Alex Dreier Email & Phone Number

I help lead innovations in digital learning both externally and internally to advance WestEd's mission.

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

As Co-Owner of ED Consulting, LLC, with Dr. Callie Edwards and Dr. Lauren Milam, I lead the learning design side of our consultancy.

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Area

As Associate Director of Online Learning at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, I led the Institute's online learning program. I led the Institute's Oak Foundation-funded grant on learning differences, an initiative in which we have developed a free open online course for educators, a free open online course for students, a parent guide, and school deep dive implementations. I also became Co-PI on a multi-year NSF-funded project, "Invigorating Statistics Teacher Education Through Professional Online Learning," in which the project team is developing an LXP-like system for statistics educators. I also served as Co-PI on projects in designing an online professional learning course to support student media literacy as well as an online professional learning experience to support parents and educators' of color build their understanding of autism. I also led our work around micro-credentials, or competency-based demonstrations of an educator's understanding or application, having written and presented at a variety of national conferences on the topic. A major focus of mine has been on the development and delivery of "SEL for Educators," a massive open online course that has helped a global audience of 15,000+ educators build a foundational knowledge of SEL through the lens of the CASEL framework, exploring key competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. From the Hewlett Foundation and Digital Promise to NCDPI and WCPSS, I have worked closely with national and local organizations to build and sustain educational programs that support meeting the needs of all learners, helping to personalize student learning with a priority on creating equitable learning experiences and environments for all learners.

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

In my role as Instructional Design Lead and Research Scholar at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation, I took leadership of the Institute's Oak Foundation-funded grant on learning differences, an initiative in which we have developed a free open online course for educators, a free open online course for students, a parent guide, and school deep dive implementations. I also became Co-PI on a multi-year NSF-funded project, "Invigorating Statistics Teacher Education Through Professional Online Learning," as well as Co-PI on projects related to media literacy an online professional learning experience to support parents and educators' of color build their understanding of autism. I also helped lead our work around micro-credentials, or competency-based demonstrations of an educator's understanding or application, having written and presented at a variety of national conferences on the topic. A major focus of mine has been on the development and delivery of "SEL for Educators," a massive open online course that has helped a global audience of 13,000+ educators build a foundational knowledge of SEL through the lens of the CASEL framework, exploring key competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. From the Hewlett Foundation and Digital Promise to NCDPI and WCPSS, I have worked closely with national and local organizations to build and sustain educational programs that support meeting the needs of all learners, helping to personalize student learning with a priority on creating equitable learning experiences and environments for all learners.

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area

In my capacity as Instructional Designer and Research Associate at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation I focused focused on the instructional design, content development, and overall management of the Institute’s MOOC-Ed initiative. I also worked on the Institute’s blended learning and micro-credentialing initiatives, playing a key role in their conceptualization, development, and assessment.

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

• Developed two stacks of five micro-credentials for district technology leaders: Digital Equity1. Foundations of Digital Equity: Understanding the Homework Gap2. Identifying Gaps in Digital Equity3. Engaging Stakeholders to Address Gaps in Digital Equity4. Creating a District Plan for Digital Equity5. Implementing a District Plan for Digital EquityStudent Data Privacy1. Foundations of Student Data Privacy2. Determining Your School District’s Data Privacy Needs3. Communicating with Parents and Community Stakeholders4. Evaluating an Online Service Provider5. Professional Development for Teachers and Support Staff

Waltham, Massachusetts, United States

• Managed the development and maintenance of online training courses for EdTech Leaders Online’s (ETLO) nationally-recognized online professional development program.• Developed customized online courses – e.g., “Freedom and Reform in 19th Century America” – for ETLO’s partnering organizations.• Facilitated ETLO’s online training courses for K-12 educators, principals, district administrators, state-wide leaders, and other organizational leaders.• Customized ETLO’s course content to serve a variety of course management systems (e.g., Moodle, Blackboard, Desire2Learn, Angel, Haiku, Epsilen, BrainHoney, Canvas, ItsLearning, and more).• Developed content for ETLO’s online courses using software such as Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Captivate, Jing, Audacity, VoiceThread, and more.

Waltham, Massachusetts, United States

• Facilitated and maintained online training courses for educators as part of ETLO• Helped develop content for online courses – e.g., “Building a Community in Online Professional Development Workshops” and “Transforming the Classroom with Project-Based Learning” – to be run on a variety of course management systems.• Helped develop multimedia content for ETLO’s online courses.• Provided long term support for graduates of ETLO’s “Online Course Design” training course.

Waltham, Massachusetts, United States

• Facilitated online courses for educators as part of ETLO.• Helped lead ETLO’s exploration into Moodle and developed supporting documents and course materials.• Updated content in online courses and online workshops using Adobe Dreamweaver.• Provided back-end technical support for clients.

Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

• Provided support for Barbara Treacy’s Realizing the Potential of Online Professional Development, a graduate-level course offered in the Fall of 2013.• Assisted with creating assignments, grading projects, updating the course website and more.• Provided individualized support for students as they completed their course projects.• Helped facilitate discussion in both face-to-face and online content.

Ed.M., Technology, Innovation, Education, 4.0

B.A., Psychology