work-life steadiness. I’ve discovered that acknowledging these realities and interesting in open, sincere dialogue helps construct belief and results in extra artistic and efficient options. Coming from a school background has allowed me to function a bridge between educating follow and design technique.
On the identical time, that transition has include some challenges. In my school position, I used to be accustomed to being the only decision-maker for my programs, so adapting to a extremely collaborative surroundings, the place I wanted to affect others with out formal authority, was a serious shift. On this context, I needed to develop sturdy project-management abilities, work inside structured timelines and manufacturing workflows, and talk clearly throughout groups. Studying to navigate these processes and contribute meaningfully with out directing each resolution was initially troublesome, however it strengthened my capacity to work strategically, construct consensus and help high-quality studying experiences in partnership with others.
Q: Having now skilled life as each a full-time professor and full-time studying designer, how do the 2 roles evaluate and distinction? For somebody skilled for analysis and employed largely in educating (as most Ph.D.s are), what suggestions would possibly you may have for anybody else considering the same profession path?
A: Having skilled life as each a full-time professor and now as a full-time studying designer, I see each roles as linked by a shared dedication to bettering pupil studying, although they differ in scope and type of affect. As a school member, I had a really rapid reference to college students: educating, mentoring and witnessing their progress in actual time. That direct engagement was deeply rewarding and energizing, however it additionally got here with heavy workloads, administrative pressures and blurred boundaries. Over time, I discovered that stage of depth troublesome to maintain, which prompted me to mirror on the type of work-life steadiness and long-term affect I wished.
As a studying designer, the work feels broader and extra strategic. As an alternative of specializing in one group of scholars, I now collaborate with school throughout disciplines to design programs and studying environments that improve educating and studying for a lot of extra college students. The affect is much less direct however usually larger in scale, because it shapes the techniques and helps that allow efficient educating.
On the identical time, I believe it is very important acknowledge that the lack of direct reference to college students is usually a actual adjustment. There’s something uniquely particular about witnessing college students’ aha moments and seeing the rapid outcomes of your educating. As a studying designer, that suggestions loop is extra oblique. College are sometimes very appreciative of our collaboration, however it doesn’t carry fairly the identical emotional resonance as seeing college students thrive firsthand. For anybody contemplating this transition, it’s price reflecting on how central that type of direct engagement is to their sense of goal and whether or not there are different methods, reminiscent of mentoring colleagues, partaking in skilled improvement or contributing to the broader studying neighborhood, to fill that hole.
One other concern I usually hear from school contemplating this path is the concern of dropping autonomy, notably the flexibleness to construction their very own days or pursue artistic concepts. In my expertise, that relies upon closely on the crew and institutional tradition. In my present position, which is essentially distant and hybrid, there’s a real appreciation for the entire particular person. We’re trusted to handle our time and vitality, and that autonomy remains to be very a lot current.
The distinction is that I now have a more healthy type of management. I set lifelike targets for what I can obtain in a given day, whereas being cautious to not let work bleed into private or household time. That construction permits me to work effectively and deliberately and it has given me area to reconnect with household, associates, neighborhood and nature. For anybody interested by making this transition, it’s price having open conversations about crew expectations, workflows and tradition. Understanding these points up entrance can assist you gauge whether or not the position is an efficient match and set you up for long-term satisfaction.
Q: Not too long ago, you took on an further position as course co-director of the Capstone for the Dartmouth M.H.A. program. How does that work combine together with your studying design position, and the way have you ever been capable of steadiness each tasks?
A: In some ways, my position as course co-director is a significant complement to my work as a studying designer. On this position, I function one of many school for the capstone course, guiding college students as they pull collectively what they’ve realized throughout this system and apply it to advanced, real-world challenges. It’s been extremely rewarding to reconnect immediately with college students, one thing I’d missed since stepping away from a full-time school position.
What makes this position much more significant is that I used to be one of many studying designers who helped school develop most of the programs within the M.H.A. program. Now, I get to see that work come full circle. It gives me with a singular perspective on how our methods are carried out in follow and highlights alternatives to additional refine the training expertise.
I additionally recognize how this educating position enhances, somewhat than competes with, my work in studying design. My design expertise informs how I strategy the capstone, serving to me consider carefully about scaffolding, alignment and genuine evaluation. On the identical time, educating retains me linked to the coed perspective, giving me a firsthand understanding of how learners expertise our programs. That perception flows immediately again into my design work and strengthens my collaborations with school.
Balancing each roles does require intentional construction and lifelike expectations. I’ve realized to be clear about what I can fairly accomplish every week and to guard time for relaxation, household and private commitments. I depend on block scheduling to give attention to design tasks, school consultations and capstone mentoring, whereas ensuring these blocks don’t spill into evenings or weekends. Sustaining these boundaries has been important for sustaining each high quality and steadiness.
I’m additionally lucky to have supportive management in each the training design crew and the M.H.A. program, who acknowledge the worth of those complementary roles. That tradition of belief and suppleness makes it potential to do each nicely.
In some ways, this twin position provides me the perfect of each worlds: the broader, systemic perspective of studying design and the direct, human connection of educating. Collectively, they preserve me grounded in why this work issues and permit me to contribute to each school and pupil success in significant, sustainable methods.
