Welcome to My Instructional Design Portfolio

Here, you’ll find summaries of my past courses, events, and lessons, along with opportunities to contribute to products I’m currently developing or refining. I consider all of my projects “works in progress” because I believe in continually growing and evolving through new insights and ideas.

Current Projects

All works contained within this website are copyright 2017, Heather Birt.

Explore literary analysis, critical thinking & self-reflection with this playful game: Literature Dips

Literature Dips are unique lesson plans in literature analysis and critical thinking, designed to combine intellectual exploration with creative play. These short lessons include fun, interpretative aspects derived from ancient games of self-reflection, tarot and bibliomancy, inviting learners to engage with literature in a fresh, interactive way. Each lesson includes a curated selection of excerpts from classic and contemporary works, accompanied by thought-provoking questions and prompts that challenge you to find connections between the text and your own life. Instructions on how to “dip” into your own favorite books and choose passages to analyze are also included.

By approaching literature as both a source of personal insight and a tool for analytical skill-building, these dips encourage readers to uncover layers of meaning and draw parallels between themes, characters, and real-world experiences. Whether used as a solo activity or shared with a group, Literature Dips offer an enjoyable yet rigorous method for deepening your appreciation of literature while sparking your imagination and enhancing your critical thinking. Perfect for lifelong learners, book clubs, or anyone looking to blend intellectual curiosity with creative inspiration!

AVAILABLE SOON ON ETSY

literature dip
literary analysis lesson plan

COMING SOON TO ETSY

Life Experiments: Using the Semi-Scientific Method for Lifelong Learning

I created this method of “life experimentation” in 2013 while building my first online course, and then released it to the public in 2017 in my mini-course, Get Started, Get Going. Life Experiments with the Semi-Scientific Method was made for creative minds that have trouble starting, finishing, or organizing projects. One approach to solving these overwhelming issues is to implement a perceptual framework and systematic process for moving forward while retaining flexibility, fun, and allowing for the analytical and imaginative parts of the brain to flourish together. I’m now relaunching my method as a lesson plan than can be used as a tool for self-exploration, problem-solving, and trying new things. It teaches learners to approach life’s challenges as experiments and to see mistakes, or unexpected outcomes, as welcome information on their learning journey. A little structure and support goes a long way to improve performance, relieve pressure, and bring clarity along with action.

dreamwork course

Develop a healing relationship with your unconscious self through dreamwork.

Healing Dreams will be a transformative program that guides you in using dreams as a powerful tool for healing and self-discovery. Dreams reveal the hidden layers of our subconscious: unmet needs, unresolved hurts, and patterns that shape our waking lives. Build a bridge between your waking self and the imaginal dream realm and uncover your deepest wisdom to heal, find purpose, and tap into your creative potential.

Through lessons on the stages of sleep, the history of dreams and healing, and practical techniques to help with lucid dreaming and dream journaling, you’ll learn how to tune into themes and decipher metaphors in your dreams. You’ll explore fun practices, like the process I call The Waking Dream, and use your senses and emotions as pathways to wholeness. By developing a tender and receptive relationship with your inner world, you’ll cultivate a practice of dreamwork that empowers you to turn insights into action and live a more connected, meaningful life.

If this sounds like an experience you’d enjoy, please let me know your thoughts, feelings, and needs in this survey. You’ll help me shape this course/workshop.

Learn to mindfully engage with media to regain control over your time, energy, & creativity.

Media Detox was originally designed as a 7-day intentional reset delivered via email. Drawing from my own experiences and copious research, I created Media Detox as a holistic way to redesign media-driven habits and reconnect with intuition, creativity, and purpose. Through guided exercises, lessons on the history and development of various forms of media, humorous personal narratives, fun field trips, and daily reflection prompts, you’ll plan how to fill your newfound time meaningfully and gain clarity on what’s important in your life and who, exactly, is vying for your attention. Together, we’ll rediscover how to align your time with your values and maybe even reset your vision for the future.

