Research & Professional Interests
Work focused on closing the gap between learning and real-world practice: in curriculum, in tools, and in the systems that support faculty and students. Spans instructional design, UX, graphic design, career readiness, and AI integration. Those threads show up together whether in course design, tool development, or helping faculty think through how technology and AI fit into their teaching. Graduate research in connectivism and personal learning environments, a framework since applied to building AI-powered tools that let faculty and students construct and tend their own learning infrastructure. Particularly interested in how AI changes what is possible in learning design, not just as a content tool but as a thinking partner, and in prompt engineering as a competency that should mirror industry demand. All current courses taught are online, continuously refined over fifteen-plus years, and all tools are built for learners who are navigating education at a distance.
Employment History
Faculty, Digital Media Arts
Program Director, Digital Media Arts and Animation 2011–2022
Glendale Community College, Glendale, AZ
2011–Present
- Design and teach 15+ credit hours per semester of fully online and hybrid courses to diverse online learners spanning age, veteran status, and disability at a Hispanic-Serving Institution; have taught online for decades, redesigning each term from student-performance data, Canvas analytics, and structured feedback loops.
- Was commissioned to redesign AVC 100, the program’s highest-enrollment course, after analytics flagged a low student-success rate, rebuilding it from Qualtrics retention data and embedded student-support services to improve completion.
- Designed and lead an experiential, cross-disciplinary design studio where students do real client work on live deliverables for campus partners, from an award-winning student publication to a 90-foot mural and web, print, and video campaigns; relaunched in 2026 as a grant-funded studio that pays students for professional work.
- Lead the brand identity for the GCC Cares Hub, a consolidated basic-needs and student-support initiative, as a live experiential project: a student runs production through a paid 300-hour AmeriCorps internship with AI built into her workflow, doing real work on a real campus launch.
- Designed and taught a fully online faculty-development course, Web-Based Teaching and Learning, preparing community college instructors to design and teach online and grounding them in online pedagogy, assessment design, and the adult-learner experience.
- As Program Director from 2011 to 2022, set program strategy and developed curricula aligned to industry standards, and designed a stackable certificate sequence so learners earn credentials at each milestone; develop and refine curriculum across the program and on the Maricopa district Instructional Council, and contributed to district-wide Guided Pathways alignment across all ten colleges.
- Build and embed student-facing AI tools across the program, from the AVC 100 foundation through the capstone, applying product design thinking to translate frontier AI into practical, student-centered learning, and demonstrate them to faculty, deans, and district leadership in plain language.
- Helped plan and build a new campus XR lab for augmented and virtual reality alongside the dean, opening for instruction in Fall 2026.
- As a campus-wide Quality Matters and OLC/OSCQR lead course reviewer, conduct instructional-design and accessibility reviews across the college, write assessment reports, and coach faculty one on one.
- Led the emergency transition of more than 45 Art and Humanities faculty to fully online teaching during the pandemic, using a Train-the-Trainer model and change-management practices to move resistant adopters to confident, independent users in weeks.
- Rebuilt the program around industry advisory-board input, improving program completion, and advise more than 200 students a year with strong student-evaluation results.
- Co-wrote grants securing more than $100,000 for digital innovation labs (STEAMworks) tied to measurable student outcomes.
- Apply WCAG accessibility standards and inclusive design throughout course and material development.
- Faculty representative on the GCC intranet redesign committee (2023–2024), evaluating information architecture and interface design as a UX practitioner.
Director of Instructional Technology
Glendale Community College, Innovation Center, Glendale, AZ
2004–2011
- Led evaluation, implementation, and optimization of LMS and instructional technology platforms, including a campus LMS evaluation and RFP, and contributed to the district RFP that later led to Canvas adoption.
- Served as district LMS committee co-leader representing 250,000+ users across the ten-college Maricopa system; contributed to change control, upgrades, testing, and vendor relations.
- Established a single-point-of-contact instructional technology helpdesk, improving support efficiency and recognized with the Kudos Award.
- Defined requirements, created ITIL service agreements, and managed cross-functional development teams to deliver educational technology solutions on time and within budget.
- Established design standards, templates, and style guides for LMS course design, web interfaces, and digital communications across the college.
- Mentored instructors on active learning, hybrid course design, and technology-enhanced pedagogy; ran faculty professional development workshops.
