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STUDENT STORIES

Zeinab Khalifa

Learn how Zeinab built her eLearning portfolio and landed freelance clients.

MEET ZEINAB
Zeinab Khalifa's Student Story | The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

Zeinab Khalifa

🇪🇬 Cairo, Egypt

Before joining The eLearning Designer’s Academy, Zeinab was already working as a corporate trainer and facilitator for an international telecommunications company. But when the pandemic hit in 2020, she was tasked with converting their in-person training for virtual delivery. It was then that Zeinab realized how much she enjoyed the design and development aspects of her job, rather than the repetitiveness of facilitating the same courses over and over again.

As Zeinab continued working on designing and facilitating her own training content, she was promoted into a new instructional design role, where she was tasked with using Articulate Storyline to create eLearning courses. While Zeinab was able to get up and running with Articulate Storyline fairly quickly, like most folks who fall into the world of instructional design and eLearning, she was also experiencing imposter syndrome.

I remember being thrown into my new role as an instructional designer and eLearning developer. Although I could use Articulate Storyline to create courses, I needed to know more about the full design and development process, like managing stakeholders, conducting a needs analysis, and writing storyboards. I really wanted to learn how to do things the right way.”

This led Zeinab to start researching online and connecting with other instructional designers on LinkedIn. Eventually, this led her to Tim Slade and The eLearning Designer’s Academy. And after looking through a lot of the free resources Tim had to offer, she decided to make the leap and enroll in the program.

As Zeinab worked through the program, she initially focused on applying what she was learning to her projects at work. She also used the opportunity to put her Articulate Storyline and visual design skills into practice by developing several sample projects, including a course on dealing with difficult customers, but with a fun, science fiction twist.

But it wasn’t just Zeinab who saw her skills and confidence improve. So did her manager at work.

“As I worked to develop my skills and better understand the eLearning design and development process, I started feeling more confident at work. I started to speak up and share my opinions more often. Now, I’m able to consult with my stakeholders about their needs and offer the right learning solutions. My boss even said that my approach has transformed from an order taker to being more of a consultant to my stakeholders.”

Zeinab Khalifa's Student Story | The eLearning Designer's Academy by Tim Slade

After Zeinab finished building her flagship project, she then turned her attention to her online portfolio. Having never built a portfolio before, she wasn’t exactly sure where to start. But Tim encouraged her to start with a simple tool, like Google Sites, to quickly get something up and running.

And so, she did just that! Over the course of a week, Zeinab purchased a domain and set up her very first portfolio. What she didn’t expect was the new opportunities and exposure she would receive as a result.

“As a new instructional designer, I didn’t think I would be able to create my own portfolio and share my work online at this point in my career. I even started freelancing with different clients worldwide. Tim’s guidance and his community helped me realize that I already had the skills and experience I needed to succeed—I just needed to put myself out there and share my work. It’s been so powerful.”

Today, Zeinab can say with certainty that she is a professional instructional designer and eLearning developer. And with her newly gained skills, she is more than capable of handling any project that comes her way.

See How Tim Can Help You on Your eLearning Journey Today

As a new instructional designer, I was looking for advice, support, and constant feedback more than technical skills. I wanted to improve my overall design process. I found all I was looking for and more in The eLearning Designer's Academy. Tim has thought of every single detail that can help you grow and improve as an instructional designer and eLearning developer. The online community and weekly Zoom calls were a major support for me. I was able to share my experience, ask questions, get feedback, and think of different solutions with my fellow cohort students. I'm happy to say that joining The eLearning Designer's Academy has not only helped me improve my skills and the way I work, but it has also helped me feel more confident in myself as an instructional designer.

Zeinab Khalifa, APTDLearning Experience Designer

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