CAL POLY HUMBOLDT EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING CURRICULUM
A four-course onboarding curriculum developed to help new employees quickly understand essential university policies, benefits, payroll processes, and professional development opportunities during their first day of employment.
Higher Education • Employee Onboarding • Curriculum Design • eLearning • Learning Experience Design
MY ROLE
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGNER
E-LEARNING DEVELOPER
SCRIPTWRITER
MULTIMEDIA PRODUCER
STORYBOARD DEVELOPMENT
VISUAL DESIGNER
INTERACTION DESIGNER
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
LMS PUBLISHER
CLIENT
INTERNAL HUMAN RESOURCES
AUDIENCE
NEW EMPLOYEES
DURATION
FOUR SELF-PACED MODULES
TOOLS
ADOBE CAPTIVATE
ADOBE PHOTOSHOP
ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR
ADOBE AUDITION
Featured Course
Introduces employees to health, retirement, and wellness benefits, helping them understand available resources and enrollment options.
The remaining modules can be viewed individually through the links above the featured course.
- Payroll and Absence Management – Explains payroll processes, time reporting, and leave management procedures to help employees accurately manage their employment records.
- Policies – Provides an overview of university policies, workplace expectations, and essential compliance requirements for new employees.
- Professional Development – Highlights professional growth opportunities, learning resources, and programs that support long-term career development.
Business Challenge
New employees needed a consistent and engaging introduction to essential university processes and resources during their first day of employment. The challenge was to replace information-heavy orientation sessions with a structured, self-paced curriculum that improved comprehension, reduced cognitive overload, and provided employees with a reference they could revisit as needed.
Learning Solution
I designed and developed a four-module onboarding curriculum that organized essential new employee information into a structured, self-paced learning experience. Each module focused on a specific topic—Benefits, Policies, Payroll & Absence Management, and Professional Development—allowing learners to complete training efficiently while revisiting individual subjects as needed. Interactive scenarios, visual explanations, and consistent instructional design created a cohesive onboarding experience across the curriculum.
Project Highlights
- Developed a four-course onboarding curriculum designed for newly hired university employees.
- Organized complex HR information into a structured learning path that supports first-day onboarding.
- Combined policy, benefits, payroll, and professional development topics into a cohesive learning experience.
- Created interactive eLearning modules that encourage learner engagement and self-paced exploration.
- Designed each module as a standalone learning object to simplify future updates and maintenance.
- Applied consistent visual design, narration, and instructional strategies across the entire curriculum.
Impact
The curriculum transformed new employee onboarding into a structured learning experience by organizing essential topics into focused, self-paced modules. This modular approach allowed employees to complete training efficiently, revisit information as needed, and receive a consistent onboarding experience regardless of department. Separating content into individual courses also simplified future maintenance, enabling updates to specific topics without redesigning the entire program.
Core Competencies
- Curriculum Design
- Learning Experience Design
- Adult Learning Principles
- Modular eLearning Design
- Visual Communication
- Storytelling
- Multimedia Development
- Accessibility Awareness
- Stakeholder Collaboration
- Higher Education Training



