Professional Summary

Education technologist and AI systems architect with a doctorate in Educational Technology and over 15 years spanning K-12 classrooms, federal training, higher education, and the private sector. Designs and builds production AI systems for education, including multi-agent orchestration platforms, programmatic video pipelines, and interactive federal training portals. Currently VP at ModelIt / Discovery Collective, Director of AI & Learning Technology at Alexandria's Design LLC, and Instructional Systems Designer supporting Department of Defense programs. Teaches across four universities with 10+ years of continuous online higher education faculty experience. Research centers on AI-augmented instructional design, computational modeling in STEM education, and scalable learning technology architecture.

Experience
Current Roles
Vice President
ModelIt / Discovery Collective
2024 – Present
Remote
  • Lead strategic initiatives for a K-12 STEM education nonprofit focused on systems thinking and computational modeling
  • Oversee eLearning production, curriculum development, and educational technology integration using the Cell Collective platform
  • Manage university and school district partnerships for STEM program implementation and NSF grant research
Instructional Systems Designer
Eccalon LLC (Department of Defense)
Feb 2024 – Present
Remote — DoD Mentor-Protégé Program (OSBP)
  • Architect and build interactive eLearning portals, SCORM training packages, and guided walkthrough systems for DoD programs
  • Develop Section 508-compliant HTML-native interactive scenarios, replacing legacy Storyline modules
  • Engineer automated screen recording and narration pipelines using Playwright, ElevenLabs, and Remotion
Director of AI & Learning Technology
Alexandria's Design LLC
2020 – Present
Carlsbad, CA
  • Architect multi-agent AI systems for education workflows, deploying autonomous agents with memory, scheduling, and cross-platform integration
  • Build programmatic video production pipelines using React (Remotion), generative AI imagery, and AI voice synthesis
  • Design and deploy REST API integrations across Google Workspace, Telegram, Smartsheet, and federal training platforms
  • Develop federal contract proposals and training solutions for DoD, Navy, and Army MedCOE
Higher Education — Faculty
Adjunct Professor — English (ENGL 101/102, ALCR 101)
Morgan State University (HBCU)
Fall 2024 – Present
Baltimore, MD (Online)
  • Teach English Composition I & II and Academic Literacy to undergraduate students
  • Integrate educational technology and culturally responsive pedagogy into course design
Adjunct Professor — Graduate Education
Morningside University
Jan 2016 – Present
Sioux City, IA (Online)
  • Teach graduate-level education courses focusing on instructional methods and educational technology
  • 10+ years of continuous online higher education teaching
Adjunct Professor — History (World Culture & Diversity)
Knoxville College (HBCU)
Current
Knoxville, TN (Online)
Adjunct Professor
Baptist University of the Americas (HSI)
Current
San Antonio, TX (Online)
Adjunct Instructor — Education
UC Riverside Extension
Past
Riverside, CA
Federal & Industry
eLearning Specialist
UCLA Health — Semel Institute / UCAAN
Feb 2022 – Feb 2026
Los Angeles, CA (Remote)
  • Developed eLearning courses and training materials for healthcare professionals using Articulate Rise 360 and Storyline
  • Created the “Becoming ACEs Aware” course series for the California Department of Health Care Services
Instructional Systems Designer
US Army MedCOE / 1Prospect (Ahtna)
Nov 2021 – 2024
Fort Sam Houston, TX (Remote)
  • Designed ISD products for Army Medical Center of Excellence training programs using ADDIE/SAM frameworks
  • Built SCORM-compliant eLearning modules for military medical education
eLearning Developer
Director of National Intelligence (DNI)
2020 – 2021
Washington, D.C. (Remote)
  • Developed classified eLearning modules for the U.S. Intelligence Community
Curriculum Developer, K-12
Cell Collective
2019 – 2020
Lincoln, NE (Remote)
  • Developed K-12 STEM curriculum using computational modeling and systems thinking tools
  • Created teacher guides and student activities for biology and environmental science simulations
Curriculum Developer
Program 11 / Microsoft Education
2018 – 2019
Redmond, WA (Remote)
  • Developed K-12 computer science and digital literacy curriculum for Microsoft’s education initiatives
Curriculum Specialist
Age of Learning (ABCmouse)
2017 – 2018
Glendale, CA
  • Designed early childhood digital curriculum and learning activities for the ABCmouse platform
K-12 Education & Leadership
Assistant Administrator
Gus Franklin Jr. High School — Adelanto, CA
2017 – 2018
  • Supported school operations, teacher evaluation, and instructional leadership
K-8 Teacher (Computer Lab, Makerspace, ELA, Math, Science)
Norton Science & Language Academy — San Bernardino, CA
2016 – 2021
  • Taught K-5 computer lab, 6th-8th grade English/Math/Science, and managed STEM Makerspace program
Elementary Teacher & International Educator
Fulton County, Cobb County, DeKalb County (GA) & Abu Dhabi (UAE)
2005 – 2016
  • 10+ years K-8 classroom experience across multiple districts and international settings
  • Taught History, ELA, Science, Math, and all elementary subjects
  • International teaching and administrative experience in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Research Interests

AI-augmented instructional design and the integration of large language models into the ADDIE lifecycle; multi-agent AI orchestration for educational workflows and training automation; computational modeling and systems thinking in K-12 STEM education; programmatic video production for scalable federal and corporate training; culturally responsive pedagogy in online higher education; eLearning accessibility, Section 508 compliance, and the transition from legacy authoring tools to web-native interactive content.

