Full Sail Stories

For Dr. Reo McBride, teaching his students in Full Sail’s Instructional Design & Technology master’s program means marrying technical skills with thoughtful interpersonal connections. He’s currently teaching two courses near the end of the program – Media Asset Creation and Instructional Design & Evaluation – where he helps students put together a final capstone project that uses their knowledge from the entire program to design and build training for their own work environments.

Throughout their time with him, Reo’s online students can expect to learn technical skills (like Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction), connect and collaborate during live Zoom sessions, and learn to look at their capstone projects from a learner’s perspective. His years of experience working in instructional design and technology at educational institutions in both the United States and abroad also gives Reo background knowledge that can help prepare his students to work in the industry.

What is one of the most important technical skills that students learn in your classes?

I help students learn what is called Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction (FPI). Merrill’s FPI stresses that for true learning to occur, the instruction must consist of five parts. 1) Is the learning task-centered? 2) Is there activation of prior knowledge? 3) Is there demonstration of the knowledge or task being taught? 4) Is there an opportunity for students to apply or practice what was demonstrated to them? 5) Are students given the opportunity to integrate that knowledge learned into their lives or work? In the capstone project, I help my students make sure they apply these principles into the training they develop.

When have you used Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction in your professional work?

I have previously taught a number of other courses here at Full Sail. While I was in charge of those courses, I rewrote them, applying Merrill’s FPI and demonstrating and practicing the instructional design principles and skills that I teach to my students. This was a great feeling as I saw an increase in their mastery of skills and their overall satisfaction with their courses. These increases appeared to be a direct result of applying Merrill’s FPI.

Is there a soft skill that’s important for your Instructional Design & Technology master’s students to learn?

The main soft skill I want my grad students to learn is how to place themselves in the shoes of their own learners – those for whom they are creating their capstone projects – and design and develop those projects from their perspective.

What’s the most memorable project you’ve worked on professionally?

Getting to work with the entire Instructional Design & Technology master’s team in developing the present look and feel of our courses. Thanks to our team leadership (Program Director Dr. Tom Lucas) and all the other wonderfully talented faculty members in our program, our courses have a very similar structure, look, and feel. Imagine the comfort and security an online student feels when they move from one course to the next, knowing that they will be able to find the information and assignments they need, following the same pattern from the previous course. It’s a major ingredient for student success.

Is there a recent project that you’ve worked on that you’re proud of?

I worked on two conference proposals that were accepted for presentation for the 2025 AECT (Association for Educational Communications and Technology) International Convention to be held in Las Vegas in October. Thanks to the collaboration with two of our Program Advisory Committee members and one of my colleagues, Dr. Rebecca Meeder, both of these proposals were accepted for presentation. Rebecca is the lead presenter on one of these proposals, and she submitted that one. The other was a panel discussion proposal where I had the opportunity to take the lead in preparing and submitting it, after collaboration with those just mentioned.

What’s a unique strategy that you use when you’re teaching?

During our live Zoom sessions, I absolutely love to get my students talking to each other about their work, sharing ideas and receiving and giving informal formative feedback to each other. I feel that this practice encourages student collaboration and helps build bonds that can last between students after graduation. I guide the discussions during our live Zoom meetings, but I let students collaborate and connect with each other during these sessions. I have seen the quality of projects greatly improve with such collaboration and feedback – and it’s fun!

How do you create a sense of connection for your online students?

One of the things I really like to do is call students on the phone to congratulate them on a job well done on any particular assignment. All too often, when a student receives a phone call from a professor, it is usually not good news. Imagine a student who is struggling, and then receiving a call from their instructor, telling them what a terrific job they did on an assignment and that the instructor wants to use their assignment as an example to show future students. That can be powerful in boosting a student’s confidence and self-esteem.

What’s the most important thing you want students to take away from their time with you?

I get to spend two months back-to-back with my students. That builds rapport. I want my students to know how much I care for their success, and that they have the capability to accomplish great things. I help them to know that by getting a degree that may qualify them for better jobs and letting their skills and talents shine as an instructional designer, they are empowering themselves and their families. That is why I truly love getting to teach here at Full Sail.