Final Reflections

For my Final Reports to Fulbright (the US and Canada), I was asked to reflect on professional experiences. I've written a lot in this blog about personal/family highlights, but I haven't focused on the work I did while at Concordia. Below is are my responses to several prompts in the reports.

In my original proposal, I identified seven key objectives as potential outcomes for the study. I believe I can address each as I continue to analyze data, present results and consider implications. I anticipate some will take longer than others, particularly those dealing with broader considerations for skills and literacies as related to the workforce. My focus at this point is on identifying these skills and literacies and mapping them to create a theoretical model. I plan to have the first of several studies out for review in late summer 2016. I also deviated slightly from the data collection I proposed, based on what became available once I began working with my host research team. I conducted fewer interviews, but added more observations.

The Fulbright experience gave me the opportunity to shift my research into an area I’ve been interested in for some time, but unable to pursue solely. The literature I reviewed and the research I conducted not only enabled me to make this transition, but also allowed me to see that some of my previous notions about technology and learning were not entirely correct. For example, I’d been led to believe, empirically and anecdotally, that students expect to use their mobile devices for learning. Further, that there is a mismatch between what students want to do and what course materials allow. I have come to see that access to technology (Wi-Fi, in particular) plays a much greater role than I previously thought and that students prefer attending lectures and reviewing material online. The students I worked with confirmed that they engage with material on their devices and connect to other learners in class and beyond, but their learning-based activities were not as prominent as I anticipated.

I also was able to connect my work with researchers at the host institution, who permitted me access to their materials and gave me the opportunity to add questions to their existing survey. I am truly grateful to Dr. Vivek Venkatesh for the invitation and access to his work. He was great both to think with and to socialize with and I am confident our continued association will be beneficial. I am also indebted to his research team members, Kat and Jihan, who met all my requests with full support, helpful comments, genuine enthusiasm, and without complaint. 

When I proposed this project, I also hoped to connect my work in Canada with my colleagues in Korea. With my host’s agreement, I sent the revised version of our survey to Korea and made plans to replicate the work at my institution as well as others in the US and Europe. My (lofty) long-term goal had been to study broader learner/technology use comparisons in various contexts and the Fulbright experience helped me see how to accomplish it. I have some funding possibilities  on the horizon and am considering developing a research center to serve as a clearinghouse for international research on the topic. Truly, I can see a very successful future with this research for us all that can help educators and learners thrive in digital learning environments.

Working alongside students and visiting classes to observe their behaviors also helped me see ways I might restructure my current courses. I reviewed several books on grading and have already introduced a new approach in two classes. Additionally, I revised how I delivered content, from a hybrid/online course to primarily face-to-face with some online content, which directly resulted from what I learned. The Fulbright experience gave me the space to do some deep thinking about teaching that I believe will improve my students’ learning experiences.

I cannot understate the professional growth I realized as a Fulbright Scholar. I was finally able to transition fully to a new research line with the support of a top scholar. I learned how to collaborate more efficiently and effectively in a research team. I (re)learned how to conduct field research in ways I had not practiced in some time and in the process, refined my own skillset. By learning from students, I was able to reconsider how I teach and spent valuable time thinking critically about my pedagogy. Overall, I believe my research, teaching, and family-life balance were immeasurably enhanced by my time in Canada.