Ƶ Us
Ƶ The LDG Team
We strive to inspire excellence and innovation in teaching and learning by empowering instructors through ongoing support, training, and collaboration opportunities to develop engaging, inclusive, and accessible learning content.
You can leverage our experience in learning and technology to create great learning experiences for your students.
Each instructor has different needs and the online course development process takes this into account by focusing on personalizing your course development experience.
“Almost 80% of instructors take what they learn from the online instructional design process, and apply it to their in-person course design.”
- Gallup and Inside Higher Education Study
Tomas Bartulec
Manager, Learning Design Group
I was born and raised in the Czech Republic, and after finishing my Engineering degree from the Czech Technical University in Prague, I moved to the States and began my career in Higher Education. For 20 years, I have worked for large state universities, a community college, and a private college. I have done instructional design work for over 15 years.
When working with faculty I always advise them to write a robust syllabus that describes their classes in detail and establishes clear expectations between the instructor and the students. In my free time, I like to bike, hike, and spend time with my wife and three active boys.
Donna Hall
Senior Instructional Designer
I am an Instructional Designer with fifteen years of experience in higher education collaborating with subject matter experts and faculty to design and implement innovative online, hybrid, and face-2-face courses. I am also an experienced problem solver of technical issues for all levels of students, faculty, and staff. I am a foodie, so I like to discover new restaurants and cuisines in my free time.
Brad Grabham
Senior Instructional Designer
I joined the Learning Design Group in November of 2021.Previously, I worked as a Learning Experience Designer, Academic Technology Consultant, and Support Analyst within the Office of Information Technology at the University of Colorado Boulder. Before higher education and nonprofit work, I was a social studies and special education teacher in public schools for eight years and a swim coach for fourteen years.
I have a Master of Science in Information Media with a concentration in instructional design and training. I have a Bachelor of Science in Education with areas of licensure in social studies and special education.I have completed additional certifications, Quality Matters (QM), and implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Higher Education.
Diana Montealegre
Instructional Designer
Iwas born and raised in Colombia, where you can have the best coffee by the Caribbean Sea. I moved here back in 2011 and I’ve lived in Colorado since then with my husband and our two active boys. My background comes from beingan Instructional Designerand Web Accessibility Specialistwitha degreeinComputer Systems Engineering,anda Graduate Certificate in Information Accessibility DesignandPolicy. I enjoy working with different people from different backgrounds,learning, andteaching styles. My goal is to help faculty develop a rich curriculum for their courses, as robust asface-to-face courses,with an emphasis on student successandprofessional growth.
Becky Rex
Instructional Designer
I started my work in Instructional Design in Denver, CO in 2009 and have since worked at a variety of higher education institutions in Oregon, Massachusetts, and Maine before returning to Colorado in 2019. I enjoy the collaborative aspect of this work: sharing ideas with faculty and constantly assessing what makes online education engaging and a quality experience for students. My interest in curriculum development lay in using narrative teaching as a means of conveying information.
I share life with my son, my cat Sparrow, and am happy to be back amongst family, friends, and sunshine in Colorado, after romping around the Pacific Northwest and New England for a few years. I am also a cellist, archer, and love rowing.
Amanda Boike
Instructional Designer
I’m originally from Minnesota and have spent the past 13 years teaching in the classroom. My passion for educational equity and creating learner-centered experiences has always been at the core of my practice. I believe in the power of collaboration and enjoy sharing ideas with others, as well as learning from and with them to continuously improve the learning process. In 2020, my interest in instructional design grew deeper, leading me to pursue a Graduate Certificate in Learner-Centered Instructional Design from Ƶ Denver. I also hold a master's degree in Educational Equity & Cultural Diversity from Ƶ Boulder, both of which have shaped my approach to creating inclusive and engaging learning environments.
Outside of work, I love spending time in the outdoors, whether it’s hiking, gravel cycling, or cross-country skiing. When I’m not on the move, you can find me reading or enjoying time with my family, friends, and cat. I’m deeply committed to crafting impactful learning experiences that help all students thrive, and I’m excited to collaborate with others to make that vision a reality.
Chris Ostro
Instructor and Online Teaching Support Specialist, LDG Affiliate
I love teaching and I consider it a core part of my identity. I have taught at the University of Colorado since 2011 in some way, first as a grad student in the Classics program, then as an adjunct in the Program for Writing and Rhetoric, and now as an Assistant Teaching Professor for the division of Continuing Education (teaching Writing Courses). Even in high school I volunteered as a tutor, though at the time I expected I’d go into STEM education (couldn’t’ve been more wrong on that). I've also tutored a variety of topics since 2008.
My passion for course design initially started as a necessity; adjuncts live and die off of reviews and wanted to make my courses as polished as possible. In addition, a bigger variety of classes in my quiver would help guarantee stable course loads! Little by little I began doing more course design work with the Learning Design Groupin Continuing Education, and I love the work I get to do. I assist in the Online Teaching Academy, I assist with and speak at the Course Design Series, and I do a lot of 1-on-1 mentorship with new faculty. It’s pure joy. In addition, I often help connect the LDG to broader initiatives on campus and currently I’m heavily involved in discussions on campus around AI’s role in learning.
Originally from Warren, Michigan, I moved to Boulder in 2010 and then finally down to Denver in 2017. I’ve got a handful of hobbies: fantasy football, PC gaming, indulging local history and music, listening to (and recording) podcasts, and biking around Denver. In my spare time I can be found hanging out with my cats, camped out at a local coffee shop, or exploring a Denver museum or concert venue!
