Daniel Scharf with his orange and white cat, Percy

Daniel Scharf

Instructional designer and learning program manager

Download resume (PDF)

I design and deliver learning programs for adult learners.

For more than ten years I have built courses, training curricula, and assessments in the U.S. and Japan for in-person, online, and hybrid delivery.

My process starts with needs and learner analysis, then works backward from measurable learning objectives to the activities and assessments that support them. I have taken programs from concept to launch, trained and coached instructional staff, and worked with stakeholders to improve learner outcomes. I hold an MA in TESOL, and I build interactive web-based learning in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, where I make the design decisions and AI writes the code.

Open to remote roles. Relocating to Northern California or Japan.

Portfolio

A workshop screen titled The New Colleague: a short workplace scenario followed by three possible conclusions for the learner to choose from

Intercultural Communication Workshop

Self-paced online course, 7 modules

I first taught this as an in-person, slide-based workshop for multicultural groups of international students. I redesigned it as a self-paced web course that teaches reusable habits instead of facts about particular cultures: noticing assumptions, tolerating ambiguity, and reflecting before judging.

  • Uses scenario-based learning, critical incidents, and a structured reflection framework (DAEA).
  • Includes interactive sorting, scenario-analysis, and guided-reflection activities, with saved learner responses and progress tracking.
  • Built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through an AI-assisted workflow, applying accessibility principles.
  • The design rationale is documented in a published case study.

Take the 10-minute showcase Open the full workshop Read the design case study View the source

A workshop screen titled Iceberg Sorting Activity, with ten items such as greetings and ideas about fairness to classify as visible or less visible culture
The iceberg sorting activity from module 1, where learners classify examples as visible or less visible culture.

Web development projects

Earlier work from the Le Wagon Tokyo bootcamp and my own practice.

  • WordQuest landing page

    WordQuest

    A language learning RPG, built as the final team project at Le Wagon with Ruby on Rails. No longer online.

  • Blork's Used Spaceship Emporium landing page

    Blork's Used Spaceship Emporium

    An Airbnb-style marketplace that rents used spaceships instead of accommodations. Team project at Le Wagon, built with Ruby on Rails.

  • Memory game board

    Memory Game

    A card-matching memory game made with JavaScript.

  • Magic 8 Ball app

    Magic 8 Ball

    A simple and sassy Magic 8 Ball app.

  • Tip and bill calculator

    Tip and Bill

    A tip and total calculator that also splits the bill between several people.

Experience

  1. Apr 2024 to present

    Program Manager, International Language and Education Center

    SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY

    • Led the end-to-end redesign and relaunch of a 3–6 week summer intensive English program, covering curriculum, assessment strategy, learner experience, recruitment, and a budget of up to $50K; supervised 3 staff.
    • Restructured the program curriculum into stackable micro-credentials integrating intercultural communication and professional skills.
    • Designed and launched EASE, a new conditional admission pathway for students just below the English proficiency requirement, from needs analysis through support curriculum, exit criteria, and cross-department approval; first cohort enrolled Fall 2026.
    • Design and revise credit-bearing English for Academic Purposes curricula, including learning outcomes, assessments, rubrics, and instructional materials, and guide them through institutional governance and approval.
    • Designed and facilitated intercultural communication training workshops, later redesigned as a self-paced online course (see Portfolio).
    • Analyze enrollment, assessment, and financial data to evaluate program performance and report recommendations to university leadership; collaborate with Admissions, International Student Services, advising, and faculty.

  2. Apr 2021 to Feb 2022

    Faculty Development Workshop Facilitator

    AHEAD Operation, World Bank / Sri Lankan Ministry of Education (remote)

    • Co-designed and facilitated 3 live online workshop series (6 sessions) for 50–100 university faculty per session, including a train-the-trainer program on developing academic literacy.
    • Guided faculty in planning and launching campus tutoring centers, adapting content to differing institutional contexts and resources.
    • Presented the initiative's outcomes at the International Writing Center Association Annual Conference (Vancouver, 2022).

  3. Oct 2021 to Jun 2022

    Coordinator, Library Student Support Services

    Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR

    • Supervised a team of about 17 tutors and help-desk staff, managing hiring, scheduling, training, budgeting, and performance support.
    • Designed and delivered a tutor training curriculum to improve instructional quality and align services with student needs.
    • Redesigned reservation and data-collection processes, then analyzed service data to inform program planning and decisions.
    • Led cross-departmental collaboration to expand academic support services.

  4. Mar 2016 to Sep 2021

    Global Teaching Fellow

    Tokyo International University, Saitama, Japan

    • Led an instructor team in designing the Analytical Reading and Thinking (ART) curriculum, adopted department-wide, using input from language and content faculty to identify learner needs.
    • Co-founded and ran the Peer Advisers for Writing (PAW) program, building staff selection, onboarding, training, procedures, and ongoing development for a team of up to 8 peer tutors.
    • Co-authored the PAW tutor-training handbook and program assessment materials, recognized with TESOL International's 2019 Mary Finocchiaro Award for Excellence in Unpublished Pedagogical Materials.
    • Designed and taught courses in academic literacy, research skills, and critical thinking; used program data and stakeholder feedback to drive continuous improvement.

Additional experience

Part-Time Lecturer, Academic Literacy
Waseda University Academic Solutions, Tokyo. Oct 2023 to Feb 2024.
Volunteer Website Coordinator
Online Writing Center Association. Jan 2023 to Dec 2024. Maintained and restructured site content for an international professional organization.
Business English Instructor
Freiburg, Germany. 2008 to 2010. Designed customized professional communication training for adult learners using presentations, simulations, and role-play.

Skills

Instructional design
Needs and learner analysis, backward design, ADDIE, SMART learning objectives, scenario-based learning, assessment and rubric design, curriculum mapping, instructional materials development, eLearning development
Training and facilitation
Train-the-trainer, instructor and tutor training, virtual and in-person facilitation, coaching and mentoring, intercultural communication training, adult learning
Program management
Program lifecycle management, program evaluation and continuous improvement, data analysis and reporting, budgeting, staff supervision, stakeholder and cross-functional collaboration
Tools
Canvas, Brightspace (D2L), Moodle, Microsoft 365, Excel, Google Workspace, Zoom, Teams, HTML/CSS/JavaScript, Bootstrap, GitHub
Working with AI
I use AI as a teammate to bounce ideas off, then to write the code once I have decided on the learning design. Every decision is made by me; the coding is done by AI. I built the Intercultural Communication Workshop this way. Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, NotebookLM, and Codex.

Education and certifications

  • MA, TESOL Portland State University
  • BA, History Southern Oregon University
  • Certificate in Effective Teaching Practices Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), 2026
  • Web Development Bootcamp Le Wagon, Tokyo

Professional development: Instructional Design Essentials: Models of ID (LinkedIn Learning), TEFL Certificate, CRLA Master Level Tutor Certification.

Contact

The best way to reach me is by email.

id.scharfd@gmail.com

LinkedIn GitHub Resume (PDF) Teaching background