I really like what McKenney and Reeves (2012) said at the very beginning of their book:

 

We entered the field of education because of our passion for working with young people and commitment to facilitating their learning as well as our own. We grew into educational research because we enjoy the challenge and wanted to investigate ways to support others in teaching and learning process.

 

This is exactly what I had in mind when I decided to apply for the Learning, Design, and Technology Program in the University of Georgia.

 

In fact, my passion for education goes way back to my high school days. At that time, I always dreamed about becoming a teacher in a university some day. With this goal in mind, I worked hard in university and completed my master’s program as a distinguished graduate.

 

Although somehow I didn’t manage to fulfill my dream after graduation, I did end up working in a renowned educational institution in Shanghai. The department I worked in is dedicated to developing elearning courses on various management topics to address the training needs of companies operating in China. I worked there for several years as an instructional designer and manager and developed dozens of elearning courses independently.

 

During the process, I realize the longer I work in education industry, the more passion I have for this profession. Gradually my long-cherished dream comes back to me again. I told myself probably now it is time for me to pursue my dream.

 

So here I am in UGA, which is the first step toward my goal of becoming a professor in the filed of Learn, Design, and Technology. In three years to come, I hope I can make full use of my time and rich resources here and graduate as a scholar who is ready to devote herself to teaching and research. 

 

Currently, I am really interested in case-based learning, decision-making and real-wolrd problem-solving. Personally, I think case-based learning is one of the most effective learning strategies that each man uses since childhood and naturally we are using past experiences to solve new problems. After graduation, I hope I can carry on the research about how to design better case-based learning environments to help become better problem solvers and decision makers in their professional life. 

 

The positions listed on the left are examples of what I would aim for after graduation. Although all of them are in academia, I am also open to options in other research-related fields if desirable.