Self-Assessment

I was very excited and a bit nervous when I first started my journey in the LDT program last Fall semester. I was excited given the opportunity to study my graduate studies and become an expert in the field that I’m passionate about. I was also nervous because I wasn’t sure if I could make a smooth transition into the program without a strong instructional technology background. However, at the end of my second semester, I think I’m confident to say that with the support of my major professor, Dr. Branch, and with the resources provided by the department, I’m staying on the right track to continue my doctoral study. I developed and narrowed down my research interests during my first year. The courses that I took throughout the two semesters were beneficial and inspiring. I was able to find my own direction while maintaining a solid foundational knowledge of the learning theories. I learned many ways to participate in the process of conducting research, including presenting at a professional conference, developing a research proposal, and initiating with my peers on starting a research project. I gained knowledge and skills on different research methods and data analysis techniques for both quantitative and qualitative research.

 

Along with my research plan, I plan to start taking cognate courses and elective courses to broaden my sight and understanding of my research topic. I plan to take courses about creativity and learning in the Educational Psychology Department. My research interest, Adaptive Learning, is about a pedagogical strategy that allows students to customize their learning paths. Ideally, students will not be given the same material at the same pace to ensure that students are guided by themselves in a comfortable and efficient way. This can also facilitate and maximize students’ passion and creativity. Therefore, I wanted to learn more about the theoretical frameworks of creativity and how creativity steps in during the learning process. I also plan to take elective courses such as Online Teaching and Learning to strengthen my teaching skills in an online environment.