Headshot of Tom Cheng

Tom Cheng

Senior Learning Experience Designer at Michigan State University

I design online courses and learning experiences at Michigan State University's Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation, working end-to-end with subject matter experts to turn knowledge into structured, self-paced courses on Coursera, D2L, and SCORM platforms. My biggest project to date: 22 courses for the Apple Manufacturing Academy, built from scratch as the sole instructional designer.

I have an M.S. in Learning Design & Technology from Stanford and spent four years teaching English and Computer Science in Hong Kong before transitioning into ID.

About Resume → LinkedIn

Instructional Design Projects

A collection of courses, curricula, and learning systems I've designed across corporate training, higher education, and consumer ed-tech.

Circuit board background with text Apple Manufacturing Academy

Apple Manufacturing Academy

D2L

Sole instructional designer for all 22 courses, translating SME workshops and slide decks into self-paced online learning covering AI, lean manufacturing, cybersecurity, and professional skills.

22 courses
  • Quality Fundamentals
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Preventive Maintenance
  • Green Manufacturing
  • Quality Control Optimization
  • PFMEA Introduction
  • Failure Analysis Equipment and Applications
  • SMT Success
  • Automation
  • Digital Transformation
  • Understanding Key Technologies for Smart Factory Implementation
  • Cybersecurity as a Competitive Advantage
  • Introduction to Deep Learning
  • Machine Learning with Vision
  • Predictive Maintenance
  • Applied Machine Learning for Manufacturing
  • Intelligent Data Analysis System with LLM
  • Data Engineering for Manufacturing: SQL Foundations
  • Packaging Systems and AI Implementation
  • Building a Culture of Learning in Your Workplace
  • Communication and Presentation Skills
  • Navigating Change with Mental Modeling
My role
  • Translated workshop recordings and Keynote slides from subject matter experts into structured online courses
  • Produced original graphics and video content
  • Designed interactive elements and assessment questions
  • Coordinated with Apple's legal and PR teams on copyright and brand compliance
Apple Education Hub icon

Apple Education Hub

SCORM Cloud

Reviewed and validated 13 SCORM-compliant microlearning modules for WCAG 2.2 accessibility and assessment quality before deployment on SCORM Cloud.

13 courses
  • Smart Manufacturing Overview
  • Get to Know: Industrial Robots
  • Get to Know: Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Cultivate a Creative Mindset
  • Dietary Health
  • Hygiene & First Aid
  • Physical Exercise
  • Sleep
  • Active Listening
  • Assertive Communication
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Time Management
  • Machine Safety Awareness
My role
  • Reviewed vendor-designed instructional materials for assessment validity and accessibility
  • Managed SCORM package deployment on SCORM Cloud
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Think Fast Talk Smart

Stanford Graduate School of Business

ELL content developer for Stanford GSB's top-ranked communication podcast. For each episode, I pull key vocabulary, write learner-friendly definitions, and craft context-grounded example sentences.

My role
  • Selected key vocabulary from each episode: one verb, noun, adjective, and idiom
  • Wrote learner-friendly definitions and example sentences grounded in the episode's language
Foggy forest and stacked logs with text Forest Carbon Credits and Initiatives

Forest Carbon Credits and Initiatives Archived

Coursera

Collaborated with MSU faculty to design this intermediate course on forest carbon project lifecycles, developing course outlines, learning objectives, video scripts, and assessments.

My role
  • Collaborated with MSU faculty to develop course outlines, learning objectives, and module descriptions
  • Edited teaching videos
  • Designed assessments
Blue interface with a shield icon and text Professional Certificates in Brand Protection

Professional Certificates in Brand Protection Launching Soon

D2L

Revised learning objectives and designed knowledge-check and summative assessment questions for MSU's A-CAPP professional certificate program.

My role
  • Revised learning objectives
  • Designed knowledge check and summative assessment questions
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Functional Safety Launching Soon

D2L

Built a full D2L course for MSU undergraduates from textbook source content, designing the learning sequence, module objectives, interactive elements, and assessments.

