Anissa

Lokey Vega, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Instructional Technology Third-Year Review Narrative Review Period August 2011-September 2013 Background and Context My identity is that of teacher and mother. While I have only been a mother for eight years, I have been a teacher since birth. I have a genuine passion for nurturing an excitement for learning. Two years ago, I chose to join KSU because this university offers the balance I seek as a mother, teacher, and scholar. Not only does the flexibility of the professorship allow me to be a mother when my children need me most, but I perceive my work in K12 teacher preparation and relevant educational research to optimize my impact on the greatest number of K12 students. I find fulfillment in helping K12 teachers renew their joy for teaching and improving their practices. By being a passionate and effective instructor for pre- and in-service teachers, I impact the daily experience of children in their classrooms. For some, the difficulty in measuring such an impact could breed excuses and complacency, but like so many in the Bagwell College of Education (BCOE), I take this responsibility with utmost care. I am inspired by the dedication of my colleagues at KSU and the role I am honored to play in impacting lives. In this narrative, I provide evidence of my efforts towards earning tenure at KSU, which I will seek in two to three years. First, I will begin with my strength, which is teaching. I show how my philosophy of teaching impacts practices and outcomes in my classroom. Next, I discuss my research pursuits and prove my on-going efforts to publish. Finally, I share my professional service endeavors, which span from a clear presence in my department to new efforts towards making a modest global impact. This narrative is

Vega 2 digitally interactive, which allows readers to click on any highlighted text to display evidence with ease using Internet-capable technology including mobile devices. Teaching, Mentoring, and Supervision My development of a clear philosophy of teaching, learning, and assessment began before joining KSU. This ever-developing educational philosophy is grounded in the context of education today. Today education is taking place in an era of information over- abundance. As knowledge continues to grow exponentially, it is impossible for one individual to learn all the information she needs to participate in society tomorrow. Education as a means to prepare learners for participation in any facet of society can no longer succeed in the traditional expert-to-learner communication model. Education for societal participation now requires a focus on the transformation of the novice-learner into the expert-learner, with teachers facilitating the cognitive apprenticeship of expert- learning. This goal is best achieved through modeling, exploration, formative and summative feedback, humility, and meta-cognitive instruction. As the teacher, I see my role to be the lead learner in the classroom, taking my students on a journey from novice-learner to expert-learner. This concept is facilitated by an attitude of optimism and a genuine interest in challenging assumptions and beliefs. By acknowledging gaps in my own understanding, I model the process of discovering or making new knowledge. I encourage students to be researchers in answering advanced questions that do not have clear answers or are specific to given situations. Instructional methods used to fulfill this philosophy in the graduate classroom include instruction on autodidactic practices such as application of user guides, job aides, tool manuals, research databases, peer-reviewed journals, action research methods, subject matter expert

Vega 3 interview, and other learner-created meta-cognitive tools. Additionally, student assignments are situated within the real-work environments. When assessing students, I promote self-assessment through rubrics as an introduction to meta-cognitive practice. In my courses, students are expected to use self- given and instructor-given feedback to revise class work until each student reaches a level of mastery. Dedication to this mastery process accounts for high grades and long hours. These rubrics play a central role in my courses. In fact, the Department of Instructional Technology (ITEC) adopted a General Writing Rubric, Capstone Project Outline, and Capstone Project Rubric that I wrote to help graduate students in our program demonstrate mastery in the application of instructional technology coaching skills. In addition to writing and updating all course rubrics, I also update the syllabi to reflect adjustments in assignments and all new BOR, PSC, BCOE, and departmental policies each semester. To continuously improve my own practices and comply with various policies, I have continued my education through Desire 2 Learn training and KSUs Safe Space training program. ITEC 7410: Instructional Technology Leadership After being given the course syllabus for ITEC 7410 before my first semester at KSU, I immediately used the existing course design to develop carefully aligned rubrics. After teaching the course one time, my colleagues trusted me to coordinate the course, which involves content and syllabus updates, instructor mentorship, and data reflection. I have taught this course Face-to-Face, hybrid, and online. Student evaluations following my first semester suggested that assignment samples would be helpful, so I revised course content and instructional practices to take advantage

Vega 4 of student samples in later iterations of the course. Student evaluations indicate that I am an effective instructor with qualitative data that reads: The instructor provides extremely detailed and helpful feedback on all assignments. She goes above and beyond what I expect (and in fact, receive) from other professors. She is flexible, while still firm with the content, and holds students to high expectations (ITEC 7410, Spring 2013). ITEC 7430: Internet Tools in the Classroom The first time I taught ITEC 7430, I was teaching on-site with our Cobb County School System cohort. This was a true technical challenge due to several conflicts in course design and the school systems firewall. I learned quite a bit about the technical challenges of on-site programs; however I overcame these challenges and successfully taught the course as evidence by the student evaluations. ITEC 7460: Professional Learning & Technology Innovation Along with ITEC 7410, I taught ITEC 7460 my first semester at KSU in Fall of 2011. I immediately developed carefully aligned rubrics to fit student performances required by the course. During my first semester, I also redeveloped ITEC 7460 to be entirely online while taking a BCOE professional development course. My online version of ITEC 7460 is now a QM approved course. Since that time, I became the course coordinator for ITEC 7460, which involves content and syllabus updates, instructor mentorship, and data reflection. I have taught this course Face-to-Face and online. Highly rated student evaluations show that I am a highly effective instructor with qualitative data that reads: Dr. Vega is enthusiastic and supportive of her students. She is clear in her expectations and rubrics (ITEC 7460, Summer 2012). ITEC 7470: Educational Research

