Instructional design
Learning experience & technology

Yaxuan Xiao

I design assessments, learning pathways, and interactive practice. As a Penn learning sciences graduate student with a data science background, I combine SME collaboration with hands-on learning technology, most recently at Promega.

View learning work ID resume

Open to junior instructional design, learning experience design, and learning technology roles.

Learning work

Assessments, pathways, and practice.

Promega internship · Working prototype

Adaptive Learning Assistant

Designed assessment-based pathways, SME-reviewed questions and explanatory feedback, and a working prototype around an existing course. Three instructional-design colleagues tested the workflow and chatbot.

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AI literacy · Team class prototype

AI Literacy Interactive Book

I assembled an approximately 30-page digital-book prototype for children ages 5–8 using a template and AI-assisted code. Teammates contributed the story and illustrations; we discussed interactions together based on the content and pictures.

I implemented the interactive features, including click-triggered character audio, turning our shared content into a working digital experience.

Skills in practiceInteractive learning materials · Digital prototyping · Team collaboration

Open interactive book

The prototype was not tested with children; engagement and learning effects have not been established.

Cover of Who’s Hiding in There?, the interactive AI literacy book, featuring a child with a teddy bear. — A working digital book with click-triggered audio.

JobSweet · Session planning

Job Application Session Planning

I created written outlines for resume-writing and networking sessions for international students, connecting instruction with practice using their own job-search materials.

Skills in practiceActivity sequencing · Applied practice · Peer learning

A planned resume-writing sequence

Identify common requirements
Learners bring ten target job descriptions and compare the skills and experience employers ask for.
Apply the learning
After an introduction to resume writing, learners revise their own resumes around relevant requirements and experience.
Exchange peer feedback
Learners review one another's resumes and offer feedback on their revisions.

The networking outline introduced what networking involves and why it matters in a job search.

Deliverable: Brief written session outlines. The sessions were not delivered or evaluated with learners.

Learning support · Tutoring & mentoring

Math Tutoring & Mandarin Mentoring

I used learners' explanations, written work, and current coursework to decide what to practice and how much guidance to offer.

Skills in practiceFormative assessment · Scaffolding · Tailored practice

Seventh-grade math · Twice-weekly support

Find where the reasoning breaks down

I supported approximately five students using teacher-provided assignments. Students could explain their thinking aloud or write their solution steps so I could identify where they were having difficulty.

I began with a hint about the next step, offered more explicit guidance when needed, and stepped back once the student could continue independently.

Mandarin mentoring · Two semesters

Connect coursework with everyday conversation

I reviewed one mentee's class materials and current understanding to choose useful phrases and discussion topics. I planned informal language practice around what she was learning and helped with assignment questions as they arose.

Product work