Dr. Deri Draper-Amason is a Systems Thinker with direct experience in organizational change initiatives across corporate and higher education sectors.  Her expertise is in building learning organizations from the ground up.  As an expert in Instructional Systems and Design Thinking, her talent is in strategic planning, analysis of performance gaps,  instructional design, and workplace knowledge creation.  Dr. Draper-Amason's pragmatic experience as an Instructional Systems Designer has provided a depth of experience in all aspects of instructional design and strategies for e-learning and classroom environments.  

Specialties: Organizational Development and Learning, Organizational Change, Performance Improvement, Instructional Design, Online Education, Faculty Development, Open Educational Resources (OER), Informal learning, Communities of Practice, Knowledge Management and Creation, Experiential Learning, and the Analysis of e-learning capability in higher education and corporate contexts.

Dr. Deri Draper-Amason was awarded the prestigious two-year position of Provost Fellow at Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, VA.   She is experienced in the design and delivery of e-learning in higher education and corporate contexts. Her specializations focus on e-learning, specifically, the integration of high impact practices and other instructional technologies in online environments.

Dr. Draper-Amason transitioned to higher education to be able to mentor students, provide real world experiences in her practice as an educator, and to further her passion in knowledge creation and sharing in groups and organizations. Her work focuses on the interplay of individual and organizational knowledge in the creation, sharing of best practices.  She has been a leader in performance improvement for 20 years working in the automotive and pharmaceutical corporate manufacturing arenas. Although work was satisfying, she wanted the ability to mentor students, and freedom to work and research in areas that advance the field of Instructional Technology.  One of the main reasons why she decided to pursue a career in academia was to have the opportunity to work with future generations of instructional designers and educators in an instructional capacity. She views teaching as a major area in her practice as an educator. She strives to develop authentic activities that allow her to identify and apply instructional technologies and strategies to ensure that students learn about their disciplines that will enhance instruction and learner outcomes. She researches on a daily basis. It is her hope that her teaching will “fuel the fire” in some way and to inspire her students and faculty.  One of her graduate students commented, "Deri is a very high energy professional and incredibly intelligent accomplished educator who never stops reaching for the stars and bringing along the rest of us with her ideas, charisma, and sincerity."

Dr. Deri Draper-Amason is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University earning her Ph.D. and MEd degree in Instructional Systems, and Temple University with a Bachelor’s of Art degree in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian Art. 

Most of my publications focus on collaborative instructional strategies that(a) foster critical thinking skills; (b) to encourage the acquisition of lifelong learning skills; (c) create a positive learning environment where meaningful learning flourish; and (d) craft meaningful learning opportunities for authentic practice and high impact practices. Click on the buttons below to learn more.

My Story

Life is a journey and a collection of experiences that guide and inform our path. This statement encapsulates my life journey.  My professional experience began modestly working in an automotive dealership.  Working in all aspects of the automotive retail, corporate, training and manufacturing arenas, having entrepreneurial experiences with venture capital funded start-ups, and other manufacturing fields has provided me real world, pragmatic experiences that have propelled my career into higher education. 

My unique perspective and talents have enhanced my impact on Old Dominion University students, faculty, executive group and institution.  Currently, my work focuses on institution-wide Integrated Learning, Faculty Development, and Open Educational Resource (OER) initiatives.    

ENFJ Personality

ENFJs are natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. With a natural confidence that begets influence, ENFJs take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community.

Firm Believers in the People

People are drawn to strong personalities, and ENFJs radiate authenticity, concern and altruism, unafraid to stand up and speak when they feel something needs to be said. They find it natural and easy to communicate with others, especially in person, and their Intuitive (N) trait helps people with the ENFJ personality type to reach every mind, be it through facts and logic or raw emotion. ENFJs easily see people’s motivations and seemingly disconnected events, and are able to bring these ideas together and communicate them as a common goal with an eloquence that is nothing short of mesmerizing.

The interest ENFJs have in others is genuine, almost to a fault – when they believe in someone, they can become too involved in the other person’s problems, place too much trust in them. Luckily, this trust tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, as ENFJs’ altruism and authenticity inspire those they care about to become better themselves. But if they aren’t careful, they can overextend their optimism, sometimes pushing others further than they’re ready or willing to go.

ENFJs are vulnerable to another snare as well: they have a tremendous capacity for reflecting on and analyzing their own feelings, but if they get too caught up in another person’s plight, they can develop a sort of emotional hypochondria, seeing other people’s problems in themselves, trying to fix something in themselves that isn’t wrong. If they get to a point where they are held back by limitations someone else is experiencing, it can hinder ENFJs’ ability to see past the dilemma and be of any help at all. When this happens, it’s important for ENFJs to pull back and use that self-reflection to distinguish between what they really feel, and what is a separate issue that needs to be looked at from another perspective. 

People with the ENFJ personality type are passionate altruists, sometimes even to a fault, and they are unlikely to be afraid to take the slings and arrows while standing up for the people and ideas they believe in. It is no wonder that many famous ENFJs are US Presidents – this personality type wants to lead the way to a brighter future, whether it’s by leading a nation to prosperity, or leading their little league softball team to a hard-fought victory.(retrieved from: https://www.16personalities.com/enfj-personality)

ENFJ's are warm, empathetic, responsive, and responsible. Highly attuned to the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. Find potential in everyone, want to help others fulfill their potential. May act as catalysts for individual and group growth. Loyal, responsive to praise and criticism. Sociable, facilitate others in a group, and provide inspiring leadership. (http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.htm)

ENFJ

“People with the ENFJ personality type are passionate altruists, sometimes even to a fault, and they are unlikely to be afraid to take the slings and arrows while standing up for the people and ideas they believe in. It is no wonder that many famous ENFJs are genuine, caring people who talk the talk and walk the walk, and nothing makes them happier than leading the charge, uniting and motivating their team with infectious enthusiasm.”
— https://www.16personalities.com/enfj-personality

Honors, Awards, and Recognition

HIGHER EDUCATION:

2018 -- Winner,  Women in Digital Learning Leadership Scholarship, Online Learning Consortium