Vega 5 I accepted responsibility as coordinator for this course with the departure of Dr. Hearrington in the Fall of 2012. I used this course to conduct my own action research by testing the flipped model of instruction. Student evaluations indicated that this method was successful by stating: I was worried about this class; however, Dr. Vega was able to deliver the material in a way that made me understand and stay at ease. Using the flipped classroom model allowed me to work on assignments in class and get first hand feedback (ITEC 7470, Fall 2012). After giving birth in late May of 2013 to our third child, I began prepping two sections of ITEC 7430 the day I returned home with the baby. Within days I was teaching two sections of this course online successfully as indicated in student evaluations. One student was especially inspired by the course, which is exciting considering such a challenging topic. ITEC 7480: Introduction to Online Learning The ITEC 7480 course was revised by our department in 2012 along with the development of the two other courses in the Online Teaching Endorsement program. I assisted in this revision supported heavily by my colleagues Dr. Williamson and Dr. Moore. Once the course was effectively revised, I moved forward as an instructor and course coordinator. Highly rated student evaluations indicated that my course delivery was a success. ITEC 8410: Technology, Professional Learning, and Change This has been one of the most enjoyable courses to teach. Since I had more academic freedom, I revised the course assignments to include a film analysis to teach students about change theory through a simulation activity. Students enjoyed this instructional strategy

Vega 6 and the course in general stating: The instructor motivated [us] by her passion for learning and teaching. The course design, syllabus, and rubrics were coherent and expectations clearly defined. The instructor was excellent at creating an atmosphere of collegiate camaraderie (ITEC 8410, Fall 2012). ITEC 8550: Designing & Evaluating Professional Learning Our department has not offered this course, yet; however, I designed the course syllabus over the summer of 2013 as a component of our new Education Specialist degree for school technology directors, which will launch in summer 2014. MOOC: K12 Blended and Online Learning As a born teacher, I found the opportunity to design and develop KSUs first Massive Open Online Course to be an exciting challenge. As a member of this team, I have focused my efforts on being responsible for making this course a high quality learning experience for all participants. I am actively pursuing partnerships for this MOOC with iNACOL, Georgia Virtual School, Provost Academy of Georgia, and Gwinnett Online Campus. Student Advisement As an advisor to Masters of Education students in our department, I have informed my students of conference opportunities, classroom grant opportunities, graduation deadlines, capstone deadlines, and course registration requirements. I have provided in- depth feedback on capstone proposals and written several letters of recommendation to support their professional interests. I also serve doctoral students in their pursuit of terminal instructional technology degrees. I am serving on the dissertation committees of Travis Schmid and Starla Townsend, while also chairing both Daniel Gagnon and Sherri

Vega 7 Bookers committees. This past academic year, I was honored with special recognition by our M.Ed. Outstanding Scholar, Michelle Hague. Faculty Mentorship While I feel that I have primarily been the recipient of excellent faculty mentorship, I have also made effort to begin providing mentorship to other faculty at KSU. Primarily, I have mentored new and part-time faculty in teaching requirements in my department including Sherri Booker, Jamie Pearson, Amy Vitala and Tricia Frazier. Research and Creative Activity I have three key areas of research: curriculum analysis for 21st century skills, teacher technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), and K12 online learning. Curriculum analysis for 21st century skills Curriculum analysis is my primary research agenda. This research grew from my

dissertation study that measured evidence of 21st century skills in the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). Upon joining KSU, I began analyzing the new Common Core curriculum. I presented the results of a comparison of the GPS and the Common Core at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference (GaETC) in 2011 and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in 2012. From these presentations, I wrote a manuscript that I submitted to Educational Researcher. From this submission, I received constructive feedback that I am incorporating into my current revision of the manuscript, which I will submit to another journal this fall or early spring. To expand the impact of my research and move beyond local curricula, I pursued funding from the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning as well as from the Dean through Bagwells Global Engagement Committee to travel to Norway in order to gather

Vega 8 data to conduct a similar analysis of Norways national curriculum. I was granted $4,000 to travel and collect data in Norway during May of 2012. I presented the results of this investigation at AERA 2013 and the annual conference for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) where my one hour presentation, attended by approximately 100 attendees, was one of the 18 sessions out of over 400 that was highlighted by the conference newspaper. I also presented this study to the Global Engagement Committee in the BCOE. I have submitted this study for publication as well with disappointing results; however, I persist with on-going submissions. Currently, I am collaborating with Dr. TC Chan to analyze Hong Kongs curriculum. This study has already been accepted for presentation to ASCD 2014. I plan to seek mentorship in publication. Teacher TPACK When I joined KSU in 2011, I immediately took the role of co-Principal Investigator of a three year TQP mini-grant investigating teacher technological pedagogical content knowledge. Upon Dr. Hearringtons departure from KSU just one year later, I assumed the role of Principal Investigator. I supervise two graduate research assistants on the project. We are currently wrapping up the process of collecting, transcribing, and analyzing interview data. We have implemented surveys and are currently developing cases for a case-based assessment. I have presented this research in collaboration with Dr. Hearrington at AERA 2012. We continue to collaborate on the project into the third year. K12 online learning The opportunity to pursue research in the area of K12 online learning emerged out of the development of our departments Online Teaching Endorsement program, which I coordinate. I began collaborating with Dr. Redish to present current research and trends

Vega 9 on the subject to establish our department as a credible authority in K12 online teaching at GaETC 2012. In addition, I presented on the topic at the International Symposium on Educational Technology and Teacher Leadership in Shanghai later that year, which I sought and was awarded funding by the Dean of Education to attend. This area of research expands for me with the announcement of KSUs first MOOC, which I will be teaching. I am currently coordinating a research team to investigate the impact of the K12 Blended and Online Learning MOOC; however, this project is in its infancy. Despite the several manuscripts in process mentioned above, I have one new publication since my start at KSU, which resulted from a collaborative research project with former classmates. The study investigates cross-cultural interactions that occur during the instructional design process. It was published in Educational Technology Research and Development, which according to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology has a five-year impact factor of 1.522. Professional Service I continue to provide service to the profession at all levels beginning at the departmental level and stretching through the college, university, profession, and beyond. Departmental service Since my department is small, I have had many opportunities to serve. Much of my departmental service is closely related to teaching, which I referenced in detail earlier. First, I already mentioned my role as a course coordinator for ITEC 7410, 7460, 7470, 7480, and 8550. Second, in my first semester at KSU, I redesigned the M.Ed. capstone materials. Third, I now serve as a curriculum committee member. Currently, we are designing a new Education Specialist degree in Instructional Technology. As a committee member, I am

Vega 10 responsible for the design and development of ITEC 8550 Designing and Evaluating Professional Learning. Fourth, I developed ITEC 7460 as a QM-approved course currently in use. Fifth, I serve as a Departmental Faculty Council (DFC) member and chair; however most DFC business occurs during our department meetings. Sixth, I have served on three search committees. Lastly, I have assisted in developing the online orientation videos for our programs. My most exciting service role in the Department of Instructional Technology is my role as the Online Teaching Certificate/Endorsement coordinator. As an Advanced Program Coordinator, I have coordinated three field placement partnerships with virtual schools for our candidates including Georgia Virtual School, Provost Academy, and Gwinnett Online Campus. College service In August of 2012, I started a college-level service role as a member of the College Faculty Council (CFC), where we have been tackling issues that include Tenure and Promotion guidelines, revisions to council by-laws, and Faculty Senate proposals. Besides serving on the CFC, I participated in the 2012 NCATE and PSC review of the Bagwell College of Education as a coordinator of developmental programs. University service To serve the university, first, I took the QM reviewer course offered by CETL in 2012. Since that time, I have served as a QM reviewer offering guidance and encouragement to faculty developers across campus. Second, I have served as an external reviewer for a National Science Foundation grant out of the College of Science and Mathematics. Service beyond KSU

Vega 11 Ultimately, I hope that my work impacts lives beyond the doors of KSU. I have given back to my doctoral institution by speaking to the Graduates in Instructional Technology student group about life after the Ph.D. I have spoken to parents groups at my childrens Montessori school about the curriculum differences between the Montessori curriculum and the Common Core standards. I serve as a voting member of the Board of Trustees at Gwinnett Online Campus, and I have reviewed conference proposals for AERA. The impact of my work has potential for a far greater reach with the MOOC. I hope that this free professional development course will give teachers across the globe the skills and inspiration to improve practices in their K12 classrooms. Conclusion Through this interactive narrative, I showed my efforts in teaching, research and

service. I proved my strengths in teaching and service, while indicating my promise as a researcher through enthusiasm and persistence. Using the Performance Planning & Evaluation Rubric, I have conducted a self-assessment of my performance at the assistant professor level. Based on the evidence provided here, I believe I am meeting and exceeding expectations at the Assistant level, and showing promise by developing performances at the Associate level. I am honored to be a faculty member in the Bagwell College of Education, and hope to one day join the ranks of Bagwells tenured faculty. My role at KSU has given me the means to pursue my passions and talents; however, this opportunity would be fruitless without the incredible modeling, mentorship, and encouragement practiced by my colleagues in the Department of Instructional Technology. The humanity and compassion of this group goes beyond typical work environments. These people have become my mentors, friends, and greatest cheerleaders. This job has

Vega 12 brought me joy and purpose that enhances all aspects of my life, but most importantly it has made me a better teacher and a more present mother. The people of KSU and the Department of Instructional Technology are impacting lives across the state and nation, but most undeniably this school and these people are making an immeasurable impact on my life.