Xiara Acosta

Instructional design, e-learning, and training

I design self-paced tutorials, software how-to videos, workshops, and learner guides that make complex tools and research skills easy to learn. For more than 13 years at Nova Southeastern University, I have taught students, faculty, and community learners in person, online, and in hybrid formats. I am completing an M.S. in Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (December 2026).

Portrait of Xiara Acosta

Canvas course design

A full self-paced course built in Canvas LMS for faculty professional development.

Canvas courseIn development, launching January 2027

Learning SciVal: Faculty Development in Canvas

Learning SciVal is a self-paced Canvas course designed to help Nova Southeastern University faculty explore research activity, interpret scholarly metrics, and communicate research impact. Its six-module framework covers platform navigation, research metrics, institutional analysis, researcher profiles and groups, reporting, and responsible use of SciVal.

My work focuses on adapting Elsevier’s SciVal training resources for NSU faculty through a revised course outline, customized homepage, university branding, and practical learning goals. The course pairs instructional content with practice activities, discussions, knowledge checks, and quizzes to support application.

The design emphasizes clear navigation, flexible participation, and connections to faculty research needs, including examining collaboration patterns and preparing research summaries. It also encourages learners to interpret metrics in context and alongside professional judgment.

  • Canvas LMS
  • Course outline and learning objectives
  • Module sequencing and prerequisites
  • Knowledge checks and quizzes
  • Faculty audience
  • Adapting vendor content

Interactive e-learning

Self-paced modules I designed and built in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Self-paced tutorialCOMP 1500 course

Evaluate Sources with CARDIO

A self-paced tutorial that teaches computing students to judge whether a source is credible, using the six CARDIO criteria: Currency, Authority, Relevance, Documentation, Information Type, and Objectivity. Learners work through one criterion at a time using a real practice article, answer guided reflection prompts, and complete a knowledge check before they can move on.

The module opens with visual primers on the information cycle and peer review, embeds a video on lateral reading, and ends by sending learners to the required course quiz, so the practice and the graded assessment stay aligned.

  • Learning objectives
  • Knowledge checks
  • Scaffolded practice
  • Assessment alignment
  • HTML/CSS/JS
Open the CARDIO tutorial
Interactive toolGuided job aid

Database Keyword Search Builder

A six-step guided tool that turns a vague research idea into a working database search. Learners define their topic (What), angle (Why), and population (Who), see those pieces combine into a research question, add synonyms, and receive ready-to-paste search strings formatted for both multi-box databases and single-box search engines.

It breaks a technical skill that often overwhelms beginners into small, confident steps and gives learners something they can use immediately.

  • Task analysis
  • Step-by-step scaffolding
  • Performance support
  • Plain-language design
  • HTML/CSS/JS
Open the Search Builder

Software how-to videos

Short, task-focused screencasts for students and the public. I script, record, edit, and caption them.

Screencast2026 update

How to Use Advanced Search in the Catalog

Shows learners how to use filters in the library catalog to find books, ebooks, video games, and DVDs more efficiently. Published with a script and closed captions.

  • Scriptwriting
  • Screen recording
  • Captioning
Watch the video
Screencast2026

How to Reserve a Study Room

A step-by-step walkthrough of the online room reservation system. Published with closed captions and a full transcript.

  • Process walkthrough
  • Captioning
  • Transcript
Watch the video
ScreencastCo-created, 2026 update

How to Search for Articles

Demonstrates how to search library databases for scholarly articles using keywords, then apply filters to refine results. Published with a script and closed captions.

  • Software training
  • Scriptwriting
  • Captioning
Watch the video

Workshops and presentations

Live and recorded sessions and programs on AI, data, research tools, and language learning, for students, faculty, and community learners.

WorkshopFall 2026

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of AI

A practical, student-focused workshop on how AI can support studying and research, where it goes wrong, and how to use it responsibly. I designed the full package: facilitator script, slide deck, and a leadership-facing overview. The recording is published with captions and a transcript.

  • Workshop design
  • AI literacy
  • Facilitator materials
  • Accessibility
Watch the workshop
PresentationSpring 2026

Narrative Data Visualization in Academia & Libraries

Shows how to translate complex research metrics into clear, visual stories that support assessment, reporting, and decision-making for administrative and external audiences. Published with closed captions.

  • Data storytelling
  • Technical to non-technical translation
  • Captioning
Watch the presentation
WorkshopCo-presented, Fall 2025

AI Assistants in Research Databases

Explores the AI research assistants built into Web of Science and ProQuest, and how they can speed up literature reviews while keeping the researcher in control. Published with closed captions and audio.

