Current Goal Statement
January 2007

My goals continue to center around teacher education and the design of quality coursework for face to face and online learning environments. The goals that I initially set when I began the doctorate program are the same but I can now refine them as I have gained more experience as a PhD. student in my area of specialization and in my faculty position.

K-12 school-based goals are no longer in the picture for me. One of my intial goals was to teach at the university level. What a thrill and sense of accomplishment it has been to have achieved that goal and to continue to grow as a teacher educator. I feel that I can have more influence in the K-12 environment by helping practicing teachers change their own practice. These are the people who can really make a difference in schools if given the right tools for change.

My professional goal is to continue to teach and create in the ITS program. This is an ever-changing program where opportunities for growth are more than plentiful, as in the case of the Macedonian workshops. It is where as I scholar, I would like to develop new knowledge. I plan to develop more independence in my teaching and course development. While I enjoy collaborative work immensely and I believe I am a good collaborator, I know that in a university setting I will need to prove myself as an individual educator and researcher. I also realize that offering quality learning opportunities requires experience and therefore my goal is to take part in as many teaching and designing opportunities as possible and to reflect on those experiences. The doctorate program by design promotes the reflective process. I ask my own students to reflect on their learning. I plan to be more formal in reflecting on my professional activities, not only to be better prepared for professional portfolio reviews but to think more deeply about my work at the University.

I see many opportunities for research in instructional technology. The "Gold Standard" set for educational research has made me think about myself as a researcher and the quality of the technology research I have read over the past few years. My goal is to be a researcher who goes beyond the "Gold Standard" but I also know that I must learn a more about research methods. In this quest I plan to continue coursework in research methods as courses are available and my schedule allows.

My research goals continue to focus on understanding online learning environments, online course quality, and the impact on student learning. I would like to better understand how online learning environments are used university-wide and what students have to say about course quality and their own learning. In my experience I have worked with professionals who do not have classroom teaching experience learning about technology integration in an online course developed for practicing teachers. I would like to know about how the courses have impacted their practice and their use of technology in their work. I also have worked with practicing teachers through the ITS online certificate program and would like to know how their learning, perspectives, prospects of using what they learn compare with those from the face to face ITS program who take some of the same courses. I am also interested in exploring how technology and issues in International Education intersect. With only four courses to study my secondary concentration in International Education, I feel there is more to investigate before I begin formulating questions.