Introduction

For some reason, I cannot start to think of my introduction without this song popping into my head. “Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped- turned upside down and I’d like to take a minute just sit right there I’ll tell you how I became the…” (Smith, 1990).

Allow me to introduce myself and share my story about how I arrived at this point in my life. My name is Lee Derksen; my educational path has taken many unexpected twists and turns. I marvel at how my journey unfolded and how many chapters there are in life. Some educational milestones I had carefully calculated, while other opportunities almost appeared by happenstance.  

The Beginning 

I was not particularly interested in learning in elementary school as I found it difficult. I was shy and introverted. I did not excel, to the point where my parents just hoped I would get through and complete high school let alone go on to higher education. I did not know it then, but I was dyslexic, which likely led to some of my discontent. Despite my struggles in school, I am drawn to math and science.  These new-found interests challenged my analytical mind and helped motivate me to keep pushing forward.

The First Leg of My Post-secondary Path

I enrolled in the engineering program at the University of Regina.  However, as is the case with many high school graduates, I struggled to stay on top of the curriculum, and I did not win success easily. I decided to put my education on pause for a while and joined the workforce. When I made the decision to leave school, I did not realize how restless I would become and how important education was to be in my future. After working for a few years, I returned to post-secondary and completed a diploma in Medical Radiologic Technology and became an x-ray technologist. Still not satisfied with my education, I went on to complete a diploma in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS). For a time, this seemed to satisfy my needs as I worked and raised a family.

The Next Leg of My Journey

In 2008, I left my position as a diagnostic imaging clinic manager and became an instructor with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) DMS program.  Moving to a polytechnic institution was a real catalyst for me and kickstarted my desire to learn. I embarked on another chapter in my lifelong learning journey.

My desire for education and learning had awaken once again, however this time it was different. This time the focus was not just to better my chances of employment, but rather to become better educated, to learn, to improve myself, and to grow my skillset. This leg of the journey was just for me!

This twist put me on a new path, one that would steer away from healthcare. In the fall of 2010, I enrolled in the University of Alberta Certificate of Adult and Continuing Education (CACE). This was the first university course I had taken in 30 years and it astounded me how much the educational delivery had changed. The concept of facilitation, and how important discussion and conversation had become in learning confused me. I had been used to the traditional banking style of education (Freire, 1968): one where the teacher, the person with authority, deposited information and I accepted it. I won’t even get started on academic writing and citing references with proper APA format. Needless to say, I am forever grateful that my instructor showed patience and compassion toward me as I navigated this new world, void of bibliographies and un-cited paraphrasing.

As it turned out, my CACE certificate was a new departure point leading to other educational destinations that included a variety of stops with different educational institutions. While completing my Bachelor of Arts Adult Education, I had the pleasure of taking courses from the University of Victoria, NAIT, University of Alberta, and University of the Fraser Valley. My exposure to adult education and distance education (DE) inspired me to pursue post-graduate training in these areas. During my educational journey, I had experienced some really well designed and facilitated distance education courses, however I had also experienced some courses in which it seemed the instructional designers did not apply best practices for DE, employ universal design for learning (UDL), or even consider andragogy principles.

I decided that I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to help change DE. I considered different options and I came across Athabasca University and was drawn to the flexible pathways. I enrolled the Athabasca University (AU) Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Technology-Based Learning (PBCTBL). As fulfilling and exciting as this whirlwind journey had been, it did not stop there; I applied to the AU Master of Education in Distance Education (MEd) program in 2016.

I chose the MEd program for a variety of reasons, including improving my facilitation and course design skills. I wanted to ensure I was better able to engage the learners. Another reason I chose MEd was for the opportunity to make a difference in how online learning is facilitated, as cliché as it sounds and to quote Gandhi, I wanted to be the change I wanted to see (as cited in Ranseth, 2015). I have a real passion for online learning. I have taken many courses: some face-to-face, some blended, but most of the courses I have taken in the past 10 years have been online. I started on the thesis route as I love participating in and am excited about research. My research topic was meant to explore the alignment between what instructors feel they need to redesign a face-to-face course to an online course and what institutional leaders and administrators feel they need to accomplish this shift in course delivery. I feel that more and more instructors are being asked, with seemingly no support or training, to move their traditional courses to an online platform. This made me wonder if there is a disconnect or lack of alignment between what the two parties feel is needed for this to happen. Little did I realize how rich the pool of participants would become for such research. The COVID-19 pandemic has effectively taken courses and programs from every level and type of educational institution and asked the teachers to move their course to an online platform, almost overnight.

My Current Destination

As committed as I was to my research thesis, I found that I was stalled and not moving forward, akin to having writer's block. I had lost my motivation and could not seem to get back on track. In January, I decided to switch from the thesis-based tract to the course-based route. While it saddens me to not be conducting the research, I am really enjoying this new bend in the road. This redirection is offering me the opportunity to reflect on my learnings and to really evaluate where I am and determine what is next. During this journey, I have grown and expanded my teaching skills. I am fortunate to have had such diverse opportunities and to have met so many wonderful people along the way. I excited to see what the next twists and turns in my next lifelong learning journey have in store for me!

I have enjoyed how the breadth of my knowledge and skill set have increased during my learning journey. Each course afforded me an opportunity to expand my knowledge, critically appraise new ideas, and improve my communication and collaboration skills. I have chosen to showcase artifacts that span the length of my journey and demonstrate the growth I have experienced over the past five years.I have selected five artifacts to share from my Master of Education Distance Education courses. 

1. Artifact One is a research paper about the benefits of online learning for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, from MDDE621. 
2. Artifact Two is a paper written for MDDE620 in which I evaluated an online technology called Articulate Storyline 2.
3. Artifact Three is a presentation of a case study from MDDE631. During this assignment, I collaborated with other students to fulfill the assignment requirements. Part of my contribution to the group’s submission was a YouTube video that I created by recording a narrated Prezi presentation.
4. Artifact Four is an online learning object which I developed during MDDE604. The purpose of this assignment was to develop a self-instructional learning object that uses specific instructional strategies. 
5. Artifact Five is a research proposal from MDDE703. This is a lengthy assignment comprised of many components. This was without a doubt the most frustrating assignment I completed in my learning journey, but the most rewarding. Writing a research proposal forced me into an uncomfortable learning environment. Completing it was time consuming and exhausting, but also exciting and illuminating.