When I began planning my Learning Agency internship, I had a very specific experience in mind. I was set to work with the World Trade Center, and I expected a more traditional, client-based project where I would apply instructional design skills in a fairly structured way.
At that point, my goal was also fairly clear. Given my background in graphic design, I was primarily interested in working as an instructional designer in a corporate setting, ideally in a role that allowed me to blend visual design with learning experience design.
That plan changed quickly when the position fell through.
At the time, it felt uncertain. I wasn’t sure what would replace that experience or whether it would offer the same level of depth. Instead, my work shifted in a completely different direction. I began building courses in Canvas for a faculty member, and more recently, I’ve been working on designing a course template for CU Denver’s summer CPE workshops.
Looking back, this shift ended up being far more valuable than I initially expected.
Building courses in Canvas pushed me to think in very concrete ways about structure, navigation, and learner experience. It wasn’t just about content. It was about how learners move through a course, how information is chunked, and how design choices either support or hinder engagement. Along the way, I also began working directly with Canvas HTML, which added another layer to my understanding of how design and functionality intersect within a learning management system.
At the same time, working within an existing course required a different kind of thinking. I had to balance improving the design with maintaining consistency and respecting the original structure. That tension between redesign and preservation was something I hadn’t fully considered before.
More recently, my work on the CPE course template has shifted my focus again. Instead of designing a single course, I’m now thinking at a systems level. The goal is not just to create one effective learning experience, but to build a framework that can support multiple courses, instructors, and learners over time.
This has required me to think more intentionally about scalability, consistency, and usability across different contexts. Decisions feel more consequential because they will be reused and adapted by others.
At the same time, this experience has shifted my perspective in ways I did not anticipate.
Working within CU Denver has introduced me to higher education in a much more direct and meaningful way. I’ve been consistently impressed by the level of thought, collaboration, and intention behind the work being done, and it has made me realize how much I enjoy this environment.
I also found myself stepping outside of my comfort zone. While my initial focus was on design, I’ve become increasingly interested in the systems side of this work, particularly Canvas administration and the infrastructure that supports learning at scale.
What stands out most to me is that none of this was part of my original plan.
I expected a linear internship experience tied to a single client or project. Instead, I’ve had to adapt quickly, explore new directions, and take on work that feels increasingly complex and meaningful. In doing so, I’ve discovered that I am not only comfortable moving beyond my original goals, but genuinely excited by it.
In many ways, I began this experience focused on a specific path.
Now, I’m leaving it more open to new possibilities, and more confident in a direction I hadn’t originally considered, but am now even more excited to pursue.
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