Learning Experience Designer and Digital Learning Specialist
Rapid City, South Dakota
licht.education@gmail.com · LinkedIn

Last updated September 2026. A one-page résumé is available on request.

Education

Ed.D., Learning, Design, and Technology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. In progress; expected 2028. Research focus: vendor platform dependency in rural educational technology.

M.S., Technology for Education and Training, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD. 2023.

Certificate, User Experience (UX) Design, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN. 2023.

B.S.Ed., English/Language Arts Education, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD. 2016.

Professional Experience

Learning Specialist (EdTech, Online PD, and Design), Compass Partners in Learning, a division of Black Hills Special Services Cooperative, Rapid City, SD. July 2022 to present.

Administered the launch and ongoing operation of a statewide Instructure Canvas LMS and Catalog as a professional learning platform for educators, administrators, and librarians. Coach instructors on Canvas, adult learning theory, instructional design, and e-learning practice. Design and facilitate asynchronous, graduate-credit courses and in-person training for school districts on topics including professional learning communities, curriculum mapping, generative AI, and learning design. Build internal tools and automations in Google Apps Script for districts and cooperative teams. Coordinate membership services for more than 100 districts across South Dakota and Wyoming. Serve as South Dakota’s affiliate representative to ISTE.

Adjunct Instructor, Dakota State University, Madison, SD. Fall 2024.

Designed and taught EDFN 401/SEED 401, Methods of Educational Technology, as an accelerated course using collaborative podcasting and essential questions.

Freelance Trainer and Designer, Rapid City, SD. April 2021 to July 2022.

Designed and facilitated an online graduate-credit workshop on visual design, accessibility, and HTML in Canvas; designed district-wide e-learning on assistive technology for K-12 educators; designed and facilitated a blended graduate-credit workshop on educational technology; led a K-12 district book study on inclusivity.

English Language Arts and Reading Teacher, Rapid City Area Schools, Rapid City, SD. August 2018 to July 2022.

Taught English 10, remedial reading, and advisory in an alternative, competency-based, FLEX-blended program. Designed personalized, project-based ELA curriculum and competency modules in Canvas. Served on the district dyslexia team, PBIS team, and strategic task force.

English Language Arts Teacher, Bison School District, Bison, SD. August 2017 to May 2018.

Taught grades 8 to 12 ELA and creative writing in a rural district. Built weekly Socratic seminars into a scaffolded discussion system across grade levels.

Publications

Licht, B. (forthcoming). Dear L&D: The platform was always making an argument. Training Industry, Dear L&D letter series. Accepted September 2026.

Licht, B. (2026, April 20). Cut the cable. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/cut-the-cable

Licht, B. (2024, September 5). Why training apps/technology rollouts fail. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/why-training-apps-technology-rollouts-fail

Licht, B. (2024, August 24). eLearning with atomic design. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/elearning-with-atomic-design

Licht, B. (2025). Homegrown learning: A seed packet for trainers. Self-published, CC BY-NC-SA. https://bradylicht.com/homegrown/

Ongoing writing on educational technology, learning design, and the politics of EdTech is published at bradylicht.com.

Presentations

Licht, B. (2026, August). Data collection tools your district can own and customize. Co-presented with R. Young. ASBSD/SASD Joint Convention, Sioux Falls, SD.

Licht, B. (2026, June). Swarm analytics, ant intelligence, and learning pathways. Poster session, ISTELive 26 and ASCD Annual 26, Orlando, FL.

Licht, B. (2026, June). How do 50,000 bees make better decisions than your school committee? Poster session, ISTELive 26 and ASCD Annual 26, Orlando, FL.

Ley, A., and Licht, B. (2026, June). Student use of AI. Wild West Leadership Conference (SASD), Deadwood, SD.

Licht, B., and Young, R. (2026, June). Building district tools without breaking the budget. South Dakota Principals Conference (2026 Leadership Conference), Deadwood, SD.

Licht, B. (2026, April). Real questions, real answers: A community conversation on AI in education. Interactive panel, TIE Conference 2026.

Licht, B. (2025, June). Learning from nature: How biomimicry can transform educational design. ISTELive 25 and ASCD Annual 25, San Antonio, TX.

Licht, B. (2025, May). The librarian’s guide to generative AI: Trends, truths, …. Keynote, Black Hills Library Mini-Conference, Rapid City, SD.

Licht, B. (2025, April). Adapting EdTech solutions for rural communities. TIE Conference 2025.

Licht, B. (2025, February). Level up learning: Empowering students as AI-enhanced game-based learning designers. SD STEM, Huron, SD.

Licht, B. (2024, August). User research and AI in school website improvement. ASBSD/SASD Joint Convention, Sioux Falls, SD.

