One Career, Many Perspectives
Hello again! I’m Maryna Kalachova, an instructional designer with an M.A. in Educational Technology. Instructional design is the latest chapter in a professional journey that has taken me through higher education administration, ESL teaching, translation, research, multimedia, and AI training.
Each experience has given me a different perspective. University administration taught me to juggle competing priorities and work within organizational constraints. Teaching helped me see things from the learner’s perspective, while research taught me to ask precise questions and challenge assumptions. Translation deepened my appreciation for language and writing, and multimedia introduced me to different ways of presenting information. Instructional design is where these experiences come together.
From Theory to Practice
My M.A. in Educational Technology gave me the opportunity to put instructional design principles into practice during a 675-hour internship at Studio 7 Communications, an L&D agency. I contributed to projects for Canadian North, Pratt & Whitney Canada, and VIA Rail, working on everything from instructor-led training and eLearning to video-based training. Due to confidentiality agreements, I’m unable to share the deliverables produced during this internship.
Designing for Performance
I approach instructional design like an architect. Before creating a solution, I want to understand the problem. What needs to change? What should people be able to do differently? And is training actually the right answer?
The performance-centred approaches of Harold Stolovitch, Julie Dirksen, and Cathy Moore have influenced how I think about training. My goal is to go beyond delivering information and create opportunities for people to practise, make decisions, and apply what they learn.
Always Exploring
In 2010, I moved from Ukraine to Canada and started over in a new country. I’ve always thought of myself as an explorer. I love travelling, hiking, and learning languages, and I'm comfortable finding my way through unfamiliar places and situations. Living and working across cultures has shown me how differently people can see the world.
I bring the same mindset to my work. I enjoy tackling unfamiliar subjects, connecting ideas across disciplines, and experimenting with new tools. Lately, I've been diving into AI and exploring how it can be used in instructional design, particularly for research, analysis, and content development.
There’s always more to discover in instructional design, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.