Stephanie Barry, who earned a Master of Education (MEd) in Learning Design & Technology (LTEC) and a Graduate Certificate in Online Learning & Teaching (COLT) from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Education (COE), is an AI Learning Designer and Education Program Manager at Meta.
Within two years of graduating with her master’s degree 2011, Barry landed a job with Google where she worked for eight years as an Instructional Designer/Learning Experience Designer. Her work supported groups including Google Research, AI-supported learning initiatives, and privacy and information security education for more than 200,000 Googlers.
“Across these teams, my role was consistent: translate complex, high-stakes information into learning experiences that helped people make better decisions,” Barry said. “The LTEC program prepared me by teaching me how to think strategically about learning, not just how to create content. The program emphasized learning science, systems thinking, research methods, and learner-centered design. These are skills that became the frame for my work in a fast-moving tech environment.”
Now working at Meta, the second largest advertiser in the world after Google, Barry creates education for businesses to optimize their technology and what they spend on ads. She serves as a curriculum developer for their Conversions API training to 36,000 advertisers as well as records and edits Train The Trainer (TTT) videos and guides.
“I am grateful to the COE and LTEC program for focusing on real-world work experience,” Barry continued. “Faculty consistently connected theory to practice, asking us to design solutions for authentic learning problems. I graduated with a portfolio of work, not just academic credits, which made the transition into industry much smoother.”
Barry also credits the COE’s emphasis on professional connection and mentorship with building confidence leading to success in high-expectation environments after graduation.
“Faculty treated students as emerging professionals,” Barry concluded. “Whether online or in person, the program was clearly designed with relevance and adaptability in mind. I often think of the COE network like a banyan tree: interconnected, supportive and wide-reaching. I hope my story shows how a public university can prepare graduates for non-obvious, highly competitive careers, including roles in global technology companies.”
Natalie Gauvin (PhD in LTEC) is a senior user experience researcher at Google.
“The Learning Design and Technology PhD program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa taught me how to frame complex questions, design meaningful research, and navigate ambiguity with both curiosity and rigor. It prepared me to work thoughtfully with evolving technologies, including AI. The amazing professors reinforced the importance of community and supporting one another. That foundation has been essential in my career as a UX Researcher in tech, guiding my work at companies like Google, TikTok, Meta, and The Home Depot to create thoughtful, people-centered experiences that truly matter.”
