Research in Learning Design & Technology (LDT)
Learning Design and Technology has been surging through the education system for a little over three decades now with most of the emphasis placed in providing new and exciting ways to bring technology into the classroom both at the K-12 and higher educational levels for improved learning experiences, increased interactivity in the online classroom, and to meet community needs.
Education
My education and teaching have inspired my interest in research in LDT. My education consists of a Doctorate degree (Ph.D.)
in Education with a dual foci in Distance Education and Higher Education Research & Institutional
Planning. I also hold a Master's degree in Educational
Technology with a focus on Educational Technologies and Instructional Design, several Technical and Education Certifications including a Teaching Certification in secondary education,
and two Certificates of Advance
Graduate Studies. Please review my
resume/vita for a full listing of
my experience, education, and certifications.
Research
Scholarship is an important component of my work as my teaching experiences inform my research and vice versa. l engage in scholarship on teaching and learning and administration of online programs. I am co-editor of an in-press book being released by Springer, What the E-Learner Needs to Know: Leading and Managing E-Learning, and I am also actively publishin, presenting and working on several research projects.
My current research interests include online learning and distance education, with specific interests in social learning among online students and faculty, leading and managing online programs, and the development and integration of technology-enhanced learning. As part of an on-going study of her EDCI 569 course, I am evaluating teaching strategies and investigating a number of topics of interest. A paper resulting from the study, “Acculturation into a Collaborative Online Learning Environment,” received the following awards from the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, the principal professional organization for faculty in the LDT field: 2015 Association of Educational Communication and Technology (AECT) - Cross-Cultural Research Award and the 2015 AECT McJulien Scholar Best Paper Award.
As the administrator for the MSEd online program in Learning Design and Technology, my interests include leadership and administration of online programs, training and support, and program evaluation and assessment. She am also interested in the design and development of technology-enhanced learning through the integration of technologies and situated learning and authentic tasks for online and blended learning as these activities often lead to collaborative communities of inquiry that help to develop the self-efficacy of the learners.