Nicola Wayer

Nicola Wayer has a diverse work experience in the field of instructional design and online teaching. Nicola has held various roles in different organizations throughout their career. Nicola started as an Equipment Distribution & Training Specialist at Florida Telecommunications Relay Incorporated in 1993, where they provided training for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Nicola then worked as a Sign Language Interpreter at Seminole County Public Schools in 1994. From 1995 to 2008, they held various positions at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, including middle school teacher and coordinator for independent and online learning. In 2009, they joined the University of Florida, College of Education as an Instructional Designer & Distance Education Specialist, where they taught faculty how to teach online and worked on course design and development. Nicola also worked on grant-funded projects for PK-12 and special educators. Nicola then moved on to work as an eLearning Instructional Designer at Florida State College at Jacksonville from 2012 to 2014. In 2014, they became the Director of Instructional Design at Champlain College until 2016. From 2013 to 2020, they worked as a Senior Learning Solutions Consultant at Tandem Educational Consultants. Nicola also served as a Fellow at the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute from 2015 to 2017. Currently, they hold the position of Director of Instructional Design & Training at TN eCampus under the Tennessee Board of Regents since 2016.

Nicola Wayer has an extensive education history. Nicola obtained their Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Deaf Education and Elementary Education from Flagler College in 1998. Following this, they pursued a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Secondary Education, Curriculum & Technology from the University of North Florida and completed it in 2001. In 2013, Nicola completed their PhD in Curriculum & Instruction: Educational Technology from the University of Florida.

Nicola also holds a Graduate Certificate in Positive Organizational Development & Appreciative Inquiry, which they obtained from Champlain College in 2016. In terms of additional certifications, Nicola has a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) from the IAAP - International Association of Accessibility Professionals, which they obtained in December 2017. Nicola is also an Exceptional Needs Specialist / Childhood through Young Adulthood (birth-21+) certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards since November 2004.

Furthermore, Nicola holds numerous teaching certifications, including Elementary Education 1-6, Hearing Impaired K-12, Exceptional Student Education K-12, Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum 5-9, ESOL Endorsement, and Reading Endorsement. These certifications were obtained from the Florida Department of Education in April 1998.

In addition to their educational achievements, Nicola received the 2015 Innovator Award for Outstanding Research from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL).