Dean Ahlgren
I’m an instructional designer and e-learning developer. I spent 21 years at Academy of Art University, where I worked with more than 100 subject experts to build more than 200 online courses. Today I also evaluate frontier AI output at Mercor.
Kailua, Oʻahu. I’ve worked remotely since 2007.
How I design training
I start with the student and what they need to learn, and work backward from there. That’s backward design: first what they should be able to do at the end, then how I’ll check that they can, and only then the lessons.
I plan a course like a house. First what the whole thing should be, then the footprint, then the wiring.
Much of my work has been for people who had to get it right the first time: OSHA industrial safety, FDA pharmaceutical compliance, and higher education. The habit I took from it is simple. Watch how someone really works, find where it breaks down, build a fix they’ll actually use, and teach it so it stays used.
Working with your subject experts
I worked construction before I worked in training. At 25 I built an Earthship from the ground up near Taos, and I’ve managed the contractors on remodels in Kapolei and Hilo. I’ve been the worker on the crew and the owner hiring the crew.
I learned those trades by asking the people who knew them and then doing the work, and I learned e-learning the same way. That’s how I work with your subject experts. I ask until I understand the work well enough to teach it.
Where AI fits
Since September 2025 I’ve done AI training and evaluation work at Mercor. I design evaluation tasks, evaluate AI responses for reasoning quality and clarity, and write the rubrics and reference responses used to train models. As World Lead, I led six domain experts across time zones building a simulated workplace for AI training.
From 2024 to 2026 I advised Bevel (formerly Manati.ai), a startup building AI tools for course-design teams, turning designers’ workflows into product requirements.
I also build my own AI tools, each with a human check built in: a system that turns a cited research file into an eight-module course and flags every unverified fact for review, and a neighborhood comparison guide that says "I don’t know" when its data runs out.
So I bring two things to a project: I know how people learn, and I know how to judge AI’s work.
Experience
-
AI Training and Evaluation Consultant, Mercor.
Remote, September 2025 to present, project-based.
Designed a multimodal evaluation task built on a professional reporting workflow, with reviewer guidance and reference calculations. Evaluate AI responses, write reference responses, and develop rubrics, with reviewer calibration. As World Lead, led six domain experts building a simulated educational workplace for AI training.
-
Instructional Design Advisor, Bevel (formerly Manati.ai).
Remote, 2024 to 2026.
Advised an AI startup building a workspace for course-production teams, turning course-production needs into specifications and prototype feedback for its developers.
-
Senior Instructional Designer and E-Learning Developer, Academy of Art University.
Remote, 2007 to 2025.
Built more than 200 online courses across technical and creative subjects during 260% enrollment growth, serving up to 18,000 students: LMS setup, video, interactive content and assessments. Worked with more than 100 subject experts to turn complex material into objectives, sequences and exercises learners could finish on their own. Ran the course quality review that held content to 98%+ accuracy, and contributed to a 25% drop in first-term dropout through better course design. Built AI-assisted tracking workflows that cut manual content-management work by more than 90%.
-
Instructional Design Supervisor, Academy of Art University.
San Francisco, 2006 to 2007.
Managed and mentored five instructional designers, onboarded and trained about 12 staff (three went on to senior roles), and built the remote workflow systems that supported online course production.
-
Instructional Designer, Academy of Art University.
San Francisco, 2004 to 2006.
Designed interactive multimedia courses during the university’s early move into online learning, and taught live Flash animation classes as a substitute instructor.
-
E-Learning Developer, Vitesse Learning.
San Francisco, 2002 to 2003.
Built SCORM-compliant, scenario-based pharmaceutical training for FDA compliance requirements: 90% completion and a 15% drop in regulatory violations.
-
E-Learning Developer, Bechtel Corporation.
San Francisco, 2000 to 2001.
Created Six Sigma digital training for more than 500 professionals, and safety and emergency-response training for a global, multicultural workforce.
In August 2026 I also facilitated an in-person workshop on practical, responsible AI use for Hawaiʻi small-business owners.
I started in 2000 at a Silicon Valley startup with almost no computer skills, and learned on the job.
Education and certificates
- Certificate, AI: Business Strategies and Applications, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, 2025.
- Certificate, No Code AI and Machine Learning: Building Data Science Solutions, MIT Professional Education, 2025.
- Bachelor of Arts, Humanities, New College of California.
What people I’ve worked with say
Missy Feigum, E-learning Developer and Project Manager. My supervisor for several of our 20 years working together.“He excels at meeting individuals where they are, guiding them through the process with compassion, patience, and understanding.”
Daniel J. Burt, Director of Sculpture, Academy of Art University.“Working in a remote setting, Dean was consistently available and supportive, offering guidance whenever needed.”
Hiring for instructional design or AI training?
Tell me about the role or the project, and what the people you train need to do differently.
Or write to me on LinkedIn (opens in a new tab).
Or email dean@deanahlgren.com.