Meet Dr. Sydne Kasle | Human Communication Educator and Instructional Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Sydne Kasle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Kasle, how do you think about risk?
It wasn’t long ago when one of my fellow UX@UM conference organizers called me a ‘risk taker’. At first, I thought this was a stigma that I should avoid. Then I realized it was a compliment and something to honor with pride. UX@UM was a student-led conference that I created in 2022 as a graduate student at UM. I saw a need for a professional development opportunity for my young classmates and followed my instincts to raise funds and create something engaging and worthwhile. I worked closely with two of my classmates, Xuechen and In Son, and for six months we worked to create a memorable experience for dozens of UM students and UX industry professionals in the form of a two-day hybrid conference covering all that is UX. It was so successful we were able to raise 3x the funds for the following year and UX@UM 2023 occurred as well. While this experience was unusual for many, it was not the case for me. Over my 30+ year career in higher education, I have built a reputation for being a risk taker, pioneer, trailblazer, or transformational leader, as they say. I am invigorated when I can create something new, especially when it involves paying it forward, helping others, and creating opportunities for people to connect. I encourage everyone to follow their dreams and work to create what they envision. While it may not always go as you hoped, it will go, and going is better than not going.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am now in my 35th year of teaching Human Communication in higher education. In addition to this, my new UM degree, an MA in Education, is helping me to advance my second love – Learning Experience Design. I’m most proud of all of the students I have helped to find their voice, overcome speech anxiety, and go on to great things. I would not say it has been easy, but it has been very rewarding. I have overcome challenges by staying true to myself, my principles, and my ethics, and realizing that if one door is closed, I have the power to open up another one. What I want anyone to know is that life presents you with opportunities, supporters, challenges, roadblocks, naysayers, haters, and even saboteurs. If you can’t find your path, then carve a new one. I’m excited about any opportunity I have to teach Communication, teach Learning Experience Design, or assist someone in designing their online class. My main lesson, which will sound like a cliche, is to never give up on your vision.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I were in Ann Arbor and a friend came to town, we would start off with a coffee somewhere, head to the Arboretum for a walk and picnic, have a solid meal at the Fleetwood Diner, and then catch a Dead cover band at the Blind Pig.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to send a Shoutout to Dr. Mark Newman, Professor of Information, School of Information and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering. Dr. Newman took a cold call from me in the Fall of 2021 and was generous with his time. UX@UM could not have happened without his help. Not only did Dr. Newman agree to be a keynote speaker, he was able to help my team connect to academicians and industry experts in the field of UX. Dr. Newman introduced me to Michigan UXPA, and that led me to other industry experts. In R1 institutions it is sometimes difficult to find a professor at his level who is willing and/or able to assist graduate students with their personal pursuits. Our team could not have run UX@UM without him.

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/sydne-kasle-55847822

Image Credits
These are various people from the UX@UM 2022 conference.