UWiDocs.org is maintained by the staff in the Instructional Design & Online Course Support group in the College of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Below are the staff members who contribute to this website.
Ashaun Adler
I’m Ashaun Adler and I am an Instructional Designer for iDocs. I attended Iowa State University and earned a Master’s Degree in Curriculum & Instructional Technology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. My passion is developing instructional activities that make complex ideas simple and interesting to learn. Outside of work, you can probably find me working on a craft project or learning something new. I enjoy trying new recipes, taking long walks, and playing board games.
Jessica Franson
I've been working at UW-Eau Claire since 2003 in various roles related to instructional technology and online teaching. I've been teaching online as an adjunct for the College of Business since 2009. In my current role, I am particularly interested in exploring game-based learning, mobile learning, and learning analytics in the online classroom.
I have a Master's Degree in Educational Technology from the University of Missouri-Columbia and I earned my undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication from UW-Eau Claire. I also earned a Supervisory Management Certificate from the UW-Eau Claire Continuing Education program.
In my spare time I enjoy taking long walks with my dogs, reading, biking, gardening, and camping. I also moonlight as a taxi service for my school-aged children.
Kevin Meinholz
I’ve been at UW-Eau Claire since 2003, as a student for four years, and as a full-time employee since graduating in 2007. I earned a B.A. in Mass Communications-Public Relations with a minor in Computer Science-Web Design & Development. I was the Sports Information Director for UW-Eau Claire Athletics from August 2007 until November 2014, when I was hired as the Communication & Technology Specialist for iDocs and the MBA Program. In 2016, I became the Enrollment & Retention Coordinator for the program. My wife, Cassie, also a UW-Eau Claire graduate, teaches middle school math in the Fall Creek School District. We have two sons.
Kerri Patton
I'm a UW-Eau Claire alumna, having earned a Blugold B.A. in both German and English literature. During my tenure as an undergrad, I also worked as a Help Desk and Desktop employee for what was then known as CNS (now LTS). Post-college, I spent a year teaching English in Dortmund, Germany, via a Fulbright Scholarship. Upon moving back to the States, I entered into the business world, gaining experience as an executive assistant, project coordinator, and later an assessment report writer for a leadership development firm headquartered in Minneapolis. After five years in the firm, I switched industries altogether to work on the front lines of education: the American classroom. For the next 10 years, I taught all five levels of German (I was the only German instructor at the high school) and coordinated the bi-annual German American Partnership Program between my high school and its partner school in Rüsselsheim, Germany (home to Opel!). Eventually, however, I decided to expand my horizons into the world of online education and instructional design, which entailed pursuing a graduate degree in Educational Technology and a graduate certificate in Online Education from Boise State University. My particular interests in the field of EdTech center around effectively translating diverse curricula to the online environment, integrating high-impact multimedia into course design, and providing equitable e-learning experiences for all students. When not at work, you can find me traveling, adventuring with my family, puttering in my garden, tinkering with stained glass, reading, baking, and watching BBC mini-series!
Katie Venit
I see the role of an instructional designer as one that removes barriers to learning online content. Those barriers might be ones of accessibility, clarity, motivation, or something else that we discover as the online education continues to be refined. My job is to collaborate with instructors to make their content shine. I received my B.A. in English with a minor in Journalism from Wake Forest University and an M.A. in Religious Studies from Indiana University Bloomington. I became a "Sconnie" in 2009 when my husband joined the faculty at UW-Stout. I discovered my love for instructional design at the Wisconsin RtI Center, where I partnered with content experts in producing online training for this state’s excellent K-12 teachers. I joined UWEC’s iDocs in 2014 as an instructional designer. When not at work, I’m down in the trenches with my two young kids, thinking of all the hobbies I might have time for one day.
Jeri Weiser
As a part-time instructional designer on the iDocs team, I partner with faculty in our online programs to design course content for successful delivery. I spend the other part of my time on the UW-Eau Claire campus providing assistance to College of Business faculty in their research. In addition, I provide D2L support for instructors and students both online and on campus. I’ve been a member of the iDocs team for seven years, have worked at UW-Eau Claire for 15 years, and received my B.A. from UWEC as well.
When I’m not working, I read, knit, walk, cook, herd cats, and take an occasional online class. My husband Michael retired 10 years ago after a 40-year career in social work. When I have time off, we like to travel.