EERA & #AERA15: My Two Cents

This semester, I had the pleasure of presenting and attending at two different conference. At the regional level, I attended the EERA (Eastern Educational Research Association) conference in February which was hosted this year in Sarasota, Florida. A nice one hour drive from Tampa. Some of the highlights for me from the conference were a session on:

Mindfulness practice in schools
Partnerships between institutions of higher education and private organizations to develop multi-institutional online courses
Large scale datasets

My objective when attending a conference is always to attend sessions that relate to my research interest but I also like to attend sessions that are on topics completely new to me. I was very interested on the mindfulness practice in school presentations primarily because I am a yoga practicioner and I was curious to know the research behind mindfulness/mindfulness-related activities and it how it affected learning (if it did). The presentation helped me understand the benefits and challenges of mindfulness in schools but it also made me realize that it can be applied to higher education. I immediately started to think how I could apply this with my students in the graduate classes. We are pretty lucky at UTampa because there is an active initiative called “the mindful mediation hour” which, I believe, is hosted every Monday. Other colleagues mentioned that this would be extremely difficult to implement in their institutions.

The session related to partnerships was a great opportunity to learn about a topic but it was also great to meet Barbara Lockee (Past AECT president). We had met in the past via email but I’ve never had the opportunity to talk to her face to face. It was wonderful to talk about AECT, Virginia Tech, the field of instructional design and she even gave me some great advise for the tenure track journey!

Similarly to the two previous sessions, I was interested in learning about large scale datasets and I thought it would be beneficial to sit in this session. It definitely was worth the time. I have never given much thought to the idea of using available datasets to conduct research but after sitting in this session I was considering it for my own research, research with my students in the classroom, and potential collaborations with colleagues. It was good to learn from others that use large datasets on a regular basis and to learn some of the do and don’t of large datasets analysis.

During the conference, I also presented on the use of VoiceThread as an interactive tool for audio/video discussion boards in a hybrid class. This presentation was reporting on a data collection that I had done earlier in 2014 in which students provided feedback on their experience with VoiceThread through the semester and provided suggestions for improvement. It was nice to share some insight into the use of audio/video discussion boards in a hybrid class. Overall it was a nice of groups presentations in the session and good questions.

At the national/internationals level, I attended the AERA (American Educational Research Association) conference in April. The AERA meeting was held in the Chicago. I still consider myself a newbie to AERA but I feel that every year I learn something new about the organization, the different divisions, and the special interests groups. In previous years, I have carefully crafted my schedule to figure out exactly what sessions I am attending before arriving to the conference but given the intensity of the Spring 2015 semester, the best I could do was download the app and figure out my schedule a day before the conference started. I think my ability to put together a schedule was also influenced by the fact that I was attending the New Faculty Mentoring Program (sponsored by Division C — I am working on a blog post about my experience — coming soon) and I knew I was going to have two days of back to back sessions. In a way, I was not sure how energetic I would be by the first day of the actual AERA conference.

Once I did get around to selecting the sessions I was planning to attend, I focused primarily in divisions sessions and SIGs that related to topics that are a research interest to me and that I would like to present in the future at AERA. I wanted to get an idea if anyone else was doing similar research, using the same tools, similar methodology, or what it was like to present to individuals in specific SIGs. One of the SIGs that was of interest to me was Educational Neuroscience. I am currently working in a project with JoAnn Scott, Alumni of the UT ID&T program, related to cognitive processing in geriatric learners and we are considering submitting a paper in the future about this topic. One of the big takeaways of attending the Educational Neuroscience sessions were that: 1) the sessions are very well attended (I was standing in the back of the room for the three different sessions I attended on this topic), 2) there was significant talk about methodological concerns and the use of EEG to collect data, and 3) we (researchers) have to be carefully with broad generalization of the findings.

