DET Cohort 1 Graduates

The Doctorate of Educational Technology program at Central Michigan University proudly invites you to share in our enthusiasm celebrating the first cohort graduates. This is a short introduction to each graduates work within the DET program, involving an explanation of their dissertation title and synopsis. Cohort one pioneered the DET program and set the pace and stage for all future cohorts. Congratulations on being the first seven to graduate from this prestigious program!

Jeremy Bond
Jeremy focused his work on instructional design. His dissertation is titled: Instructional Design: Mismatch Among Preparation, Placement, and Practice. Jeremy describes his research as, “a primarily quantitative study of instructional designers, encompassing more than 250 subjects, revealed a number of interesting findings. Demographics updated and, in some cases, affirmed earlier work, in terms of education level and gender composition. The role of the instructional designer was found to be an expanding one, as practitioners are called upon to serve in numerous capacities, including leadership. Moreover, a little known phenomenon, that of the Glass Escalator, may be in play in the field, possibly affording certain advantages to the male minority of instructional designers.” He completed the degree requirements and defended his dissertation on August 1, 2018.

Julie LaDell-Thomas
Julie focused her work on mobile learning. Her dissertation is titled: Mobile Learning and Digital Literacies: Perceptions and Practices of Doctoral Students. Julie describes her research as, “three studies that explore how doctoral students engage with mobile devices in multiple contexts, and how they apply digital literacies for learning in both academic and workplace settings. This research can inform new approaches to integrating mobile technologies into learning, facilitating the development of multiple literacies essential to navigating an increasingly digital information landscape.” She completed the degree requirements and defended her dissertation on September 25, 2018.

Preston Clark
Preston focused his work on students’ self-perception in online learning environments. His dissertation is titled: Influence of Student Self-Efficacy on Multiple Device Usage in Online Learning Environments. Preston describes his research as, “my research focused on students’ self-perceptions of their confidence and usage of the various devices they utilize when accessing online learning management systems. The study identified areas instructors, course designers and institutions can address to enhance student learning and improve technology infrastructure.” He completed the degree requirements and defended his dissertation on October 13, 2018.

Lorraine Nelson

Lorraine focused her work on instructional concept-based digital storytelling using multimedia. Her dissertation is titled: An investigation into the use of instructional concept-based digital storytelling and multimedia to enhance student engagement and learning in nursing. Lorraine describes her research as a longitudinal mixed-method design that examined and measured student perceptions of engagement and learning using an adapted user-engagement survey tool and post-test learning activity. She completed the degree requirements and defended her dissertation on September 24, 2018.

Melissa Vervinck
Melissa focused her work microblogging for personal and professional developing. Her dissertation is titled: A Technological Trail: Connected Learners Utilization of Microblogging for Personal and Professional Development. Melissa describes her research as, “the topics of professional learning and the microblogging site Twitter were examined using the Connected Learning Framework which was adapted for adult learners. Adult learners who are colleague-supported, inquiry-driven and improvement-oriented. Through an examination of text, links, videos, and discussions on topics of interest posted to Twitter, educators today can continue to be students who are continuously furthering their knowledge in a way that is facilitated and enhanced by the use of today’s technology.” She completed the degree requirements and defended her dissertation on September 19, 2018.

Tammi Kolski
Tammi focused her work on text anxiety and webcam based proctoring. Her dissertation is titled: Examining the Relationship Between Student Test Anxiety and Webcam Based Proctoring. Tammi describes her research as, “consistent with the desires of eLearning students for convenience and flexibility, educators utilize virtual proctored exams to safeguard against academic dishonesty behaviors in their students. This exploratory research examines the in-situ behaviors displayed by students while taking online course exams through use of a virtual proctor and how that relates to student self-reported indications of test anxiety.” She completed the degree requirements and defended her dissertation on May 10, 2018.

Katherine Baleja
Katherine focused her work on digital literacy. Her dissertation is titled: Digital Literacy Strategies. Katherine describes her research as, “focusing on digital literacy strategies, technologies, and perceptions this mixed-method study surveyed 174 educators across the state of Michigan about digital reading and writing practices. Overall educators feel teaching digital literacy is important, but lack professional development to support and sustain successful implementation. Many educators are still unsure what digital literacy entails, and therefore struggle to teach the concepts. The survey found the frequency of digital reading and digital writing resources to be quite low compared to beliefs on digital reading and writing.” She completed the degree requirements and defended her dissertation on September 20, 2018.

Fall 2018 Graduation
The ceremony takes place at 9:00a on Saturday, December 15, 2018 at the following location on the beautiful campus of Central Michigan University:
McGuirk Arena
John G. Kulhavi Events Center
360 E. Broomfield Road
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859

Again, congratulations DET graduates and Fire Up Chips!

1 thought on “DET Cohort 1 Graduates

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *