Some instructional designers build courses that aim to improve outcomes at work.

Nicole Weber built a course with a much higher stake: protecting lives.

An experienced international educator with over 20 years in the classroom, Nicole came to IDOL not because she wanted a new title, but because she needed a new vehicle for impact. One that could scale her expertise, honor her values, and reach learners who are often invisible to traditional education systems.

Her portfolio project is not hypothetical.

It is urgent.

And it matters.

The Problem She Refused to Look Away From

Nicole’s course is designed for young adults and older teens living along the Thailand–Myanmar border. Many of them are refugees or undocumented migrants.

Without citizenship or residency ID cards, they are locked out of basic protections:

• Formal education

• Healthcare

• Legal rights

• Safe employment

That vulnerability creates a perfect storm.

Human trafficking.
Online scams.
Coercion disguised as opportunity.

Nicole witnessed it firsthand while teaching in Thailand. Children sent “to help a neighboring village” disappearing into trafficking rings. Young adults manipulated through romance scams and fake job offers. Entire communities caught in what local leaders call the blood cycle.

This is the learner Nicole designed for.

And she took that responsibility seriously.

Designing for Reality, Not Theory

Nicole didn’t start with tools.

She started with people.

She conducted an in-depth needs analysis with a nonprofit organization working directly with refugee communities. She interviewed volunteers, board members, and leadership. She studied regional scam data across Southeast Asia, identifying the most common manipulation tactics used against low-literacy and low-bandwidth populations.

Then she designed accordingly.

Her course is intentionally:

• Low bandwidth friendly

• Mobile-first

• Trauma-aware

• Culturally responsive

• Accessibility focused

No flashy gamification.
No “chocolate-covered broccoli.”

Just meaningful, active learning that respects the realities of her learners’ lives.

A Simple Model With Life-Saving Potential

At the heart of Nicole’s course is a four-step decision-making framework she developed and scaffolded across modules:

STOP
Pause. Recognize pressure. Notice warning signs.

CHECK
Verify information. Look for inconsistencies. Build thinking habits.

ASK
Learn how to ask the right questions. Who is this person? What proof exists?

MOVE
Protect yourself. Protect your community. Know where to go for help.

The early modules introduce scams and manipulation tactics. Later modules explore more complex scenarios like “loverboy” cyber scams and coercive recruitment strategies.

Each step builds cognitive skills, not fear.

That is intentional.

Nicole’s background in inquiry-based learning, Project Zero thinking routines, and adult learning theory is visible throughout her design. She isn’t just teaching content. She’s teaching how to think under pressure.

Instructional Design as Advocacy

This project goes far beyond a portfolio requirement.

Nicole is also completing an internship with the nonprofit, supporting leadership planning and sustainability as the organization’s founder transitions after decades of service. Her instructional design work is part of a larger legacy plan, ensuring knowledge doesn’t disappear with one person.

At the same time, she is balancing a second internship focused on behavioral personas and team dynamics, translating a psychology-based framework into structured learning experiences.

It’s a lot.

But it’s also exactly why her portfolio stands out.

Finding IDOL and Finding Her Footing Again

After returning to the U.S., Nicole faced a painful reality many educators know too well. Her international experience was dismissed. Her credentials were undervalued. The system asked her to start over.

So she didn’t.

She pivoted.

After researching instructional design roles and repeatedly hitting rejection walls, Nicole realized what was missing wasn’t skill. It was proof. A portfolio. A framework. The ability to translate expertise into modern learning products.

She chose IDOL because it aligned with how she already thought about learning.

Human-centered.
Inquiry-driven.
Practical.

And when the process felt overwhelming, that's when the online sessions really stepped in. That support mattered.

Why Nicole’s Story Matters

Nicole’s journey reminds us of something essential:

Instructional design is not about software mastery alone.
It’s about responsibility.

When done well, it gives people tools to think, question, and protect themselves. It creates access where systems fail. It turns experience into scalable change.

And that is exactly the kind of work we are proud to support at IDOL.

Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn

View Nicole's online portfolio