- Co-authored the proposal to establish GCC’s Center for Teaching, Learning and Engagement (CTLE); visited Maricopa district centers, benchmarked models, and recommended a faculty-led structure in partnership with the Director of Training.
- Served on HLC Accreditation Committee and President’s Technology Advisory Taskforce; contributed strategic technology planning and budget recommendations.
Online Learning Coordinator
University of Michigan Engineering School, Ann Arbor, MI
2002–2004
- Managed quality assurance for all online courses in the world’s largest Six Sigma online programs, designing hyflex structures with video, audio, and interactive content.
- Supervised employees running video/sound production; maintained distance learning lecture capture facilities.
- Implemented and trained all staff on organization-wide incident and request tracking system.
Product Manager, Higher Education
ProQuest Information and Learning, XanEdu Division (EdTech Startup), Ann Arbor, MI
1999–2002
- Managed end-to-end educational software product development; wrote detailed requirements documentation, conducted usability studies, and translated research into structured product roadmaps.
- Collaborated with engineering, sales, and marketing to prioritize roadmap initiatives; presented at national EdTech conferences to gather user feedback and drive adoption.
- Worked with partner channels including AOL, Blackboard, and WebCT to develop hybrid product integrations.
Graphic Designer
Q LTD, Ann Arbor, MI
1997–1999
- Designed identity, web, and print campaigns for clients including University of Michigan Business School, SIGGRAPH, ProQuest, The Annenberg Foundation, and the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority; managed client relationships, proposals, budgets, and vendor coordination.
- Worked on large-scale web projects alongside the authors of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web (O’Reilly); contributed to user research and usability studies as part of cross-disciplinary teams pairing IA, design, and development.
Courses Taught
Glendale Community College, Glendale, AZ
Art and Humanities Department · Digital Media Arts and Animation
2005–Present
AVC 183, Digital Graphic Arts I
Graphic design applications for digital illustration, advertising, typography, and visual communication using industry-standard software.
2026–Present
AVC 100, Introduction to Digital Arts
Foundation course in digital arts and design with emphasis on creating art using the computer across bitmap, vector, and layout applications.
2010–Present
AVC 181, Graphic Design I
Design principles and the graphic design process from concept through final product; typography, color theory, layout, and basic identity and branding.
2011–Present
AVC 182, Graphic Design II
Typography, contrast, and layout applied to consumer advertising, multi-page documents, and comprehensive identity and branding systems.
2011–Present
AVC 248, Design Self Promotion
Career goal-setting, self-promotional marketing, resume and portfolio development, business ethics, copyright, contracts, and professional networking and interview skills.
2018–Present
AVC 297AC, Commercial Art Internship
Supervised work experience applying digital design, development, and photographic imaging skills in a business or industry setting; 240 designated hours per semester.
2019–Present
AVC 280AC, Digital Media Arts and Design Capstone
Practice-based capstone applying program knowledge to a real business or industry challenge; students develop, execute, and present a discipline-specific project.
2010–2023
AVC 210, Design Tools for Imagery, Production, and Publishing
Industry-standard image manipulation, digital production, typography, and desktop publishing using integrated Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign workflows.
2011–2020
AVC 177, Digital Photographic Imaging I
Digital photographic image manipulation using professional software; aesthetic foundations of photographic composition, image editing, and print presentation.
2020
ART 255, Art Marketing
Business practices, marketing strategy, and career development for working artists and designers; pricing, client relations, and promotion in the creative industry.
2018
AVC 281, Graphic Design III
Advanced graphic design problem solving for complex, multi-page projects; emphasis on research, grid systems, hierarchy, and professional presentation to client specifications.
2011–2013
AVC 180, Designer’s Tools
Single-application tool courses covering Dreamweaver, Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Flash; hands-on proficiency in industry-standard design and web production software.
2005–2011
CIS 236, Web-Based Teaching and Learning
Fully online faculty development course preparing community college instructors to design and teach online. Grounded students in online pedagogy, course design, and learner engagement while positioning them as online students themselves to build empathy for the learner experience. Covered instructional communication, assessment design, and course materials development.
