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Program Assessment

“The program is so intense, and it seems overwhelming. Courses and lots of other components to complete…” These were the ideas in my mind while I was flying from Turkey to Atlanta and reading the doctoral handbook last August. However, when the courses started, I realized that there were both explicit and implicit scaffolds such as advisor guidance, support from senior students, and the doctoral seminar course, etc. inserted within the program.

 

As for the coursework in the first year, I liked the pacing. That is, the EDIT 8190-Design Studio and EDIT 9990-Foundations courses should definitely be offered in the first semester. I liked the balance of theory and practice in the design studio course whose theory part is fed by the foundations course. Thus, those two courses in the first semester complement each other very well and refresh new students’ minds and teach new ideas or concepts regarding the foundations of learning theories and pedagogies. Moreover, faculty presentations and meetings with senior doctoral students in EDIT 8990-Seminar course have helped me a lot to shape and refine my research ideas. In the second semester, only the doctoral seminar course- EDIT 9990 is the required one, and students have a chance to take electives based on their research interests. I think this flexibility gives us the opportunity to focus on our cognate areas and different research methodologies. Another thing that I liked about the courses in the first year is that students are not required to choose a predetermined topic for the course projects. They have the opportunity to integrate their own research interests into the course projects or papers and to receive elaborate feedback from the course instructors. 

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I may have a few suggestions for the program improvement. Although it is a doctoral program, I think the program should still focus on the practical aspects of LDT. That is, stronger relationships between the program and companies and local schools should be established so that doctoral students would have a chance to observe how technology is used in the schools and how companies work on instructional design. For instance, we went to THINC in the beginning of fall semester. Maybe such kind of trips should be arranged more frequently. Another point to be improved is elective courses. I think the number of LDT elective courses should be increased so that students can choose from a wide variety of courses. Moreover, I think there should be an LDT elective about coding. Although not all LDT  students are interested in coding, there should be at least one course option for the ones who are interested. On the other hand, I took four courses in the fall: EDIT 8190, EDIT 9990 (Foundations), EDIT 8990, and EDIT 9600 with my academic advisor. I didn’t know that I could take one more course in the first semester. I thought I could only take the required courses in the first semester, so maybe there should be more guidance about course selections in the beginning of the first semester- before the drop-add period finishes.

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I really appreciate the opportunities that the program and the university offer for professional development. Up to now, I have presented at three conferences, which was a great experience for me because I was able to both share my research with other professionals and academicians, and build a professional network with the people who have similar research interests to mine. I also enjoy attending the orientation and brown-bag meetings offered by CISGA and ITSA, which I think creates an informal, social environment for students and faculty to share their experiences.

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All in all, I am so happy about the progress that I have made so far. When I look back at the first year, I can see how much my ideas and interests have evolved since last summer, and I am also glad to see that I am studying a topic which I am really interested in now. Thanks to the guidance from the faculty members and my advisors, I am still trying to narrow down my research topic and to find my path in LDT!