  • Software training
  • AI tools
  • Faculty audience
Watch the workshop
Learning programLaunched October 2024

English Café

A free, recurring program I created for adult speakers of other languages to practice reading, writing, and conversation in English in a relaxed, welcoming setting. The program met on the first and third Monday of each month at the Alvin Sherman Library, and I created new materials for every session.

To strengthen the curriculum, I worked with Broward County Library staff on its structure and on recommended resources, a natural fit with my TEFL training.

  • Program design
  • Adult learners
  • Language learning
  • Curriculum development
Online workshopsLiaison instruction

Online Library Workshops for the College of Computing and Engineering

Two live online workshops I delivered as library liaison to NSU’s College of Computing and Engineering (now the College of Computing, AI, and Cybersecurity). Introduction to the Library oriented students to the library’s resources and services, and Accessing Dissertations showed them how to find and access dissertations for their own research.

  • Online instruction
  • Liaison partnership
  • Research skills

Learner guides

Multi-page reference guides that learners return to on their own.

Guide and workshopMulti-page guide, live demos

Basic Look at Video Editing

I first built this guide when a faculty member asked for help supporting a video project in her class. It grew into a hands-on workshop I deliver to her students each semester, where I walk through the guide and demonstrate iMovie and Adobe Premiere Rush. I have also given video editing demonstrations for a COMP 1500 class and during a THEA 1500 tour of the Digital Media Lab and Makerspace.

The guide itself is a beginner's guide to iMovie and Adobe Premiere Rush, organized by task: creating and exporting projects, working with audio, and using editing tools. It also covers copyright basics, citing media, and where to find free-to-use images, video, and music.

  • Needs analysis
  • Software training
  • Live demonstration
  • Job aids
Open the guide
Subject guideFaculty and students

College of Computing, AI, and Cybersecurity

The resource hub I maintain as liaison to NSU's College of Computing, AI, and Cybersecurity. It brings together databases, statistical software access, LinkedIn Learning, journals, ebooks, and library services for students and faculty.

  • SME collaboration
  • Content curation
  • Ongoing maintenance
Open the guide

Visual and print design

Print pieces that help people discover library resources and keep learning after a session ends.

Outreach campaignFeatured project, 2026

Library of Things: Collectible Bookmark Campaign

Most people think of an academic library as books, databases, and study space. To show students and visitors everything else they can borrow, I created a series of six collectible bookmarks for the Alvin Sherman Library’s Library of Things, each featuring a different item, from power banks and graphing calculators to science models and an office supply kit.

The concept

Instead of a standard informational handout, I borrowed ideas from trading cards and sticker collections. Each bookmark is numbered, No. 1 through 6, and gives its item playful “stats” and a “special ability,” so the set feels like something worth keeping and completing. The back of every bookmark carries the practical message: what the Library of Things offers and where to explore the collection.

Design process

I set the creative direction for a soft, storybook-style look: pastel colors, rounded characters, simple backgrounds, NSU branding, and a recurring shark plushie mascot. The original Power Bank artwork became the reference for the whole series. When later concepts drifted toward a more realistic or anime-like style, I brought them back to that original direction, choosing consistency over complexity and recognizability over realism.

The illustrations were created with generative AI image tools under my direction. I wrote and refined the prompts, compared versions, and rejected anything that broke the established style, then laid out each bookmark with its item stats, special ability, and call to action. Treating AI as a design tool, rather than letting it set the look, is what kept six separate images reading as one collection.

Bookmark No. 1, Power Bank: storybook-style illustration of a student walking past the Alvin Sherman Library charging her phone from a pink power bank, with item stats, a special ability, and the link lib.nova.edu/lot.
No. 1
Power Bank
Bookmark No. 2, Graphing Calculator: storybook-style illustration of a student solving math problems at a desk with a graphing calculator, with item stats, a special ability, and the link lib.nova.edu/lot.
No. 2
Graphing Calculator
Bookmark No. 3, Wired Earbuds: storybook-style illustration of a student studying in the library while listening through wired earbuds, with item stats, a special ability, and the link lib.nova.edu/lot.
No. 3
Wired Earbuds
Bookmark No. 4, Whiteboards: storybook-style illustration of two students planning their studying on a small whiteboard, with item stats, a special ability, and the link lib.nova.edu/lot.
No. 4
Whiteboards
Bookmark No. 5, Scientific Models & Kits: storybook-style illustration of two students exploring a cell model kit together, with item stats, a special ability, and the link lib.nova.edu/lot.
No. 5
Scientific Models & Kits
Bookmark No. 6, Office Supply Kit: storybook-style illustration of a student checking out an office supply kit at the circulation desk, with item stats, a special ability, and the link lib.nova.edu/lot.
No. 6
Office Supply Kit

The full collection. Tap any bookmark to view it full size.

