My first year in the Learning, Design, and Technology Ph.D. program has been both busy and fulfilling. I have worked to maintain balance between my personal, professional, and academic lives while striving to excel in all three. I have remained an active part in my daughter’s life, I workout at the gym 4-5 days a week at 5am, and I try to make it home in time for dinner at least four night a week. Professionally, my goal has been to be as productive as if I were not taking any classes, and indications are that I have been able to keep up. Academically, I have one IRB that I am currently researching under and another that I am going to submit soon. I’ve submitted to present at two conferences (AECT and The Distance Teaching & Learning Conference), and I am a co-presenter on a proposal for a third conference (Brightspace Fusion).

Working full time and being a Ph.D. student is a challenge, but not one that I use as an excuse or crutch. Alternatively, I view my role as an employee as a major opportunity because of the work I do with faculty from every college across the university and the access I have to information regarding teaching and learning online at our institution. In this way, my professional role and academic role mesh very nicely, and I think the relationship between those two aspects of my work will be a symbiotic one, as long as I am careful to ensure that neither interest overpowers the other.

My advisor, Dr. Lloyd Rieber, has helped to guide me through my first year. He was instrumental in helping me shape my proposal for AECT, and my frequent meetings with him have helped me keep a clear picture of where I should be going with my research agenda. I look forward to working with Dr. Rieber as I continue the journey of working on my Ph.D.

The program of study I have laid out will allow me to finish the program in four years. I look forward to learning about advanced research methods and deeper content knowledge, both in the field of Learning, Design, and Technology and in my cognate area of communication. So far, I have taken one cognate course in LLED (New Literacies), and I anticipate taking more cognate courses from across the institution with the focus of communication, particularly as related to digital communication and teaching and learning.

As I enter my second year of the program, I hope to get more involved assisting others with research and publications. I think that my coursework, coupled with the fine examples set by faculty across our university, will prepare me to be an excellent scholar and researcher.