Self-Assessment
Performance
I was accepted to the doctoral program for Spring 2014 and I feel satisfied with my progress during my first semester. I have been able to advance my research interests, deepen my understanding of research methodologies, and engage in several research projects through my graduate assistantship.
My advisor, Dr. Lloyd Rieber, has always been very supportive and encouraging. I feel very fortunate to work with him and I hope we can continue to collaborate closely in future projects.
I have also visited undergraduate classes such as EDIT 2000 and “EDIT 5500: Assistive Technology”. My goal has been to understand the dynamics of undergraduate classes in the United States and learn how instructors deliver classes. I taught in Colombia for more than 5 years to K-12 and College students, however I am interested in learning more about the American classrooms.
Expectations
I believe I have met the program’s expectations for first year doctoral students. I have been involved in several research projects and I have advanced my own research agenda. I also presented a literature review at the 2nd Fulbright Academic Symposium at Clemson University, and I submitted a poster presentation proposal for AECT 2014. I understand that one of my main responsibilities as a doctoral student is to develop a high level of research expertise. And therefore, I have tried to be proactive and pursue opportunities as they come up.
I think one aspect that I should continue to work on is my writing skills. I need to develop a rigorous writing routine. I have written a couple of papers over the last year, but I have not developed a habit yet. I am conscious that writing is such a critical skill for success in academia. Next year, I am planning to devote at least 30 minutes to writing everyday.
Coursework
In my first semester as a doctoral student, I enrolled in EDIT 8990, QUAL 8400 and EDIT 9990. I did not take the studio in Athens or WFED 9200 because of the times of the year in which those courses were offered. However, I participated in the studio at Gwinnett and I took EDIT 9990 with Dr. Rieber. In this seminar, we studied learning analytics and digital assessment tools for an educational research program. I was able to learn about livecode and other tools, and I also designed a survey tool on Qualtrics and prepared an IRB submission.
As for my LDT elective courses, I am planning to take “Critique of Research Literature in IT”, “Educational Television Production”, or an internship. Although I have already taken EDIT 9630, I think that taking this course again could help me to prepare for my comprehensive exam or prospectus. Educational Television Production could help me to design an online professional development program for Elementary teachers in Georgia. And an internship in IT could expand my experience in the field. For example, I have been looking at a summer research internship at the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). CAST, located in Wakefield, MA, is a leading research and development center in the areas of Universal Design for Learning and accessibility.
Concerning my cognate courses, I am planning to take “Issues in Latino Education”, “Psychology of Learning and Instruction”, and another course related to English Language Learners. I believe that these courses will offer a lot of insights into my evolving research interest, which is universal design and accessibility for students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.