This post highlights Dr. Stephanie Allen Egbert, a graduate of the ITLS PhD program at Utah State University. She joined USU in 2001 after completing most of her PhD coursework at another university. She finished the program in just two years: one year of classes and one year for her dissertation. Stephanie chose USU because of its national reputation and supportive faculty. She says one of the best parts of the program was learning alongside other students in a strong, friendly academic community. After graduating, she worked as a professor at BYU but later moved into industry roles, including leading global learning and media projects for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She’s also worked at a university helping professors improve their teaching and use technology in the classroom. Stephanie believes instructional design skills like solving problems, managing projects, and working on teams can open doors to many careers, in both academia and industry. She encourages students to take real-world classes, work on projects, and get experience presenting and doing research. She also says students should ask faculty to mentor them, collaborate on research, and help them publish their work. She shared that one of her regrets was not publishing more during her PhD. That’s why she urges students to take advantage of every opportunity, especially to prepare for teaching or research careers. Stephanie also understands that international students face extra challenges like language barriers and culture shock. Her message is: you belong here, and you don’t need to have everything figured out to get started. Her advice? Be open to different paths, work well with others, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone’s journey is different but with support and effort, success is possible.
Dr. Stephanie Allen Egbert’s journey from ITLS PhD student to leading roles in academia and global learning design shows how flexible and impactful this field can be. 🌍🎓
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