I am a thrice-graduated communication major and after a long time working in in higher education as an undergraduate faculty member, and after a period retraining for a career in instructional design, e-learning, and organizational development, I am now working in State Government as an instructional designer for enterprise learning.
How I got to where I am is an interesting story. If you have a moment, I invite you to enjoy the story of how it all started—with a clock radio…
A clock radio which my dad gave to me, the kind where the numbers flip down as the time changes. It was the first piece of technology that sparked a feeling of connection to others through the magic of morning radio (Magic 100.3, Denver, Colorado!). I loved the cadence and rhythm of the voices of the radio personalities, especially during weather reports.
I’ve always loved learning and, for the most part, really enjoyed school. I’ve also been fascinated by technology: learning about it, working with it, seeing how it integrates and becomes a part of our lives. Becoming an educator wasn’t my original plan, but a funny thing happened along the way that changed everything (and that’s another story worth telling).
My undergraduate major was Telecommunications, with an emphasis in radio, television, and film production, but it was the radio internship that excited me most. I completed my senior internship at Cumulus Radio in Abilene, Texas.
Photo for reference: Justin, my boss, and me during my internship.
One day, my supervisor (pictured above in the baseball cap) stopped by the desk I was using in a corner of the downstairs sales bullpen and told me that my final test as the station intern, a test that would determine whether or not I successfully completed the internship, would require me to make an appearance at a career symposium scheduled to take place at the local high school (Abilene High School, for those interested).
Between fits of giggles, he explained that he had received an invitation to speak at the career symposium for local high schoolers about careers in radio. He thought it would be hilarious if I attended the event in his place and gave the presentation—as him. Never mind that we looked nothing alike and sounded even less alike.
He told me to put on my best suit, write a ten-minute speech about what it’s like to work in radio, and, most importantly, not to disappoint him, the radio station, Cumulus Media or reveal that I was only an intern!
Photo for reference: at the career symposium as a professional (ha!) radio personality.
Mission accomplished—and I still have the wonderful letter of recommendation my supervisor wrote for me upon successful completion of the internship.
Fast forward several years: jobs in radio are not as plentiful as I thought, so I returned to graduate school to continue my education in communication with the aspiration to do something in communication, just not broadcast media. Most graduate-level classes require students to present to their peers, so that was never a problem for me. Teaching was fun, yes, but what really piqued my interest was the challenge of presenting information to a group of learners who may not know a lot about the subject, while keeping them engaged and eager to learn.
More simply put: How do I make learning fun? How do I make it useful, and meaningful to the learner? How do I get my learners to invest in what I would like them to learn? That’s the question that keeps me going.
I learned instructional design when a professor asked me how well I knew the Blackboard LMS. I told him I knew it well, but only as a student. He asked me to show him how to do a few things, and after the demonstration, he told me I would be his teaching assistant for the upcoming semester. I’d be helping him design four of his courses.
What I didn’t know, I was expected to learn—and I accepted the challenge with great joy and enthusiasm!
Photo for reference: the professor who got me started in instructional design.
As a doctoral student, I taught communication classes and assisted faculty with instructional design. I created and revised content for both online learning and face-to-face instruction. I earned my Ph.D. in Strategic Communication, with a dissertation focused on the films of Terrence Malick. I developed a methodology for analyzing Malick’s films through the lens of New Hollywood poetics, exploring how those stylistic elements shaped and informed his choices as a filmmaker and visual storyteller.
As a longtime higher education professional, I’ve taught undergraduate students across a wide range of institutions—from large public universities to small private liberal arts schools to growing regional colleges.
Recently, I returned to the academy as a student to receive formal training in instructional design and online teaching and learning.
Photo for reference: attending class in Zoom.
For my graduate practicum in instructional design, I had the opportunity to design and implement an orientation and training course for Middle Tennessee State University Online. It was an awesome experience. I got to work with an amazing team and produce something that would be useful, meaningful, and helpful for students beginning or continuing their education.
I believe learning should be useful, meaningful—and, when appropriate, fun.
In the photo below, I took a screenshot of the D2L landing page using SnagIt and added the text and arrows to annotate the image. The blue used for the arrows is the official school color in Middle Tennessee State University’s branding:
According to my résumé, I’m a “learning and communications professional with years of experience guiding people through complex—sometimes difficult—processes. Significant hands-on customer service experience delivered in person, virtually, via email, and through one-on-one problem-solving and support. Experience in learning and instructional design, as well as face-to-face instruction and assessment.”
More simply put: My name is Andrew F. Rosbury. I’m a thrice-graduated communication major who loves working with the communicated word, in all its forms and through the many modalities available today. Recently, I have changed careers and am working as a learning experience and instructional designer for enterprise learning.
On a completely unrelated note, I love caricatures and collecting caricatures of myself.
Here’s a recent one I asked ChatGPT to generate:
Learning should be fun and so should creating learning experiences!
Final photo for reference: (Is this thing on?)
