About Kendal
I’m Kendal Fortson, an instructional designer and educator. I’ve designed lessons, training modules, assessments, and curriculum for corporate, government, and academic purposes. I’m proficient in Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline and Rise, and use the ADDIE method from initial concept through storyboarding to finished product. You can find three examples from my portfolio on this page just below, as well as more details from my resume at the bottom of the page. You can find the many of the materials I designed for Acadmic use at Diogenes Education. Please refer to my contact info at the bottom of the page to reach me about designing your next educational project.
Portfolio
Please click the images below to view each project
Captivate
This is a training module for new marketing employees at a solar energy company in New Mexico. It contains in-project knowledge checks as well as a summative assessment at the training’s end. I communicated with SME (the head of the marketing department) to assess what concepts the client needed taught, created storyboards in Powerpoint, and, once approved by their supervisor, created the final project in Adobe Captivate you see here.
Articulate
This is a training module to help new teachers at a private school learn how to operate their Learning Management System. It was created in Articulate Rise. As a teacher of Language Arts and Literature, Psychology, and Marketing for four years at the school, I was already familiar with the LMS, so I asked new teachers what concepts they found most difficult, asked the principal what tasks she felt most important for new teachers to know, and created this lesson based on their feedback. It contains in-lesson learning activities, unit assessments, and a summative assessment.
Infographic
This simple infographic was designed for two purposes: One, to teach English speakers working at an Albanian bistro with non-bilingual members of management how to make their new spring cocktails; two, to educate English speaking customers about their new spring drink menu.
Resume
Education
Western Governors University, Milcreek UT | August 2023
M. S. Education (Curriculum and Instruction)
Capstone Research project – Excellence Award
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM | 2006
B.A. Criminology, Minor in Psychology
cum laude | Dean’s list
Relevant Experience
- 2012 – present
- Created an asynchronous professional development based on the results of a research study which resulted in a 67% increase of adult learners’ abilities to detect plagiarism via Artificial Intelligence/ChatGPT.
- Prompt Engineering to create visual and text-based learning support materials, including animated components on commercially available educational resources.
- Used the ADDIE method to create instructional materials in Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline with interactive knowledge checks that included animated components to foster engagement.
- Edited audio and video using Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Audition to enhance learning materials.
- Developed and implemented e-learning modules with technical accuracy to reduce employee onboarding time by 20% while aligning with a solar company’s objectives and goals based on SME feedback.
- Created asynchronous and in-person instructional modules with interactive gamified mechanics for K-12 English Language Arts aligned to Common Core standards that made sales in the 98th percentile on a leading educational resource marketplace within one year.
- Identified competency needs, skills and training gaps in new employee training materials for non-native speaking employees based on scores form previous assessments and SME interviews.
- Mentored new employees by providing training materials to increase efficiency with an online LMS.
- 2010 – 2012
- Designed and implemented training materials and programs for the New Mexico Department of Health that led to a 100% increase in funding for the second contract-year due to wide media reach obtained.
- Researched and analyzed data based on focus groups and surveys to update materials in a fast-paced, deadline-focused environment.
- Designed graphics/visual elements for PowerPoint presentations.
- Edited Video/Audio elements of marketing and training materials.
- Created web-content for blogs and assessments utilizing HTML and web-templates.
- Represented the client to key stakeholders and community members in government meetings.
- Demonstrated integrity and maintained client confidentiality.
- Managed budget and completed monthly and annual spending reports to increase program efficiency.
- Led Washington D.C. and Virginia branch meetings in guerrilla marketing methods and strategies to obtain press.
International Teacher | Various China, Albania, Egypt (U.S. State-Department Sponsored School)
- August 2017 - Present
- Communicated and trained staff on AI detection strategies, prompt engineering, and how to incorporate AI tools in the classroom based on backward design and UDL strategies.
- Taught and designed curriculum for Psychology, English, and Social Studies materials to align to multiple country curriculums and instructional frameworks, including American Common Core, AERO, and IB.
- Taught AP Language & Composition/AP English Literature resulting in a pass-rate 8-10% above the global average.
- Communicated with clients of international schools and other stakeholders to ensure continued enrolment.
- Balanced traditional and inquiry-based teaching to maximize student engagement resulting in student MAPS scores of 94% informational texts/84% literary texts at-or-above grade-level, including those students with learning disabilities on IEPs using a push-in method.
- Designed Psychology courses to align with new SME-focus (College Board 2024) on experimental design and statistical analysis that led to a 93% passing rate.
- Created formative and summative assessments vertically aligned to learning outcomes as stated in the ManageBac Learning Management System.
- Created a new-teacher training module and led teacher trainings on progress tracking in the LMS.
Certifications & Professional Development
Teacher Certification from Arizona Department of Education – Phoenix, Arizona – Valid until July 2034
- Secondary English, Secondary Psychology, Secondary Social Studies (IB MYP experience)
- Rice University – July 2022 AP Language for Experienced Teachers (30 Hours)
- University of Central Florida – June 2025 AP Psychology for Experienced Teachers (30 Hours)
- Vanderbilt University’s IRIS Center – September, 2024 Complete Secondary Modules: IEP, RTI, Differentiation, Disabilities, and Progress Monitoring (82 Hours)
- TES – January, 2023 Equality and Diversity for International Schools
- i-To-i – 2017 OFQUAL TESOL/TEFL Certificate (120 Hour)
- CITI Human Subjects Research SBE Comprehensive, August 2023.
Publications and Presentations
- "The Effects of Training on Teacher Ability to Assess Papers in the 21st Century: Can We Learn to Detect AI-Written Content like ChatGPT?" (2023). DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33466.57282/2
- "John Henry vs the Machine" (2024). NESA Learning Futures Summit.
- "A Picture is Worth 1000 Words: AI Image Generators Role in Education" (2025). IBSEA.
- "Use AI. Don't Become AI." (2026). EARCOS.
Skills
- Prompt Engineering with Generative AI/ChatGPT
- Audio/Video editing
- Curriculum Design and Adaptation
- Aligning Assessments with Learning goals
- Responsive Classrooms
- Zoom/Google Meetup
- Google Classroom & Workspace
- Eleven Labs AI audio/voice simulation
- Asynchronous, Synchronous, Hybrid Teaching
- Microsoft Office Suite: PowerPoint, Excel, Word
- Adobe Design Suite: Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Audition
- Adobe Captivate
- Articulate Storyline and Rise 360
- Learning Management Systems
Other Interests
Hiking
Painting
Film Theory
Music Composition