David Petersen

Spearheaded end-to-end curriculum design and operationalized a micro-modular framework, empowering 250 program developers and reducing time-to-market by 20%.

• Spearheaded end-to-end curriculum design by operationalizing a 24-pattern, micro-modular framework—reducing time-to-market by 20% and empowering 250 program developers to launch high-quality courses.
• Directed cross-functional teams of curriculum designers, instructional designers, story writers, VR developers, and subject-matter experts to shape educational goals into interactive lessons, activities, and assessments—integrating immersive technologies to engage 140,000+ learners.
• Built and scaled synthetic AI testing frameworks that simulate 20+ diverse learner personas, cutting QA cycles by 50% while embedding accessibility, equity, and usability checks into every course.
• Co-developed the Rich Skill Descriptor & Open Skills standard, collaborating with 50+ Open Skills Network partners to enable interoperable skill-data exchange and align curricula with industry needs.
• Onboarded & mentored six early-career product designers, convening 50+ hands-on design-thinking and learner-analysis workshops to foster innovation, human-centered design, and continuous improvement.
• Represented WGU externally by presenting best practices in AI, equity-centered curriculum design at a national conference.

Oversaw competitive benchmarking and strategic positioning for the MBA program, boosting rankings and securing buy-in for recruitment initiatives.

• Oversaw competitive benchmarking & strategic positioning for the MBA program, boosting it by 20 ranking spots and securing buy-in from program directors to adopt targeted recruitment initiatives.
• Mapped the student learning journey across 37 system touchpoints—surfacing key pain points and informing UX and curriculum experience improvements.
• Streamlined lead-response workflows, slashing turnaround from 48 hrs to 5 mins and multiplying qualified inquiries 21x—demonstrating ability to optimize processes for higher engagement and efficiency.
• Facilitated 21-person co-creation workshops with cross-functional stakeholders to design measurable corporate training solutions, translating organizational goals into actionable instructional programs.
• Synthesized insights from 92 peer-reviewed studies to craft evidence-based content strategies—assuring that every campaign and collateral reflected best practices in educational psychology, instructional technologies, and operational excellence.

Designed and launched five online executive programs, generating over $70K in early revenue and establishing replicable processes.

• Designed & launched five online executive programs in three months—generating $70K+ in early revenue and establishing replicable processes that aligned curriculum goals with institutional strategy.
• Architected "UteTube," a Canvas-integrated platform built in 90 days, leveraging UDL principles and informal student feedback loops to enhance accessibility and learner satisfaction.
• Collaborated with leadership and stakeholders to map 37 customer-journey touchpoints, defining all infrastructure needs for strategic online-program initiatives.
• Developed comprehensive instructor resources—tutorials, templates, design standards, and reference guides—to ensure consistent, scalable delivery of immersive learning experiences.
• Ran A/B tests on landing pages and course components, optimizing conversion rates and elevating enrollment leads for Executive Education certificates.

Spearheaded the launch and continuous enhancement of the MBA Online program, generating $3.5M in annual revenue and elevating its global ranking.

• Spearheaded the launch and continuous enhancement of the MBA Online program, generating $3.5M in annual revenue and elevating the offering to a #11 global ranking by partnering with curriculum designers, faculty SMEs, and media developers to craft immersive, learner-centric experiences aligned with institutional goals.
• Architected and operationalized an in-house video production studio, slashing course development timelines from 6 months to 12 weeks and reducing per-course production costs by over $100K, enabling scalable creation of high-quality multimedia learning materials that leverage best practices in UDL and instructional technologies.
• Cultivated deep collaboration with 30+ faculty and subject-matter experts, leading structured feedback workshops and alignment sessions to translate program objectives into clear progressions of lessons, activities, and assessments—ensuring every course met rigorous academic and business objectives.

A practical, accessible guide to understanding, applying, and ethically integrating AI in education, empowering educators and researchers to navigate an AI-infused world with confidence.