Program Assessment
In my first year, I have felt the support of not just my advisor, Nancy Knapp, but all of the LDT faculty that I have come in contact with. Student success is important to the department, and it shows in how the faculty is open to student input and uses it to continually improve the program. Even though I do not personally know or see many of the students in other years, I have felt connected to them through the LDT-PHD and CIS-STUDENT-L listservs.
EDIT 8990 is a valuable class that has answered many of the questions I had about the program and being a doctoral student. It has also helped to build a sense of community within the cohort. The guest speakers have given us great insight into what we can expect from the remaining years in the program and after. They also help to ground us when everything is overwhelming, as they let us know everyone has felt the same way. Dr. Choi and Dr. Hill have been extremely helpful in answering our questions and supporting us throughout the first year.
EDIT 8190 has been helpful for me because I am interested in design tools like Storyline. I was very inspired by reading Creative Confidence in this class in the fall, which helped me frame how I want to study online professional development. EDIT 9990 gave me a theoretical foundation for my thinking and introduced me to new ways to look at research and my research interests.
Here are my recommendations for ways that LDT can continue to facilitate and improve our learning experiences:
Program Requirements: Although we talked a lot about the doctoral handbook, it was always in a state of revision, which was sometimes a little confusing. It would be helpful if the students were made aware of revisions as soon as they happen and receive an updated electronic copy every time. Or the handbook could be created as an online subscription-type document that could send notifications each time it is revised.
Program Focus: As a former K-12 teacher, I would like the program to offer more options to focus on research in that area. Dr. Kopcha’s 9990 course has been a great opportunity to do that, and I hope to see more of that in future. I would also like to hear from alumni that did not go into a career in higher education to get a wider of view of post graduation jobs.
EDIT 8990 is a valuable class that has answered many of the questions I had about the program and being a doctoral student. It has also helped to build a sense of community within the cohort. The guest speakers have given us great insight into what we can expect from the remaining years in the program and after. They also help to ground us when everything is overwhelming, as they let us know everyone has felt the same way. Dr. Choi and Dr. Hill have been extremely helpful in answering our questions and supporting us throughout the first year.
EDIT 8190 has been helpful for me because I am interested in design tools like Storyline. I was very inspired by reading Creative Confidence in this class in the fall, which helped me frame how I want to study online professional development. EDIT 9990 gave me a theoretical foundation for my thinking and introduced me to new ways to look at research and my research interests.
Here are my recommendations for ways that LDT can continue to facilitate and improve our learning experiences:
Program Requirements: Although we talked a lot about the doctoral handbook, it was always in a state of revision, which was sometimes a little confusing. It would be helpful if the students were made aware of revisions as soon as they happen and receive an updated electronic copy every time. Or the handbook could be created as an online subscription-type document that could send notifications each time it is revised.
Program Focus: As a former K-12 teacher, I would like the program to offer more options to focus on research in that area. Dr. Kopcha’s 9990 course has been a great opportunity to do that, and I hope to see more of that in future. I would also like to hear from alumni that did not go into a career in higher education to get a wider of view of post graduation jobs.