Jacob Whiteford

Lead Instructional Developer

Jacob Whiteford, MS, is a Lead Instructional Developer at Innovations Institute, University of Connecticut School of Social Work. Jacob creates user-friendly products that apply best practices and industry standards for instructional and web design. He identifies gaps in existing trainings or products and adds differentiated elements into the asynchronous trainings and web pages that accommodate users of all learning styles. The products that Jacob creates are reflective of, and respectful to, the diversity of users that access those products. Jacob has created online trainings for professionals working with children and youth in a variety of fields, including child welfare and mental health, child and adolescent psychiatry, pediatrics, and education. These trainings increase professionals’ knowledge about topics such as executive functioning, LGBTQ+ identity, sexual health education, the adoption and foster care systems, and telehealth. He has partnered with the Children’s Bureau, Center for Adoption Support and Education, Maryland’s Social Services Administration, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, University of Colorado, Human Rights Foundation, American Academy of Pediatrics, and New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Jacob holds an MS in Instructional Technology from Saint Joseph’s University.