2010–2011
Washtenaw Community College, Internet Professional Program, Ann Arbor, MI
1999–2000
- HTML
- Web Site Fundamentals
- Imaging for the Web
- Advanced Imaging for the Web
- Audio and Video for the Web
College for Creative Studies, Communication Graphics, Detroit, MI
1998–1999
- Typography I
- Typography II
Eastern Michigan University, Visual Communications, Ypsilanti, MI
1998–1999
- Graphic Design I
- Graphic Design II
Selected Projects & Curriculum Design
Render, AI Student Career Launch Framework
Glendale Community College · AVC 248 Integration · singletrackmom.github.io/render · 2025–Present
A connectivist personal learning environment for students developed in conjunction with Career Services. Gives final-semester students one place to use compartmentalized AI prompting to create their own projects and learning goals, track job search or freelance work, build their portfolio pipeline, and maintain career infrastructure after graduation. Seven modules map to a formal career launch skills taxonomy. Prototyping in HTML/CSS/Vanilla JS using Claude AI; student pilot planned Fall 2026. Overview →
CopaMigo, Bilingual Student Support Routing Prototype
Glendale Community College · singletrackmom.github.io/copamigo · 2025–Present
Early-prototype AI triage tool designed to close the gap between resources that exist and students who don’t know what to call what they need. Students describe their situation in plain English or Spanish; the tool routes them to the right human service with a handoff card showing contact info, hours, and what to ask for. Built around 14 service modules and 100+ hand-verified service URLs, with email human-handoff and a planned live chat staffed by social work interns. Designed for district-wide deployment with a campus picker for all 10 Maricopa colleges. In testing.
District Student Support & Success AI Strategy
Maricopa Community Colleges District · AI Resource Committee, Domain 5
Co-chair of Domain 5 (Student Support & Success) on the district committee chartered to identify where AI can responsibly improve the non-classroom services that drive student retention and well-being, across all 10 colleges and 140,000+ students. The work runs as three coordinated initiatives, grounded in the evidence on why students leave: a service inventory and cross-college crosswalk that maps 50+ student-facing functions across all 10 colleges (the same service is named differently at each); a student-journey usability study with three research personas, a full task roadmap, and a live capture instrument; and a prioritized, human-centered AI roadmap that answers simple questions itself and routes the rest to a person. Framed as organizational change work that surfaces duplicated effort and unmet need and frees staff time for direct student support.
GCC Campus Cares Hub, Consolidated Student Support Services
Glendale Community College · Cross-Functional Initiative Committee · 2026–Present
Developing the brand identity and marketing system for a major campus initiative consolidating student support services into the former bookstore space: free grocery bodega, cafe seating, social work interns, community partners, laundry pickup, professional clothing closet, and a monthly farmers market. Working in partnership with a recent alumna, now at ASU, who is executing production through a paid 300-hour AmeriCorps internship that funds her bachelor’s, with AI integrated into her workflow. Also serving on the committee determining resource mix and design direction. Live brand development on a real campus initiative, with a current student leading production.
Faculty AI Community of Practice
Glendale Community College · Center for Teaching, Learning & Engagement · 2026–Present
Monthly faculty and staff gathering launching Fall 2026 through the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Engagement, with a kickoff during Accountability Week. Designed as a lower-stakes peer learning structure to surface AI use that is already happening informally across campus and build shared institutional knowledge. Sessions alternate between on-campus and online; each meeting has a focused topic and a show-and-tell so participants can share what they’re trying in their classrooms.
AVC100 Introduction to Digital Media, Course Redesign
Glendale Community College · Launching May 2026 · 2025–2026
Contracted redesign of the department’s highest-enrollment course, a 1-credit Digital Media Arts entry point with a documented low student success rate. Redesign grounds every module in retention research; each module directly introduces Student Services including Advising, GCC Cares, Tutoring, and Disability Services, embedding wellness into the learning experience. Built as IMSCC for Canvas import.
Digital Media Arts Discord Community, Student Services Integration
Glendale Community College · In Active Development · 2020–Present
A closed, cross-program community connecting students across all Digital Media Arts courses. Currently used for peer critique, class announcements, job postings, and events, with tutoring access embedded. The longer goal is connectivist: extending the network beyond the classroom into real industry, employers and advisors participating in portfolio reviews, guest speakers from the field, career services and library integrated as active partners, and students building professional relationships as part of their studies rather than after. That outward reach into industry is what makes it a genuine learning network, not just a discussion board. Research and precedent document: Discord Community Building in Higher Ed →
ART280 Design Studio, Cross-Disciplinary Capstone
Glendale Community College · 2010–2023 & 2026–Present
Designed and led a cross-disciplinary studio environment where students worked with real campus clients on live deliverables: the award-winning Traveler publication, app interfaces, a 90-foot mural, web and print design, and video campaigns. Relaunched January 2026 as a grant-funded paid professional studio.
The Traveler Literary and Visual Arts Publication, Faculty Advisor
Glendale Community College · 2011–Present
Faculty advisor for GCC’s nationally award-winning annual student literary and visual arts publication. Coach the student editorial and design team through the full production cycle: submission review, editorial selection, design and typography, print production, and launch. Three-time recipient of the College Media Association Pinnacle Award for Literary Magazine of the Year (2015, 2016, 2025) and recognized in the Best of Phoenix Design Show by AIGA (2017–2022). Long-running model of student leadership and authentic creative production embedded in a credit-bearing course.
Publications & Curriculum Frameworks
Graduate Publication
Education Transformed: How Open Network Learning and Personal Learning Environments are Changing the Way We Learn and Teach
Blomberg, M. et al. · Northern Arizona University · Collaborative graduate textbook on connectivist instructional technology practice, written for a faculty audience. Render is the practical realization of this framework, a connectivist personal learning environment built with AI.
2017
Curriculum & Design Documents
Establishing a Campus-Wide Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee
Blomberg, M. · Glendale Community College · Authored this document establishing the need for a formal committee with backup research submitted to college governance.
2026
Render Skills Taxonomy and Career Launch Framework
Blomberg, M. · Glendale Community College · Formal competency map for creative professional post-graduation development across five domains: portfolio, resume, networking, learning, and self-promotion.
2025
AVC100 Course Redesign Documentation
Blomberg, M. · Glendale Community College · Evidence-based redesign informed by Qualtrics retention data, learning science literature, and student wellness research.
2025–2026
HLC Accreditation Documentation, Criteria 3 and 5
Blomberg, M. · Glendale Community College · Contributed to two accreditation cycles authoring evidence for Criterion 3 (Teaching and Learning: Quality, Resources, and Support) and Criterion 5 (Resources, Planning, and Institutional Effectiveness), documenting online and hybrid learning quality, CTE program outcomes, and institutional planning processes.
2010–2012 & 2020–2022
eCourses Charter
Contributing author · Glendale Community College · Established instructional design standards, course quality expectations, and governance for online course development college-wide.
2010–Present
Presentations & Faculty Development
From Classroom to Career: A Student Dashboard Built with AI
Mesa Community College AI Summit (Forthcoming) · 50-minute session introducing Render, an AI-powered career dashboard built with Claude for Digital Media Arts students. Demonstrates how structured AI tools can connect coursework to career outcomes across any discipline.
2026
Online Learning Mentorship & Canvas Help for Art Faculty
Glendale Community College · Led emergency online transition support for 45+ art and humanities faculty during COVID; ongoing individual coaching throughout the pandemic.
2020–2022
eCourses Lunch & Learn Series
Glendale Community College · Ongoing faculty professional development on Canvas best practices, Bloom’s Taxonomy rubric design, active learning, and retention strategies.
2015–2023
Successful Course Collaboration with Career Services, Library & Tutoring
Glendale Community College · Cross-departmental session on integrating campus support services as intentional learning design elements.
2017
Virtual Field Trips with YouTube VR
Northern Arizona University / Flagstaff Unified School District · Trained K–12 teachers on VR technology integration using connectivist learning theory. Co-presenter: Todd Couchon.
2017
Think Inside the Box
Glendale Community College · Showcased cross-disciplinary student projects to inspire faculty.
2016
STEAM Cross Disciplinary Student Collaboration
Glendale Community College
2016
STEAM Diaries: Quest to Build a Campus STEAM Program
League for Innovation STEMTech Conference, Phoenix; Maricopa Student Success Conference, Phoenix · Co-presenter: Kristin Bennes.
2015
Broadening Communications for Online or Hybrid Classes Using Google+
Glendale Community College · Hands-on workshop introducing faculty to Google+ Hangouts and Stream for synchronous and asynchronous critique feedback.
2012
Online/Hybrid Art Classes with Google+
Maricopa Technology Conference, Mesa, AZ · Demonstrated Google+ tools for synchronous and asynchronous classroom use.
