Nico Orsini · Learning Systems & Instructional Design

§ 01

Designing for depth

"You must not become a mere peddler of words. The thing to learn is to know what people are thinking about, not what they say."
Sherwood Anderson, Winesburg, Ohio

Education BA Honours, English · VCU

Credentials TEFL Excellent · CELTA · Google PM

Publisher Co-Founder · Crow's Call Press

Base Busan, KR · En Route

I work at the intersection of literary reasoning, curriculum design, and instructional systems, building frameworks that help learners move beyond surface comprehension toward genuine analytical thinking.

My work spans structured curriculum architecture, original course materials, and co-authored language learning publications through Crow's Call Press, where I serve as a co-founder and lead instructional designer. Across every project, the goal is the same: build systems that scale, and learning experiences that last.

I hold a BA Honours in English from Virginia Commonwealth University and a TEFL certification (Excellent distinction). I am currently based in Busan, South Korea and working toward a role in corporate learning and development.

§ 02

Instructional Frameworks

CROW is a structured analytical learning framework developed to guide students through progressively deeper levels of literary reasoning. Through four phases (Collect, Reframe, Oppose, and Wield), learners move from observation and textual evidence through interpretation, critical challenge, and expressive argument. The system underpins the Junior, Lexis, Mythos, and Opsis literature curricula.

C

Collect

Activate prior knowledge and gather textual observations. Students brainstorm, identify key details, and connect the text to experience, culture, or prior reading.

R

Reframe

Transform raw observations into literary concepts and structured understanding. Students apply vocabulary (symbolism, POV, tone, archetype) to what they've collected.

O

Oppose

Challenge assumptions through contrast, debate, and critical questioning. Students compare interpretations and evaluate strengths and weaknesses of competing readings.

W

Wield

Apply insights through structured written response and discussion. Students synthesize evidence and interpretation, extending analysis into expressive argument.

View Full Framework →

The Narrative Analysis System is the interpretive layer of the Crow's Call curriculum. Where the CROW Methodology defines how students move through a text, the Narrative Analysis System defines what they are examining at each stage. Three recurring lenses apply across every text and level, building cumulative interpretive skill rather than isolated task completion.

Analytical Lenses

Archetypes

Character classification within the Order / Freedom / Ego / Social framework. Students identify motivational drives and shadow distortions, justifying placements through narrative behavior rather than surface description.

Allusions & Symbolism

Two distinct analytical operations. Allusions connect the text to an external cultural reference; symbolism traces recurring objects through the narrative and articulates the abstract idea each carries.

Theme Analysis

Topic to thematic statement to textual evidence. Claims must be universal, arguable, and grounded in the text. The three-step process trains students to construct defensible literary argument rather than locate predetermined readings.

View Full Framework →

The four curricula (Junior, Lexis, Mythos, and Opsis) are structured as a connected progression, each level expanding on the skills introduced in the one before. What changes across levels is the complexity of the texts, the sophistication of the analytical language expected, the depth of critical debate required, and the precision of written response demanded.

The curriculum is organized around a consistent twelve-month genre sequence, from Poetry & Prose through Social & Natural Sciences, ensuring every level encounters the same genre at the same time while the analytical demands differ substantially by level. Text selection is assessed against four criteria: analytical yield, language level, conflict potential, and representational range.

View Full Framework →

The Crow's Call curriculum operates on a distinction between two levels of instructional document: the methodology, which establishes the transferable analytical architecture used across all levels and texts, and the analytical key, which applies that architecture to a specific literary work. Standard answer keys fail literary instruction in a predictable way: they model one interpretation as the correct interpretation. The Crow's Call keys were designed to resolve this tension, providing example responses that demonstrate analytical precision and framing them explicitly as starting points rather than endpoints.

Each key follows a consistent seven-section structure (Literary Elements, Archetypes, Character Maps, Allusions & Symbolism, Conflict Analysis, Comprehension Questions, and Theme Analysis) and includes both primary and alternative interpretive pathways throughout, reflecting the curriculum's core commitment that analysis must be defensible, not singular.

View Full Framework →

§ 03

Selected Projects

Crow's Call Press · Narrative Learning Module

Roll for Inspiration: A Narrative Role-Playing Learning Module

A narrative role-playing module designed to develop creative writing and structured storytelling skills through tabletop RPG mechanics. Students build characters, navigate scenarios, and produce written reflections connecting personal narrative to literary form.

Narrative Design Curriculum Creative Writing

View Project →

Crow's Call Press · Poetry Writing Module

The Making of a Poet: A Creative Poetry Writing Module

A structured module guiding learners through the craft of poetry, from reading with analytical attention to producing original work. Balances technical instruction with creative exploration, scaffolded for EFL learners developing expressive writing skills.

Poetry EFL Creative Writing

View Project →

In Development

From
Delivery
to
Discussion

Articulate Rise · 2026

L&D · Articulate Rise

From Delivery to Discussion: A Facilitator Feedback Module

A scenario-based corporate e-learning module in design phase. A facilitator onboarding experience built around written feedback practices, translated into an interactive, discussion-centred format using Articulate Rise.

E-Learning Articulate Rise L&D

Designing for depth

Instructional Frameworks

Selected Projects

Roll for Inspiration: A Narrative Role-Playing Learning Module

The Making of a Poet: A Creative Poetry Writing Module

From Delivery to Discussion: A Facilitator Feedback Module

The work is here. Let's talk about yours.