A celebration of life for Scott Switzer, 57, instructor senior instructional designer in the Faculty Resource Center, will be from 1-3 p.m., June 23 at Phantom Canyon Brewing Company, 2 E. Pikes Peak Ave. He died June 1.
Switzer led teams and worked with faculty to develop online courses and to certify those courses through the Quality Matters™ program. He was a master reviewer for the program. The 39 certified courses at UCCS remain the only Quality Matters courses in the CU system.
Switzer earned his master’s degree in instructional technology from UCCS in 1996 and started on campus the same year. He was also an adjunct professor at CU Denver from 2005 to 2012. Switzer was previously a video editor and producer for the Air Force, and the chief of visual information for NORAD.
The family published the following obituary:
Scott H. Switzer
October 13, 1961 – June 1, 2019Scott Switzer, 57, Instructor and Senior Instructional Designer Faculty Resource Center at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Scott worked with faculty to convert their classes into engaging, project-based online experiences. As a Master Reviewer for Quality Matters™, Scott led teams of reviewers and mentored individual instructors from universities across the country to assure their courses received QM™ certification.
Scott was born in Findlay, Ohio on October 13, 1961. He graduated from Findlay High School where he ran the school’s radio station, and then attended Ohio University where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. As a Resident Assistant at OU, Scott counseled many new students to help them navigate their way through college life. He worked as a video editor and producer for the Air Force and later took a job as Chief of Visual Information with NORAD in Colorado Springs.
After moving to Colorado, Scott earned his Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology at UCCS. He began his teaching career in the CU system. He later attended Harvard Kennedy School of Executive Education and achieved his certificate in The Art and Practice of Leadership Development. He continually sought out the latest findings and theories in instructional design. Using his insight, combined with his sense of style and strategy, Scott employed elegant blends of instructional media, unique to each particular project. His research and innovation in Instructional Design and Leadership was ongoing.
Scott loved music, sports, family and friends and was a brilliant scholar and teacher. He was a technology aficionado and guru, and is remembered far and wide for his patience, kindness, generosity and quick sense of humor. Scott left a lasting impression on everyone he met and his memory will live on through them.
Scott was instrumental in helping me gain Quality Matters certification for an online course I teach. I worked with Scott extensively throughout the process and found him to be exactly as his family describes him–patient, kind, generous with his time and funny!
He will be missed!
Scott was a wonderful mentor, colleague and source of inspiration to all us. He will be sorely missed.
I hold a tremendous amount of respect for Scott–he was a mentor, an expert, and a kind soul. I miss him greatly, and offer my sincere condolences to his family and friends.