Brittany Jill Cohen - My Approach

My approach reflects my practice-based thought leadership in program design, instructional systems, people development, and the responsible use of emerging technologies. I build scalable, research-informed learning ecosystems by integrating industry-proven and personally-developed frameworks that enhance the learner experience and enable consistent, high-quality delivery and impact.

This approach is grounded in four interconnected pillars:

Instructional Design
Program Leadership
People Leadership
Responsible AI

Together, they guide how I design learning experiences, build systems, support teams, and steward programs through continuous improvement.

Instructional Design

I design learning experiences that are clear, accessible, and thoughtfully sequenced. My work blends outcome alignment, reflective learning, and intentional technology use to help learners build confidence, agency, and readiness across diverse contexts.

In the PEY Co-op Preparatory Program, this appears in competency-based modules, guided reflections, and applied assignments that move students from exploration to readiness. At Girl Guides of Canada, it took the form of rubric criteria, inclusive design toolkits, and alignment processes that strengthened quality and coherence across 10 provincial councils.

Frameworks I Use:

Backward Design for outcome and assessment alignment
Bloom/Krathwohl taxonomies to calibrate depth of learning
ADDIE and SAM (Successive Approximation Model) to balance structured planning with iterative prototyping
UDL (Universal Design for Learning) and WCAG/AODA for accessibility and inclusion
TPACK and Gagné’s 9 Events for meaningful technology integration and experience structure
Kirkpatrick’s model to guide evaluation and impact measurement

AEIOU: My Learning Experience Design Lens

A – Alignment: Outcomes and assessments work in concert
E – Engagement: Learners think, apply, reflect
I – Integrated Technology: Tech used intentionally
O – Online Experience: Clear, navigable flow
U – Universal Design: Flexibility and accessibility by default

AEIOU appears throughout the Instructional Design & Educational Technology Frameworks and the PEY Co-op Objectives Framework in my PEY case study, and in the Provincial Program Review Rubric created for Girl Guides of Canada.

Program Leadership

My program leadership focuses on building learning ecosystems, not isolated courses. I’m interested in how curriculum, technology, staff workflows, and student supports come together to create a coherent experience from first contact to completion.

In PEY, this meant designing a drip-feed structure, required checkpoints, journey maps, and accountability mechanisms that supported ~6,000 students annually. At Girl Guides of Canada, it meant building shared frameworks and processes that helped 10 provincial councils move toward a common, inclusive vision of program quality.

The CSR method: Clarity → Structure → Reflection

Across projects, I tend to design and lead through a pattern I think of as CSR:

Clarity: Clarify purpose, roles, expectations, and language.
- Seen in PEY’s style guide, job board access rules, and Program Requirements Quiz; and in GGC’s rubric criteria and communication templates.
Structure: Build systems that make the experience navigable and predictable.
- Seen in PEY’s module sequencing, journey maps, and assignment spacing; and in GGC’s evaluation toolkits, alignment processes, and standardized websites.
Reflection: Use qualitative feedback to iterate thoughtfully.
- Seen in PEY’s guided reflections and multi-modal evaluation cycles; and in GGC’s consultations, redesigned programs, and proposed alignment framework.

CSR emerged naturally through practice. Naming it has helped me articulate how I build programs that are structured yet human-centered.

People Leadership

I lead with clarity, empathy, and structure. My goal is to create conditions where staff feel supported, confident, and able to navigate expectations and growth opportunities.

In PEY, this has meant supervising student and contract staff, designing calibration workflows, and providing training that ensures consistent, learner-centered feedback across 1,500+ assignments annually. In the Girl Guides context, it meant coaching volunteer advisers, facilitating sensitive EDIA conversations, and supporting teams through significant organizational change.

REEL Conversations

REEL is a framework I share with staff to empower them to initiate purposeful conversations around role clarity, expectations, communication, and growth.

R — Role
Prompts for clarifying responsibilities, scope, and team context.

What are the core responsibilities of my role?
How does this work fit into team and organizational goals

E — Expectations
Prompts for understanding success indicators and priorities.

What should I prioritize in my first 30/60/90 days?
How will my performance be evaluated?

E — Effective Communication
Prompts for establishing communication preferences and rhythms.

What communication channels work best for updates vs. deeper discussions?
How often should we check in?

L — Learning Objectives
Prompts for aligning personal growth with team needs.

What skills am I hoping to develop?
What kinds of work energize me?

Originally created for students starting new work terms, REEL has become a helpful leadership tool for onboarding and developing staff through shared clarity and mutual expectation-setting.

Responsible AI

I incorporate AI into my design and operational workflows in ways that support clarity, consistency, and efficiency — always with human judgment, pedagogical intent, and accessibility at the center. AI helps me scale good practice in high-volume environments without replacing the relational or instructional work that matters most.

Within the PEY Co-op Preparatory Program, this has meant using AI to streamline processes while maintaining the quality and nuance required for student and staff success.

How I Use AI in My Practice

Content Clarity & Accessibility
Refining instructions, simplifying SME text, and offering alternative explanations.
Staff Calibration & Tone Consistency
Drafting model comments aligned with our style guide; supporting consistent expectations across graders.
Reflection & Survey Analysis
Identifying patterns in aggregated student reflections and using them to refine pacing and content.
Workflow Documentation & Operational Clarity
Drafting transition documents, process notes, and training materials to make complex systems inheritable.
Tailored Examples & Scaffolds
Creating discipline-specific examples (e.g., Engineering vs. UTM CS resumes) that help learners see themselves in the materials.

Principles That Guide My Use of AI

Responsible use, not automation
Human oversight and editing
Equity, inclusion, and accessibility
Alignment with learning outcomes

You can see this approach reflected throughout the AI-Supported Design & Operations section of my PEY case study.

Bringing it All Together

Across contexts, my work lives at the intersection of learning design, systems thinking, people leadership, and responsible technology use. Whether I’m building a co-op preparatory ecosystem, aligning national programming, or mentoring staff, I’m guided by the same commitments:

Make expectations and pathways clear.
Build structures that are human-centered, scalable, and accessible.
Support people in growing within those structures.
Use reflection, data, and the right tools — including AI — to keep improving.

To see this approach in action, explore the PEY Co-op Preparatory Program and Provincial Programming Project case studies on my Projects page.

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