During the AERA conference, I also presenter a poster titled “Computer-Based Simulations: An Instructional Design Perspective.” This poster related to research I’ve been conducting using since I was in my doctoral program. Here it is in a nutshell: I started reading about computer-based simulation in the educational technology literature and I noticed most of the theoretical and conceptual work was back in the ’80 and early ’90. Since then, we have primarily focused on computer-based simulation within a specific context (is it a math simulation? is it a biology simulation? — you get the point). Yet, we (researchers) are rarely focusing on research related to the design of computer-based simulations (regardless of the context) based on instructional design components to make the simulation instructional, interactive, engaging, functional, and realistic. That is the short version of the story.

In summary, I truly enjoyed my experience at EERA and AERA15. I know I didn’t say much about the locations but I want to say that been able to drive to Sarasota for a conference was nice (except for the rush hour traffic back into Tampa) and Chicago was just amazing! I was a first time visitor to Chicago and I love it!

CIEE IFDS – Istanbul Photo Journal

Day 1:[Walking Lecture: Cultural Heritage & History of Istanbul with Dr. Alessandra Ricci @ Mosaic Museum] http://bit.ly/1zAvhgQ

Day 2: [Lecture: Istanbul between the Global and Local with Prof. Dr. Çağlar Keyder, Site Visit to Beyoğlu Municipality and Site Visit to Museum of Innocence] http://bit.ly/1CVNzao

Day 3: [Lecture: Space, Power, and Politics in Contemporary Istanbul with Associate Prof. Dr. Ayfer Bartu Candan and Site Visit to Tarlabaşi Community Center/Migration and Urban Transformation in Istanbul] http://bit.ly/1CVOFmp

Day 4: [Lecture: Cultural Policies & Cultural Politics in Istanbul with Dr. Asu Aksoy @ Bigli University and Site Visit to Bigli University Santral Campus] http://bit.ly/186FEh0

Day 5: [ Lecture: Challenges of Freedom of Expression and Journalism in Turkey with Independent Journal, Cultural Activity: Cooking Workshop @ Istanbul Kitchen’s Academy Tophane and Walking Lecture Tour: Consumption, Space, and Spectacle with Dr. Begüm Başdaş @ Beyoğlu] http://bit.ly/1AYDo2a

Day 6: [Ferry from Kabataş to Kadiköy the Asian side of Istanbul = Historical Haydapaşa Train Station and Moda Neighborhood] http://bit.ly/1Bku7Eq

Day 7: [Lecture: Migration in Turkey with Prof. Dr. Ahmet İçduygu and Lecture: Gender Issues in Turkey with Deniz Yükseker @ Koç University] http://bit.ly/1y86cU3

Day 8: [Artist Talk: Serkan Taycan, Lecture: Politics of Public Art Events with Dr. Banu Karaca @ Sabancı University building and walk around the Galata Tower] http://bit.ly/1ClPtma

Istanbul!

I am excited to start blogging about my experience as a participant of the CIEE International Faculty Professional Development Seminar in Istanbul titled “Consuming Istanbul: Politics of Space and Spectacle.” It has been a long journey and I am eager to share my views and perspectives (coming soon).

AERA2014 — The Power of Education Research

Unfortunately, I do not have the time needed to write everything that I experienced and learned at AERA 2014 (end of the semester is here!) but I did wanted to share some quick highlights:

The SIG TICL business meeting provided an opportunity to review and learn more about “Instructional Design Research on Complex Learning: Past, Present and Future” with keynote from Jeroen van Merrienboer.

Of course, I presented my research on emotive animated agent in simulation-based training. Had a significant number of conference participants stop by to learn more about it (Thanks to all the ODU faculty and students!). I did have a journal editor recommend his journal for publication. I am still considering my options but I am happy to say that this manuscript should be out in a few weeks!

