John W. Alexander III

Learning, built in space.

John W. Alexander III is a Senior Instructional Designer who drives learner engagement through innovation. He leverages AI and emerging technologies to make asynchronous online learning more active, human, engaging.

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  • Over twenty years in higher education
  • M.A.Ed., Educational Technology
3.0 m 6.0 m 1.7 m

Featured workflow

AI media production for faculty

Pizza, Pedagogy, and Pixels: My 2026 AI Workflow

  • Genspark
  • Google Slides
  • Google Vids
Situation
Higher-ed faculty face a bottleneck when producing engaging course media, often spending weeks on materials that could go toward direct student engagement.
Task
Design and evaluate a streamlined, accessible AI workflow that non-technical instructors can adopt to cut media production time.
Action
Used a Breville Pizzaiolo as a case study to test a 3-step AI pipeline: Genspark for high-fidelity technical visuals, Google Slides for pedagogical structure, and Google Vids for AI-driven narration and cinematic assembly.
Result
Demonstrated a framework that cuts production from weeks to hours, so educators can skip the technical friction and focus on human-centered facilitation.

Spatial prototypes

Unity, AI world models, and 3D environments

Cape May VR: Unity framework

  • Unity
  • VR
Situation
Asynchronous higher-ed courses need ways to deliver spatial presence and architectural scale without requiring high-end hardware.
Task
Set up an R&D testbed to evaluate how lightweight spatial computing can be designed and scaffolded into remote curricula.
Action
Used a "blank slate" Unity VR template as an exploratory sandbox to test spatial environments and bridge physical memory with digital persistence.
Result
Built a scalable prototyping framework for assessing low-barrier spatial computing across diverse student devices.

Cape May VR: AI visualization

  • Wan AI
  • Pre-visualization
Situation
Immersive environments need a strong sense of place and clear environmental cues before heavy engine development begins.
Task
Bridge initial ideation and real-time execution by exploring AI world-building models.
Action
Conceptualized the environment's sense of place with Wan AI world models as a preliminary phase before real-time engine work.
Result
Established a pre-visualization pipeline that makes the move from generative models to interactive engines more efficient.

Marble AI (opens LinkedIn post in a new tab)

  • 3D world models
  • Spatial intelligence
Situation
Generative workflows built on flat 2D prompts struggle to produce cohesive, persistent spatial environments.
Task
Explore how emerging spatial intelligence can take digital environments beyond standard 2D output.
Action
Moved from 2D prompts to 3D world models to test how spatial intelligence integrates.
Result
Showed how 3D world models make digital environments feel persistent and immersive.

The Italy Room

  • Unity
  • Scale and presence
Situation
Designing immersive learning requires hands-on testing of spatial variables like architectural scale and user presence.
Task
Build a targeted prototype to evaluate how learners experience scale and presence.
Action
Used a Unity VR template to build an Italy-themed room focused on architectural proportions and user presence.
Result
Delivered a functional prototype with actionable insights on presence and scale for immersive educational spaces.

Games

Educational game design with AI tools

Grammar Forge (opens the game in a new tab)

  • Google Playground
  • Educational game
Situation
Grammar practice is often passive and repetitive, which makes it hard to keep learners motivated in asynchronous courses.
Task
Design and build a playable educational game that makes grammar practice active and engaging, without needing a development team.
Action
Created Grammar Forge in Google Playground, shaping the game loop, feedback, and learning objectives through AI-assisted prototyping.
Result
Delivered a working game that turns grammar practice into play, and showed that an instructional designer can go from idea to playable prototype quickly.

Check out Grammar Forge on Playground. Click to play (opens in a new tab)

Talks

Conference presentations, 2022 and 2023

GatherVerse Summit 2023

  • April 14, 2023
  • Recorded
Situation
Educators and technologists need practical frameworks to evaluate emerging technologies instead of adopting them for novelty.
Task
Share insights on technology integration in an expert presentation at a global summit.
Action
Delivered a recorded presentation, "Emerging Technologies Through a Pragmatic Lens," at CSGC 2023.
Result
Gave peers a pragmatic framework for assessing and applying new tech tools.

CSGC 2023

  • April 14, 2023
  • Virtual
Situation
Professional development in technical fields often works best when complex mastery is broken into bite-sized pieces.
Task
Present a virtual case study on a structured approach to learning game development and Unity pathways.
Action
Delivered "My Unity Pathways Journey: Mastery Through Microlessons" at the Computer Science Gaming Conference.
Result
Showed how microlessons support technical skill acquisition for a virtual audience of educators and developers.

GatherVerse Summit 2022

  • Recorded
  • Virtual reality
Situation
Immersive technologies like VR must rest on sound pedagogy rather than be treated as gimmicks.
Task
Present a framework that connects VR applications directly to instructional design strategy.
Action
Delivered a recorded presentation, "VR Through An ID Lens," at the GatherVerse 2022 summit.
Result
Gave educators an instructional design perspective on integrating VR meaningfully into learning environments.

Credential

Adobe Creative Educator
Creativity collage showing video, 3D modeling, VR, writing, painting, audio, and drawing

Adobe Creative Educator Level 1

  • Adobe Spark
  • Adobe Stock
Situation
Modern curricula must support diverse student expression to meet varied learning objectives.
Task
Complete the Level 1 assignment by showing how to foster student creativity across multiple modalities.
Action
Created a creativity collage with Adobe Spark and Adobe Stock images covering video, 3D modeling, VR, writing, painting, audio, and drawing.
Result
Earned certification and produced a clear visual artifact for supporting creativity and diverse learning modalities.
Headshot of John W. Alexander III

About

With an M.A.Ed. in Educational Technology and over twenty years of higher education experience, I use online learning strategies and emerging technologies to drive learner engagement.

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