About You & Your Role
Can you introduce yourself and describe your role at Six Red Marbles?
My name is Lauren, and I’m the AVP, Higher Education Partnerships at Six Red Marbles. My focus is helping colleges and universities reimagine how they design, develop, and deliver learning, whether for online, hybrid, or on-campus programs. I work directly with university leaders like Deans, Provosts, Presidents to identify opportunities for program growth, innovation, and/or improvement. I guide university stakeholders through the process of partnering with SRM to bring those solutions to life through instructional design, media, and faculty support services.
What excites you most about working here?
I believe the alignment between our mission and critical (and at times urgent) needs of higher education right now. We are not just building courses—we are building capacity and expertise within colleges and universities who want to stay ahead of the curve. We help institutions tackle real challenges like declining enrollment, outdated programs, adopting the use of AI, and gaps in digital learning. I love that we get to help faculty and leadership feel confident in developing new and relevant programs while transforming education that is practical for today’s learners.
Industry Insights & Trends
What is one major shift you’ve noticed in education, content, or instructional design recently?
One major shift is the growing pressure on institutions to do more with less—and to do it faster. Universities are accelerating course redesigns, rethinking outdated programs, and trying to meet the needs of today’s students as well as adult learners with limited staff and budgets. There’s a shift in higher education leaders seeing the need to be agile in developing accelerated programs, and a growing emphasis on stackable credentials. Institutions are realizing that traditional semester-based courses, outdated content and delivery methods are losing students—and fast. For many university and faculty leaders, including myself, college has been seen as a place to go to advance your learning. However, today’s students have grown up in a world where they can advance their learning at any time through the internet, Youtube University, social media, ChatGPT via their smartphones, tablets, and computers.
In your opinion, how is technology (AI, microlearning, immersive media, etc.) changing educational solutions?
Technology is no longer an enhancement—it’s the foundation. AI is helping us identify patterns in learner behavior and streamline content creation. Students expect advanced technology to be part of their learning experience, like immersive media, simulations, engagement with generative AI tools, and interactive videos. At SRM, we integrate these technologies thoughtfully to create learning experiences that are deeply human-centered, relevant, and representative of the university’s academic brand and standards.
Six Red Marbles’ Impact
Can you share a project you’ve worked on at SRM that you feel made a significant impact?
We recently worked with a university to help them transform their existing traditional on-ground business program into an accessible and accelerated online format. They needed to increase their enrollment to remain competitive with their peer institutions while also providing educational opportunities for adult and professional learners. We partnered closely with faculty and university leaders, brought in SMEs and media teams, and created engaging, skills-based, real world, and outcomes-aligned courses. Our ability to provide instructional design expertise and the space for faculty to “think outside the box” and be innovative, I believe, was impactful to the success of the project. Not only were we able to help the university transform their business program but we helped them build a tool to extend their reach to new audiences.
How does SRM’s approach stand out in the industry?
We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all solutions. Our approach is highly collaborative, academically grounded, and scalable. We bring together expert instructional designers, faculty mentors, and creative teams to produce high-quality learning experiences—on time and on budget. What sets us apart is our ability to meet institutions where they are and build custom solutions that actually work for their students, faculty, and strategic goals.
Fun
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone interested in a role like yours?
Perfect the skill of asking great questions. You need to be curious and comfortable navigating conversations to uncover what leaders and institutions are really grappling with. This role sits at the intersection of education, strategy, and consulting. Success comes from listening deeply, sharing industry insights, building trust, and being able to translate an institution’s vision (and needs) into actionable projects with immediate and long term high-impact solutions.
If you could create your dream educational solution, what might it be/look like?
I’d love to build a user-responsive, on-demand upskilling platform designed for adult learners, especially first-generation professionals who are balancing work and life. It would serve each individual user/student an educational program tailored to their skills and would modify as they progress through the program. The platform would also have an active mentorship component helping students land their next professional opportunity while in the program.
What’s a fun or unexpected fact about you that you would like to share?
I am a creative at heart and love to dabble in photography, creating social media content, as well as developing branded marketing assets for my family’s restaurant and food truck businesses.