Ty Ferrell - Dedicated to Enhancing Your Learning Experience

Putting Customers First

Ty's impact stretches beyond technical expertise; it resonates in the positive feedback from those he interacts with. He translates complex information into engaging learning materials, earning praise from learners and colleagues alike. Prioritizing the user experience, Ty ensures seamless interactions with training content and a meaningful learning experience. He reflected:

I'm listening to the customer or subject matter expert (SME) and considering the ultimate end user, the experience for them, how to make the course straightforward, and how to challenge them to learn. Balancing the SME’s goals/expectations, I ensure the learners get what they need from the product by putting myself in the learners’ minds and seeing the course content without my background knowledge. Am I too in the weeds? Will I lose the people? I bring these points up to the SME or customer and push back if I feel something will harm the learner, pulling in experience and history from other projects to inform the SME decision-making process.

Recently, Ty recommended a shift from hour-long videos to digital modules for staff at Student Health and Wellness, tailored to the staff's preference for on-demand/learner-friendly courses. He streamlined content into concise module formats, saving time and enhancing learning effectiveness.

Designing Learning Experiences

Ty collaborates extensively with the HR Learning and Development team, crafting participant guides and visual resources. His year-long Learning and Development Catalogue project showcases effective resource organization and communication strategies. "I designed it to highlight the team's services and to market to people who don't necessarily know what they want or need," noted Ty. "It was also a good project management experience, showing me how to structure the content and manage deadlines and revisions. I am very proud of how it turned out."

Serving UVA Health: 

Ty is partnering with the UVA Health Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Council to enhance their orientation program and onboarding experience for APPs. His contribution to digital courses for new manager orientation at University Medical Center underscores his commitment to seamless onboarding experiences. "The process of taking something or an idea that is nebulous and getting creative, experimenting with infographic design or instructional design and putting that into a course or infographic or whatever the customer needs – that’s exciting to me!" noted Ty.  "I love being creative and producing something concrete, even if that is a digital product." Ty is looking forward to joining the HR working group that will create a similar new manager orientation training for Academic Division managers.

Going the Extra Mile:

His meticulous evaluation and adjustment processes show Ty's dedication to enhancing learning experiences. From analysis to revision, he ensures transformative experiences. His collaborative spirit and proactive problem-solving showcase his value to HR and the UVA community.

I am encouraged to try new things and take creative risks in my current Learning Design & Technology team role. My colleagues are open to pivoting to something different and discussing innovative approaches. I can take those risks, and if it's not 100% perfect, that's okay, and we can go back to the drawing board and try again. I have a team I can lean on, and it's a team effort.

On a Personal Level

Ty enjoys outdoor activities outside of work, particularly hiking and kayaking at Smith Mountain Lake. He's an avid Taylor Swift and Imagine Dragons fan and aspires to write a novel someday. His recent read, "The Only One Left" by Riley Sager, captivated him with its riveting narrative set in the 1920s and 1990s.

Ty Ferrel is dedicated, innovative, and has a customer-first mindset. His journey and contributions at UVA Human Resources underscore these qualities, inspiring excellence within the HR Learning and Development team. We look forward to seeing the continued progress in learning opportunities for the UVA community, thanks to Ty and the HR Learning & Development team.