2012
Twitter for Educators, Facebook for Educators, Introduction to ArtStor
Glendale Community College · Series of emerging technology faculty workshops.
2009–2010
Technology Midway: Get Your Ducks in a Row with Web 2.0
Glendale Community College · Poster session exploring RSS feeds, Blackboard, Ning, Facebook, Twitter, Wordle, Doodle, and Poll Everywhere for educators. Co-presenter: Juliane Roybal.
2009
Dialog Day: Managing the Blackboard Content System
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction · Faculty in-service on file storage, course planning, and optimal system use. Co-presenter: Randy Anderson.
2007
Planning for the Blackboard Content System
Blackboard World Conference, Boston · District-wide rollout plan presented to a national audience. Co-presenters: Dr. Lisa Young, Randy Anderson.
2007
Wireless, Handhelds and Mobile Labs
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction · Instructional Technology Interest Group session showcasing faculty projects.
2005
Macromedia Captivate
Ocotillo Retreat, Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction · E-learning interactions and task/audio capturing using animation software.
2005
Girls Exploring Technology
Glendale Community College · Technology coordinator for annual one-day event for middle school girls: hardware building, 3D drawing, animation, and web design.
2005
Education
Master of Education, Educational Technology · Adult Online Learning Emphasis
Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ (Online)
2017
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Visual Communications
Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
1998
DeProgram Dutch Design Program
Eastern Michigan University · Netherlands and the United Kingdom
Summer 1995
Microcredentials & Continuing Education
League for Innovation AI Fellows
Selective eight-week cohort for community and technical college leaders advancing campus AI initiatives; participants design and present a real-world AI project during a capstone session.
2026
Google Generative AI Leader (GAIL) Training
Google · Intensive two-day virtual training for education leaders on generative AI tools, applications, and strategies for institutional adoption.
2026
Generative AI as a Learning Design Partner Specialization
University of Michigan (Coursera)
2026
Teaching AI Fluency Certificate
Anthropic Academy
2026
Prompt Engineering
Purdue University
2024
Applying the QM Rubric
Quality Matters
2014
Tools & Technical Fluency
Service, Committees & Memberships
AI Resource Committee, Maricopa Community College District
Student Support & Success Co-Chair, Domain 5 · Co-chairing a district AI strategy across 10 colleges and 140,000+ students: a 50+ service cross-college inventory, a three-persona student-journey usability study, and a prioritized, human-centered AI roadmap.
2025–Present
Online Educational Resources Committee, Glendale Community College
Maricopa OER initiatives have saved students over $2 million in textbook costs.
2023–Present
eCourses Committee, Art Department Representative, Glendale Community College
2010–Present
eCourse Lead Reviewer (Quality Matters and OLC/OSCQR), Glendale Community College
2011–Present
Peer Assistance and Review Committee, Glendale Community College
Faculty tenure review; PAR Mentor to three probationary faculty, 2016–2023.
2016–Present
Instructional Council, Art Program Curriculum Development, Maricopa Community Colleges
2010–2016 & 2025–Present
HLC Accreditation Committee, Glendale Community College
Criteria 3 and 5.
2010–2012 & 2020–2022
Guided Pathways Committee, Maricopa Community Colleges
Aligned curriculum across 10 colleges; redesigned Arts and Humanities majors for consistency and industry alignment.
2017–2019
eLearning Advisory Group, Maricopa Community Colleges
Co-Chair 2009–2010 · Representing 250,000+ users of the Maricopa system.
2004–2013 & 2019–2020
President’s Technology Advisory Taskforce, Glendale Community College
2004–2010
Conference Session Submission Reviewer, EDUCAUSE
2008–2010
Campus Representative, EDUCAUSE
2005–2010
Awards & Recognition
Gaucho Globe Award for Open Educational Resources
Glendale Community College
2026
College Media Association Pinnacle Award, Literary Magazine of the Year
The Traveler, faculty advisor
2015, 2016 & 2025
Best of Phoenix Design Show, American Institute of Graphic Arts
The Traveler Literary and Visual Arts Publication, faculty advisor
2017–2022
One Maricopa Award, Chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges
21st Century Maricopa Committee
2010
One Maricopa Award, Chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges
Blackboard Testing Team
2009
Kudos Award, Glendale Community College Technology Committee
Single point of contact Help solution
2005