Learning Experience Designer & Platform Builder

I build learning systems that solve problems people actually have.

From infrastructure and custom plugins to analytics and roadmap decisions, I lead a cross-functional team to ship features grounded in data, strengthen compliance, and improve learner experience. I handle the architecture, the plugins, the roadmap, and the team. The goal is always the same: make it work better than it did yesterday.

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Adapt Framework Analytics SCORM/xAPI Google Cloud Node.js MongoDB

What I Do

From the platform to the people using it

The work covers a lot of ground — platform ownership, custom development, data, and the team behind it all. I've built it out so no single piece depends on one person knowing everything.

Platform architecture & development

I own the technical foundation of an Adapt-based learning ecosystem — infrastructure, stability, upgrades, and extensibility. That includes developing custom plugins where the off-the-shelf options weren't good enough: 30+ courses, 20,000+ learners, problems solved one at a time.

Data-informed roadmap

I use what analytics and learner data tell me, where people drop off, what takes too long, what nobody finishes, to decide what gets built next and what gets left alone.

Team leadership & mentorship

I lead a team of instructional designers, an animator, and a videographer. My job is to make sure they have what they need and know why it matters.

Case Studies

Problems I've actually solved

Each of these started with something that wasn't working. Here's what I did about it.

01 — Synchronized audio learning system

Custom Adapt Plugin · Interaction-aware playback · Guided pacing

Problem

Audio-only delivery is easy to game. Hit play, open another tab, come back in 45 minutes. That's not learning, and in a regulated environment, it's also a compliance problem.

Approach

Built a custom plugin that ties scroll behavior to time-coded audio markers and pauses playback at required interactions. You can't skip ahead. You can't ignore the question.

Impact

Learners actually engage with the content instead of babysitting a progress bar
Compliance requirements met by design, not by hope

Audio sync plugin showing time-coded markers driving scroll and playback behavior in Adapt

02 — Adaptive learning pathways

Assessment-driven routing · Personalized learning journeys

Problem

Busy students studying for a real estate licensing exam while working full time don't have hours to spare on content they already know. Every extra topic is time they don't have. The question isn't "did they complete it" — it's "did they spend their time where it actually counted."

Approach

Built assessment-driven routing that evaluates what a learner already knows and adjusts the path accordingly. Score above the threshold on a topic and it becomes optional. Score below and it's required. No guesswork, no blanket assignments.

Impact

Learners spend time on what they actually need
Less content overload, more relevant experience

Adaptive pathway diagram showing assessment-driven routing

03 — Compliance timing & completion logic

Seat-time tracking · Completion gating · Learner transparency

Problem

State regulators require documented seat time. The platform's default completion logic wasn't built for that level of specificity.

Approach

Built a custom timing system that tracks time at the section level, gates completion until thresholds are met, and shows learners exactly where they stand. No mystery, no false completions, no audit surprises.

Impact

Compliance requirements met with precision across 30+ courses
20,000+ learners can see their own progress — support tickets dropped

Compliance timing interface with section-level tracking

04 — Blended synchronous online learning

Synchronous + Asynchronous Delivery · Instructor Touchpoints · Structured Accountability

Problem

Fully self-paced learning is convenient right up until a learner disappears for three weeks and nobody notices. Without structured touchpoints, async delivery can quietly fail the people it's supposed to serve.

Approach

Designed a blended model that pairs async course modules with scheduled Zoom sessions, instructor check-ins, and one-on-one support at defined points in the program. The structure gives learners accountability without taking away flexibility.

Impact

Learners stay on track instead of stalling out mid-program
Human support added without breaking the scalability of async delivery

Blended OIL model showing synchronous and asynchronous delivery with instructor touchpoints

About

A little about how I think

The short version

Learning is a product, not a slide deck.
Adaptive systems beat one-size-fits-all delivery
Data should inform iteration.

As a former graphic designer,I ended up in eLearning because I kept noticing how much bad design costs people — not just time, but confidence. Turns out building things that work well for real people is a pretty good way to spend a career.

What I'm looking for

I'm not looking to just build courses. I want to own the problem, work with a team that cares about getting it right, and build systems that make a visible difference for the people using them. If that's what you're working on, let's talk.

Director of Online Learning Learning Experience Designer Learning Product Manager Senior L&D Technologist

Contact

Let's talk

Email is best. I'm also on LinkedIn if you'd rather connect there first.

mlt@marissalt.com

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Location

Austin, TX (open to remote)