This project is special to me and was well received during its first two runs with online participants. I’m considering developing this as a snail mail offering where participants can receive letters and materials at their homes instead of accessing them online. Regardless of the delivery, you can expect this program to be offered again.

media detox revolution
scrivener tutorial

Download the library of your mind into one easy-to-organize place and bring your ideas to life!

If you have a mind brimming with ideas but struggle to bring them to life, Organize Your Creative Brain with Scrivener could be just the solution. This program is designed to help you transform the chaos of inspiration into actionable, well-organized projects using Scrivener, an all-in-one software for writing and project management. You’ll learn how to capture your ideas in a reliable system, organize them into a clear plan, and streamline your creative process to save time, reduce anxiety, and maintain focus.

I’ll walk you through my system for using Scrivener to manage the entire creative process from brainstorming and research to drafting and final presentation. With everything in one place, you’ll no longer lose time hunting through scattered notebooks, apps, or files. Instead, you’ll have a clear picture of your project at a glance, enabling you to work smarter and produce your best work. Whether you’re creating content, writing a book, developing recipes, planning your year, or launching a course, this method will help you stay organized, energized, and on track to make your creative vision a reality.

Past Projects

Emotional Intelligence Worksheets

We all need support in finding our center at times, that’s why emotional intelligence is one of my favorite topics for worksheets and workshops. Becoming stronger emotionally gives us the confidence and energy to make all else possible and creates a solid foundation for leadership skills and clarity of mind.

Past projects in this realm include popular worksheets on using the Internal Family Systems model to deal with a harsh inner critic, developing self-awareness to challenge emotional patterns, and maintaining a space of peace and safety within during difficult times.

Etsy: Smart & Simple

Rituals, Routines, and Habits

It takes daily intentional action to cultivate habits, whether they be emotional habits or otherwise. I created multiple blogs, newsletters, and other resources to help highly-sensitive creatives craft daily routines based on their specific needs and lifestyles. We discussed how ritual brings energy and fun to your daily schedule, and how to track your progress so you can celebrate each win. 

habits rituals routines
Media Detox

Get Start, Get Going: A Mini-course in Confident Action and Creating Your Purpose

Get Started, Get Going was a video mini-course designed to help learners overcome indecision and procrastination, replacing them with clarity, confidence, and bold action. Through an 8-step journey, they’d develop emotional habits and mindsets that empower them to make meaningful choices, embrace imperfection, and transform hesitation into momentum.

This course explored practical strategies for cultivating clarity, personal power, and a sense of purpose. Students learned how to navigate challenges with curiosity and compassion, build positive energy around new endeavors, and take bold steps toward their goals. The main goal of the mini-course was to provide some of the tools and confidence needed to make powerful decisions and take action on their dreams.

This course attracted dozens of students with no marketing outside of search engine optimized (SEO) blog posts and a handful of posts to my Instagram. Evaluation of students progress at the end of their time in the course provided much insight into future instructional designs.

Etsy: Smart & Simple - hosted on Skillshare.com (2012-2015)

Etsy: Smart & Simple was a beginner-friendly course I created for Skillshare.com, designed to help aspiring creative entrepreneurs establish and grow a successful Etsy shop with ease. This course simplified the process of launching an online store, providing clear, actionable steps for creating compelling product listings, optimizing for search, providing exemplary customer service, and managing a shop efficiently.

Students learned the essential strategies for standing out in Etsy’s marketplace, including tips for branding, pricing, product photography, and customer service. The course was for both hobbyists and serious small business owners wanting to expand their audience. With straightforward guidance and a focus on smart, simple strategies, I assisted thousands of students in taking their ideas to thriving Etsy shops.

This was my first endeavor into instructional design online, and I am absolutely grateful for it!

Etsy: Smart & Simple

Join our monthly newsletter & receive a Sensory Saturdays learning activity with each email!

Stay informed and inspired with our monthly newsletter, featuring Sensory Saturdays – a delightful lesson plan designed for ages 12 to adult. These activities will engage your senses while providing a brief lesson on various topics. The activities are perfect for a creative autodidact, or a family who likes to learn together.