“Two Minutes with…” is a blog focusing on the lives behind some of the faces and names you may see in your daily life at Northeastern. Maybe you even know them personally and what they do here at Northeastern. But do you know what they like to do on a Saturday morning? Or what their go-to karaoke song is? That’s where “Two minutes with…” comes in, to shed some light on our colleagues.
In this edition of Two Minutes with, Liz Balko, ITS instructional design consultant, shares her passion for finding solutions for faculty, program design questions, and innovations. A true believer in the transformative power of education, she created a program to study coral reefs and dolphin behavior in Honduras.
Read on to learn about Liz’s career path, her experience studying lemurs in Madagascar, and how she spends her free time.
How long have you worked at Northeastern and what roles have you held?
I started working at Northeastern in 2020 as a contract instructional design consultant and transitioned to a full-time position. I was a Senior Lecturer and Instructional Designer at Cornell University.
It’s Saturday morning. Where are you, what are you doing, and with whom?
An early rise to ensure I’m at the stable in time to meet Gary Cunningham (horse trainer) to watch and participate in horse training and riding.
What did you want to be when you were in second grade? How did any of it carry over to where you are today?
I wanted to make a difference in the world and help others. My journey began with a love for wildlife, leading me to study lemurs in Madagascar and develop a conservation education initiative that transformed poachers into conservation advocates. Through this experience, I discovered a profound interest in the transformative power of education. This led me to teach in higher education and create an education abroad program to study coral reefs and dolphin behavior in Roatan, Honduras.
Over 25 years, this program has combined technology-based academic instruction, hands-on fieldwork, and intercultural learning, helping students develop skills in marine conservation and understand the complexities of socioeconomics and ecotourism. Collaborating with the Roatan Institute of Marine Sciences, we prepare students through online pre-coursework for field research, focusing on coral reef health, dolphin social networks, and coral nursery projects. I’ve shared my work at conferences and through publications, and I continue to innovate in education technology to enhance student learning and conservation efforts.
This summer, I was invited to join SUNY-Buffalo’s Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG), which involved my students creating digital ArcGIS Story Maps of their field projects in Honduras. I love instructional design as it allows me to have a broader impact than teaching my own courses. Working as an Instructional Design Consultant enables me to leverage all aspects of my experience as a field researcher, scientist, conservationist/problem solver, teacher and curriculum developer, and instructional designer to act as an interpreter for faculty and help them realize their desired learning outcomes. In addition to the day-to-day, just-in-time faculty support, I love the challenge of finding solutions for faculty and program design questions and innovations.
Any pets?
Horse and cats, and (LOL) backyard wildlife.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
Be true to yourself.
What’s your preferred way to unplug?
Horseback riding and exercise.
Do you speak any languages besides English?
I speak/understand Malagasy and French but not fluently and I’m currently VERY rusty at both.
What was the first live concert you attended?
Bruce Springsteen at Saratoga Performing Arts Center.