The following graphics caught my attention as I sat in the audience listening to the presentations. The first graphic was from a presentation by Jered Borup (GMU) about the use of feedback in asynchronous video communication. It applied to feedback in general and I though it was worth sharing. Sometimes as educators we forget how to give effective feedback and how important it is for the learners. The second graphic was from a presentation related to research on different levels of e-learning. We are currently implementing some changes in the use of hybrid education at my current institution and I thought this graphic would help illustrate that there are many models of blended learning that can be considered.

I was pleasantly surprised by Philly. The people are friendly and the city has a lot to offer! Having good restaurant is also a bonus. I enjoyed attending AERA 2014 and hoping to attend again next year!

AERA 2013: First Impressions

This past weekend I attended my first AERA Annual Meeting. I had some background knowledge about the conference from my adviser and other professors that attended in previous years but nothing could prepare me for the experience. First, I have to say that having the conference in San Francisco was a big plus. I had never visited San Francisco so I was also excited about the location.

My AERA experience started with a 6 hour flight from Washington DC to San Francisco. I was a little jetlag but not enough to keep me from starting my AERA experience. Saturday morning I pick up my registration package. The AERA program was massive! Thankfully, I had browsed through the online program and downloaded my schedule to the mobile app before my arrival to San Francisco. It was good that I had an idea of my schedule in advance. That afternoon I was chairing a roundtable session. I was glad to share the table with other instructional design and technology colleagues. I really enjoyed the experience.

Sunday was a fairly busy day with poster sessions and paper presentations. One thing I noticed in the poster session was how well attended the session was compared to poster sessions that I attended in other conferences. The level of interaction between the presenters and the audience was fantastic. I also gather some ideas for future poster presentations (i.e., created handouts, have business cards, etc.). Sunday was also a good networking day. I met faculty and graduate students from all over the world, who are doing research on emotion in education. I also met education research with other types of research interest.

Monday was a meetings day. I met with a graduate student who is doing research on Afro-Latin American women. She wanted to talk about my experiences in higher education and the academic world. I also met with my AECT colleagues to discuss the Research & Theory Division webinar series. I think the conversation served to brainstorm and to create a plan of action. On Monday, I visited the exhibit hall. I was very curious to look at books that I could use in the courses that I am teaching this Fall. Let’s just say I found what I was looking for and more!

Another great experience at AERA 2013 was my hostel experience. I stayed at Hostelling International Downtown San Francisco and it was great. The price for a private room with a bathroom and breakfast included every morning (a nice surprise!) was amazing. I did not have high expectations but I was impress with the hostel. I would recommended it to others. It was also good that other guests were also attending AERA. Every day for breakfast the conversation was about education and it helped me meet other education researchers.

I feel like I lost a few pounds walking between the hotels (between sessions) in the hills of San Francisco but it was worth it. If you are an graduate student in the field of education, AERA is a conference you should plan to attend. There are so many topics and ideas. I hope to return to AERA next year!

The Dissertation Journey – Part I

So is November… Time is going by way too fast… It has been a fairly productive year when I think of my dissertation research project. I successfully defended my dissertation proposal in May and had my IRB approved in August. This past summer, I started working with the development team to complete the motion, facial expression, and voice capture for the animated agents that will be use in the simulation environment. I’m currently working on a small validation study of the simulation scenario and I’m actively editing my document.

I don’t think there is anything that can truly prepared you for this journey. The dissertation journey comes with a lot of self-commitment, organization, responsibility and self-encouragement. It is very emotional and is also physical. It helps to have a good support team. Some days you will feel like you have these larger than life task that seems impossible to accomplish. Having a good support system with family and friends that encourage you to give it your all will comes in handy. Other more practical words of advise will be to set a daily schedule, set specific times for reading, writing, editing, emailing, meetings, etc. I also like to keep a to-do list with short-term and long-term tasks. I would also suggest that you organize your files with a naming convention that works for you. My dissertation folder has a large number of files (900+)… Is like my personal resource library. Last but not least, stay motivated! Remember the best dissertation is one that’s finished. This is my first post about my dissertation journey, I hope to post an update in a few months. I will also have additional words of advise and recommendations. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!