Licht, B. (2024, June). Atomic design for e-learning: Making a flexible, accessible, and unified LMS template. ISTE Live 24, Denver, CO.

Licht, B. (2024, June). Fast training even faster: Using AI for microlearning development. ISTE Live 24, Denver, CO.

Licht, B., and Ley, A. (2024, June). Sci-fi’s influence on generative AI: Perception and consequences. Mainstage Ignite session, ISTELive 24, Denver, CO.

Licht, B. (2024, June). UX for EDU: Your website sucks and how to fix it. ISTE Live 24, Denver, CO.

Licht, B. (2024, April). Accelerating staff learning with AI: A microlearning approach. TIE Conference, Sioux Falls, SD.

Licht, B. (2024, April). Differentiation in the AI era. TIE Conference, Sioux Falls, SD.

Licht, B. (2024, April). Revamping school web UX: Strategies for engaging and accessible websites. TIE Conference, Sioux Falls, SD.

Licht, B. (2023, December). Using AI to support language education. Lakota Nations Education Conference, Rapid City, SD.

Licht, B. (2023, October). AI and school climate: A synergy for change. Education Minnesota (MEA) Conference, Saint Paul, MN.

Licht, B. (2023, August). Too many emails! Using AI to increase administrative efficiency. ASBSD/SASD Joint Convention, Sioux Falls, SD.

Licht, B. (2023, June). Using microlearning and whisper courses to enhance your PD. ISTE Live 23, Philadelphia, PA.

Licht, B. (2023, June). Accessibility for video games and AR/VR. ISTE Live 23, Philadelphia, PA.

Licht, B. (2023, April). How to cope with initiative whiplash: An introduction to personal change management. TIE Conference, Rapid City, SD.

Licht, B. (2023, April). How did you do that?! Creating user-friendly LMS/Canvas content with HTML. TIE Conference, Rapid City, SD.

Licht, B. (2023, April). There’s no time! Using microlearning strategies to deliver training. TIE Conference, Rapid City, SD.

Licht, B. (2022, October). UX for education: How universal principles of design support learning. North Dakota Council of Educational Leaders Fall Conference, Bismarck, ND.

Licht, B. (2022, July). Campfires in cyberspace and UX. Mass Customized Learning Summit, Portland, ME.

Licht, B. (2022, April). Why all teachers should code: Filling ed tech’s gaps. TIE Conference, Sioux Falls, SD.

Licht, B. (2022, April). Campfires in cyberspace reframed. TIE Conference, Sioux Falls, SD.

Selected Projects and Grant Work

Rural Partnering for Educational Development (RPED), BHSSC and University of South Dakota. Dual-credit teacher pathway program for rural South Dakota students; supports districts and works directly with students exploring teaching, in collaboration with Educators Rising.

SDSU Extension Signature Program Academy, January to May 2026. Designed and facilitated a 15-week academy for SDSU Extension program staff.

Statewide math curriculum course, South Dakota Department of Education (SPDG) with Northern State University, 2026. Learning experience design for a Canvas/Catalog-delivered course.

Community AI workshop series, Compass Partners in Learning with Western Dakota Tech, 2026. Public-facing sessions on living and working with AI.

Canvas atomic design system, 2024 to present. A three-level (atomic, molecular, organism) template system for Canvas courses, published under Creative Commons. https://bradylicht.com/design/

WebTools, 2024 to present. A collection of open-source Google Apps Script tools for educators and district teams, including a Canvas course builder, walk-through observation form, roster generator, and FAQ chatbot. https://bradylicht.com/category/resources/web-apps/

Full case studies with reflections are at https://bradylicht.com/category/cases/.

Professional Affiliations and Service

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), South Dakota State Affiliate Representative. 2023 to present.

State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), South Dakota State Policy Member. 2023 to 2024.

Rapid City Area Schools: district dyslexia team, PBIS team, and strategic task force. 2018 to 2022.

Certifications

Google for Education Certified Trainer (2022). Google Certified Educator Levels 1 and 2 (2022). Adobe Creative Educator Levels 1 and 2 (2022). Microsoft Innovative Educator (2022). Minecraft Education Certified (2022). ThingLink Certified Creator (2022). Wakelet Community Leader (2022).

South Dakota educator certification: 7-12 Language Arts; 5-8 Middle Level Language Arts. Additional endorsements in secondary reading, secondary mass communications, secondary advanced biology, secondary intermediate social science, and elementary and secondary school library.

Media

E-Learning Lane, a short-form podcast on educational technology and learning design, 63 episodes, 2024 to 2025. Archived at https://bradylicht.com/podcast/.