Getting students to explore

Rather than stacking all six designs at one desk, I split them across three service points, two per desk, so collecting the full set means visiting different parts of the library and meeting the staff there.

Service pointBookmarks
Public Computing ServicesNo. 1 Power Bank, No. 6 Office Supply Kit
CirculationNo. 2 Graphing Calculator, No. 4 Whiteboards
Academic Reference ServicesNo. 3 Wired Earbuds, No. 5 Scientific Models & Kits

I also planned the physical display at the Academic Reference Services suite entrance and coordinated with staff to keep the bookmarks organized and available.

Back of the bookmarks: Forgot your charger, calculator, headphones, poncho, or study supplies? The Library of Things has your back. Explore the collection at lib.nova.edu/lot.
Shared back, color-matched to each front
  • Creative direction
  • AI-assisted design
  • Prompt writing
  • Design iteration
  • Gamification
  • User-centered design
  • Visual branding
  • Distribution planning
Print job aidTwo-sided bookmark

Online Resources Bookmark

A two-sided bookmark that introduces the library’s digital collections. The Read Online side covers cloudLibrary, Comics Plus, and Flipster, with app store badges so readers can download the apps right away. The Learn Online side covers LinkedIn Learning and LearningExpress Library and points to lib.nova.edu/online.

I designed it as a take-away for library instruction sessions and the reference desks, giving each resource a one-line, plain-language description so learners know what it is for at a glance.

Read Online side: cloudLibrary for eBooks and eAudiobooks, Comics Plus for digital comics, graphic novels, and manga, and Flipster for digital magazines, with App Store and Google Play badges.
Read Online
Learn Online side: LinkedIn Learning for expert-led online courses and video tutorials, and LearningExpress Library for practice tests, quizzes, tutorials, and flashcards, with the link lib.nova.edu/online.
Learn Online
  • Job aid design
  • Plain-language writing
  • Visual hierarchy
  • Print design

Certifications

Credentials in security, research analytics, language teaching, and STEM education.

CertificationEarned October 2026

TestOut Security Pro

A CompTIA TestOut certification earned through a 100% performance-based exam. Instead of multiple-choice questions, the exam requires completing hands-on tasks in simulated environments, showing practical skill in essential elements of computer and network security.

It covers access control and identity management, cryptography, policies and security awareness, physical security, perimeter, network, host, application, and data defenses, and security assessments and audits.

  • Access control and identity
  • Cryptography
  • Network and host defenses
  • Data and application security
  • Assessments and audits
Verify the certificate
CertificationEarned April 2026

SciVal Certification Program

Elsevier’s certification program for SciVal, its research analytics platform for exploring research activity, benchmarking performance, and finding collaboration opportunities using scholarly metrics.

This certification is the foundation for Learning SciVal, the Canvas course I am adapting from Elsevier’s training to teach NSU faculty how to use SciVal with their own research data.

  • Research analytics
  • Scholarly metrics
  • Benchmarking
  • Elsevier SciVal
View the certificate (PDF)
CertificationEarned October 2021

120-Hour TEFL Certification

An accredited 120-hour Teaching English as a Foreign Language course from Let’s TEFL, accredited by the World TEFL Accrediting Commission (WTEFLAC). It covers the full range of skills needed for the ESL classroom, from grammar and the four language skills to lesson planning and assessment.

The course trained me to teach young learners, teenagers, and adults, adapt to different learning styles, check for understanding, and keep learners motivated, skills that carry over to designing instruction for diverse learners.

  • Lesson planning
  • Teaching methodologies
  • Learning styles
  • Checking for understanding
  • Classroom management
View the certificate (PDF)
Professional developmentSeptember 2017

NASA Lunar and Meteorite Sample Certification

A six-hour educator professional development certification offered through the NASA Educator Professional Development Collaborative (EPDC) and Texas State University’s LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research.

The training certifies educators to use NASA’s lunar and meteorite sample disks in teaching and outreach.

  • STEM education
  • Hands-on learning
  • Educator professional development
View the certificate (PDF)

Accessibility is built into my process: every video here is published with closed captions, and most include a script or transcript.