My role
  • Developed instructional materials from textbook source content
  • Designed the learning sequence and module-level learning objectives
  • Designed interactive elements and assessments
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Flourishing Under Stress Launching Soon

Coursera

Collaborated with MSU faculty to develop course outlines, learning objectives, and assessments for this evidence-based course on stress management and wellbeing.

My role
  • Collaborated with MSU faculty to develop course outlines, learning objectives, and module descriptions
  • Edited teaching videos
  • Designed assessments
Hands using a pen tablet with text Digital Painting Specialization

Digital Painting Specialization

Coursera

Collaborated with MSU faculty to develop course outlines, learning objectives, and assessments for this beginner specialization on digital drawing and painting with Adobe Photoshop.

My role
  • Collaborated with MSU faculty to develop course outlines, learning objectives, and module descriptions
  • Edited teaching videos
  • Designed assessments

App & UX Projects

These projects reflect my work at the intersection of instructional design and product development, designing learning experiences for mobile and web platforms.

Impromptu app screenshot

Impromptu: AI-Powered English Speaking Coach Archived

400+ survey responses · 50+ prototype testers

My Stanford capstone: an AI-powered speaking coach for secondary-school English learners. I designed the instructional scaffold, ran 10+ prototype iterations with 50+ student testers, and built the feedback loop around real-time speech recognition.

Say app screenshot

Say: Your Language Learning Gym

50+ users interviewed · 600+ downloads

Led UX research and instructional design for Say's AI language learning app. Conducted 10+ usability tests and 50+ learner interviews, and applied learning design principles to the pronunciation feature, driving a 10× increase in engagement.

Ama Speak app screenshot

Ama Speak: Your Personal English Coach Archived

Published on the App Store · TOEFL tutor top-used feature

Designed personalized learning pathways integrating AI tutor conversations and adaptive content sequences, and developed a speaking assessment model using pronunciation accuracy and fluency metrics.

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Chenglish.hk: HKDSE English Resources

A self-built teaching site I developed and maintained while teaching in Hong Kong, offering free HKDSE English exam resources, study guides, and vocabulary tools for hundreds of students.

Academic Research

Selected academic writing from Stanford's LDT program. Each piece applies a different learning design framework to a real product or teaching context.

Formative icon: colorful pie-chart with checkmark

Analysis of Formative (UDL Framework)

Applied the Universal Design for Learning framework to audit Formative's accessibility and engagement features, identifying gaps and proposing a theory of change for more inclusive design.

EDUC 281: Technology for Learners · Stanford LDT Program

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Digital Wellbeing Apps & Phone Overuse

Examined the design principles that drive phone overuse and evaluated how leading digital wellbeing apps attempt to counter them, finding that most tools work against the very patterns they claim to fix.

EDUC 218: Technology and Multitasking · Stanford LDT Program

Flip CSCL tool icon: pink-orange gradient speech bubble

Investigating Flip's Impact on ESL Speaking

Proposed a CSCL research study examining whether asynchronous video responses on Flip improve spoken fluency and confidence in ESL learners, with a full methodology and theoretical grounding.

EDUC 315A: Introduction to CSCL · Stanford LDT Program

Professional Development & Presentations

Faculty professional development and conference work in instructional design and English language education.

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SLXD: Spartan Learning Experience Design Faculty Workshop

Michigan State University, 2024–2026

A monthly faculty development workshop series I co-designed and have led independently since September 2025, covering instructional design, D2L, accessibility, and evidence-based teaching strategies.

What Now!? with AI podcast icon

What Now!? with AI Podcast

Michigan State University · 2026–present

A biweekly podcast co-hosted with MJ Jackson, analyzing the latest AI developments through a teaching-and-learning lens. New episodes every other Wednesday.

Listen on Spotify · Apple Podcasts · YouTube