Select Projects & Grants
  • NSF STEM K-12 Grant Proposal (Co-PI) — Developing proposal under NSF 25-545 for computational modeling in K-12 science education ($350K-$500K)
  • DoD Mentor-Protégé Program eLearning Suite — Designed and built interactive training portal with SCORM courses, Shepherd.js guided tours with ElevenLabs narration, and Playwright-based walkthrough video pipeline
  • Multi-Agent AI Platform (OpenClaw) — Architected and deployed a 10-agent autonomous AI system with memory, scheduling, cross-platform messaging, and LLM proxy infrastructure
  • Programmatic Video Production Pipeline — Built code-driven video system using React (Remotion), AI voice synthesis, generative imagery, and automated screen recording
  • Becoming ACEs Aware (UCLA Health) — Rise 360 eLearning course series for California DHCS healthcare professional training
  • CAAASA Video Production — AI-powered cinematic video production for the California Association of African American Superintendents
  • Cell Collective / ModelIt K-12 Curriculum — Systems thinking and computational modeling curriculum for middle and high school science
  • The Fourth Industrial Superintendent — Co-author, forthcoming book manuscript on educational leadership in the AI era

Dr. Charles
Martin Jr.

Cover Letter

April 2026

Dear Search Committee,

I am writing to express my interest in contributing to your department as a faculty member in educational technology, instructional design, or a related area. I hold a Doctorate in Educational Technology from the University of Florida, bring over 10 years of continuous online higher education teaching experience, and maintain an active practice that bridges AI systems architecture, federal training development, and K-12 STEM research.

What distinguishes my profile is that I do not merely study educational technology. I build it. I have architected multi-agent AI platforms that automate educational workflows, engineered programmatic video production systems using React and generative AI, and designed interactive federal training portals for the Department of Defense. At the same time, I teach English composition at Morgan State University, graduate education courses at Morningside University, and world cultures at Knoxville College, giving me daily grounding in the realities of online pedagogy across diverse student populations.

My research interests center on AI-augmented instructional design, particularly how large language models and autonomous agent systems can be integrated into the ADDIE lifecycle to produce more responsive, scalable, and equitable learning experiences. I am also deeply engaged in computational modeling for K-12 STEM education through my role as Vice President at ModelIt / Discovery Collective, where I support an NSF-funded research initiative investigating how systems thinking tools develop foundational AI literacy in grades 4-8.

As a practitioner-scholar, I bring a portfolio of production systems, not just publications, to the table. I believe the strongest educational technology programs are those where faculty can teach design thinking, demonstrate technical implementation, and contribute original research drawn from real-world practice. I am eager to bring that combination of building, teaching, and inquiry to your institution.

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles Martin Jr., Ed.D.

(323) 632-0271 | charlesmartinedd@gmail.com

Dr. Charles
Martin Jr.

Research Statement

Research Program Overview

My research investigates how artificial intelligence systems can be designed, built, and ethically integrated into educational practice to make learning more responsive, scalable, and equitable. I work at the intersection of AI engineering, instructional design, and educational technology research, operating as a practitioner-scholar who builds the systems I study. This positions my scholarship within design-based research and systems-oriented inquiry, where the artifacts of practice serve as both research instruments and contributions to the field.

Line 1: AI-Augmented Instructional Design

My primary research line examines how large language models and autonomous AI agents can be integrated into the instructional design lifecycle. Through my work at Alexandria's Design LLC, I have designed and deployed a multi-agent AI platform that orchestrates educational content production, automates quality assurance workflows, and generates training materials across multiple modalities including text, voice, and video. This work raises questions that I pursue through iterative design research: How do AI co-designers change the decisions instructional designers make? What new competencies do practitioners need when AI handles production tasks? How do we maintain pedagogical integrity when generative systems produce learning content at scale?

Line 2: Computational Modeling & AI Literacy in K-12 STEM

My second research line investigates how computational modeling tools develop systems thinking and foundational AI literacy in K-12 science education. As Vice President at ModelIt / Discovery Collective, I support an NSF-funded initiative exploring how middle school students use the Cell Collective modeling platform to reason about complex biological systems. This work connects my doctoral training in educational technology with my classroom experience teaching K-8 science and my current focus on how emerging technologies can be made accessible to younger learners, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.

Line 3: Scalable Learning Technology Architecture

My third research line is methodological: I investigate the design and deployment of learning technology infrastructure that operates at production scale. This includes programmatic video production systems that generate training content from code, browser automation pipelines that create narrated screen walkthroughs, and API-driven integrations that connect learning management systems with external data sources. This work contributes to an emerging literature on learning engineering and positions instructional designers not merely as content creators but as systems architects.

Future Directions

I am actively developing manuscripts from my practice for submission to journals including TechTrends, Educational Technology Research & Development, and the British Journal of Educational Technology. I am also co-authoring The Fourth Industrial Superintendent, a book on educational leadership in the AI era. In an academic appointment, I would seek external funding to expand my AI-augmented design research, mentor graduate students in building functional learning technology prototypes, and establish a lab focused on the intersection of AI engineering and instructional design scholarship.

Dr. Charles
Martin Jr.

Teaching Philosophy

Building, Not Just Knowing

I believe students learn most deeply when they build something real. My teaching philosophy is rooted in constructionism: learners develop understanding not by absorbing information but by creating artifacts that embody their thinking. Whether I am teaching English composition at Morgan State University, graduate education courses at Morningside University, or world cultures at Knoxville College, I design courses around the principle that the best evidence of learning is something a student made, not something they memorized.

Technology as Amplifier, Not Replacement

I bring unusual fluency with educational technology to my teaching. I have built AI systems, designed eLearning for federal agencies, and engineered programmatic video pipelines. But in the classroom, I treat technology as an amplifier of good pedagogy, never as a substitute for it. When I integrate AI tools into my courses, I do so to help students think more critically about the technology itself: What assumptions does this system encode? Whose knowledge does it reflect? What does it make easier, and what does it obscure? I want my students to be builders and critics of educational technology, not passive consumers of it.

Meeting Students Where They Are

My teaching experience spans remarkable diversity. I have taught third graders in Abu Dhabi, eighth graders in San Bernardino, undergraduates at two HBCUs, graduate students at a regional university, and adult learners at a Hispanic-serving institution. This range has taught me that effective instruction begins with understanding who is in the room. I design for cultural responsiveness not as an add-on but as a starting point: selecting texts that reflect my students' communities, structuring discussions that honor multiple perspectives, and creating assignments that connect academic content to lived experience.

Online Pedagogy as a Discipline

With over a decade of continuous online teaching, I approach online education not as a lesser version of face-to-face instruction but as its own pedagogical discipline. I design asynchronous experiences with the same intentionality I would bring to a seminar room: clear learning pathways, frequent low-stakes feedback, authentic assessment, and community-building structures that combat the isolation of distance learning. My students consistently report feeling more connected in my online courses than they expected, because I design for connection deliberately.

Modeling the Learning I Expect

I teach what I practice. My own path from elementary school teacher to international educator to federal instructional designer to AI systems architect reflects a belief that professional growth is nonlinear and that curiosity is the most durable skill. I bring that same expectation to my students: take intellectual risks, build things that might not work the first time, reflect honestly, and trust that the struggle is where the learning happens.

Dr. Charles
Martin Jr.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Shaped by Experience, Not Theory Alone

My commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion was not formed in a seminar. It was formed in classrooms in Abu Dhabi where I taught students from dozens of nationalities, in Title I schools in San Bernardino where I built a STEM Makerspace for students who had never touched a 3D printer, and in online courses at two HBCUs where I teach students whose educational experiences have been shaped by systemic inequity. I am a Black man in education and technology, and I bring a perspective informed by both lived experience and professional practice.

Teaching Across Difference

I currently teach at Morgan State University and Knoxville College, both historically Black institutions, and at Baptist University of the Americas, a Hispanic-serving institution. I also teach graduate students at Morningside University, a predominantly white regional university. This range is not accidental. I seek out diverse teaching contexts because I believe effective educators must practice inclusion across settings, not just in spaces that already look like them. In every context, I design courses that center multiple perspectives, select materials that reflect the communities I serve, and create space for students to bring their full identities into academic work.

Equity in Technology Design

My technical work is inseparable from my commitment to equity. When I build AI systems for education, I ask: whose knowledge is encoded in this model, and whose is excluded? When I design eLearning for federal agencies, I build to WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 standards not as compliance checkboxes but as commitments to access. When I develop curriculum for K-12 STEM programs, I focus on ensuring that computational modeling tools reach students in under-resourced schools, not just well-funded districts. Technology amplifies whatever values its designers embed. I design with intention.

Bilingual and Bicultural Practice

I hold an Associate's degree in Spanish and Bilingual Studies from Foothill College and I am pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Spanish. I have taught in bilingual and multilingual settings throughout my career, from Arabic-English classrooms in Abu Dhabi to Spanish-speaking communities in Southern California. My dissertation at the University of Florida focused on vocabulary development for multilingual learners through multimodal instruction. Language diversity is not a barrier in my practice. It is a resource.

Institutional Commitment

In any academic community I join, I am committed to advancing equity through mentorship, curriculum design, service, and scholarship. I bring experience building inclusive learning environments across sectors, countries, and platforms, and I believe that the strongest institutions are those that treat equity not as an initiative but as infrastructure.