Earlier this year, Jacques Morin joined LILE as our new Senior Director of Professional Programs and Learner Services. This role is unique in that it’s a dual appointment – Jacques is a part of both LILE and Duke Alumni Engagement and Development (AED). As LILE reviewed its mid- and post-career offerings to learners, we began to realize that partnering more closely with AED would be beneficial not only for both units, but also for Duke’s network of alumni. We invite you to get to know Jacques a little better.
Can you share a bit about what you do and who you work with?
As Senior Director of Professional Programs and Learner Services, I oversee the development and delivery of Duke’s educational offerings for working professionals and adult learners. This is a newly created position, bringing together responsibilities previously handled in separate units under a consolidated leadership role jointly appointed to Learning Innovation and Alumni Engagement and Development.
In close collaboration with schools and faculties, my team will handle instructional design, marketing, learner recruitment and support so our scholars can focus on academic content creation and delivery. We want this to be a win-win expanding Duke’s reach while showcasing our thought leaders.
I’ll also apply my background in corporate training and adult education to strengthen our customer service, ensure learner satisfaction through impactful programs, and make professional learning with Duke University a coveted credential that unlocks opportunities.
By leveraging the world-class knowledge across Duke along with contemporary modalities, we can empower professionals at various career stages to upskill or reskill with flexible, targeted learning that helps them stand out.
Your position is a dual-appointment with LILE and AED – what does that mean?
Having a dual reporting line enables me to leverage the expertise of both teams—using innovative educational technologies and pedagogies from LILE to expand access and engagement, while also employing AED’s insights on alumni preferences and professional networking needs to ensure our programs are tailored for career advancement relevance.
Overall – This closer partnership between LILE and alumni relations is so exciting. I’m looking forward to building out a more robust suite of 21st century learning experiences from certificates and microcredentials to virtual conferences and global cohort-based courses.
What is a project or initiative from one of your previous roles that you are especially proud of?
One of my proudest accomplishments was my capstone project I conducted to earn my EdD at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College. The study aimed to understand the root causes of differences and inconsistencies in paramedics’ first impression diagnoses compared to emergency department (ED) differential diagnoses.
My interest in conducting the research was rooted in my more than a decade of experience in emergency medical services as a medical first responder. In addition, for nearly 20 years I have served on the Board of Directors for the non-profit South Orange Rescue Squad and have extensive experience with Orange County EMS as a partner agency with South Orange Rescue Squad. OC EMS also observed inconsistencies in how paramedics use the first impression codes in PCRs.
Previous training efforts by OC EMS failed to improve the rate of differences and inconsistencies in paramedics’ first impressions. The assumption was that paramedic competence was responsible, but OC EMS became concerned that the training was not addressing the root causes. To better understand the failure of the training efforts and identify the sources and types of inconsistencies, I conducted research using a clinical decision model considering paramedics’ intellectual ability, knowledge base, critical thinking skills, and individual characteristics.
Bonus fun fact: Jacques is a sports photographer.
I shoot high school sports as a volunteer to Orange High School in Hillsborough, NC for football, basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball. Professionally, as ‘Jacques on the Sidelines‘, I shoot for ACC teams in football, basketball and a variety of Olympic sports. I started shooting about 20 years ago at Carrboro High School football games and eventually worked my way up. Incidentally, Duke Football was the first ACC game I shot back in 2010.
Check out some of Jacques’ photos:
