My professional development plan: Teaching, Scholarship, and Service
I have an insatiable quest for knowledge and an even greater desire to share my knowledge with others. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing my student’s eyes light up with the unmistakable “I get it” look. Consequently, I have been involved with some form of teaching my entire life. While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I worked in the Math lab and tutored outside of class. To formalize this commitment to teaching, I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Math Education and became certified to teach secondary school math and science. My teaching continues outside the academic world; I am a certified ski and snowboard instructor and teach approximately 70 hours a season.
I am most successful when teaching in a one-on-one format. Many of the strategies that were successful in that environment are not feasible in larger groups. My teaching development goal is to become a more effective teacher in larger groups. To accomplish this goal, I intend to participate in workshops that discuss effective strategies and instructional aids for larger classes, to observe other instructors and to discuss with other instructors the most and least effective teaching strategies. Any techniques and strategies I glean will be incorporated into my lesson plans.
Exemplary teaching involves more than the presentation of course material. Determining what content to present is equally important. While designing a course this semester I was amazed by the number of decisions that had to be made. To design more effective courses I intend to seek out workshops and bulletins that focus on curriculum and course development.
Performing research allows me to stay connected and current with the world outside the classroom. Currently my research interests are in the privacy and information technology domain. I am interested in how information technology features affect an individual’s perception of invasion of privacy and how this perception affects use of information technology. My secondary research interest is the study of ethical environments. I am currently in the process of determining the factors that promote an ethical environment in information systems (IS) departments. A future interest area consists of human computer interactions. I am interested in the perceptual, behavioral, cognitive, motivational and affective aspects of humans and their interaction with information technology.
To accomplish my scholarship goals, I intend to participate in the Adoption and Diffusion of Information Technology (ADIT) and Human Computer Interaction (HCI) special interest groups at the Americas (AMCIS) and International Conferences on Information Systems (ICIS). By presenting papers at these conferences, I can pilot test my ideas and incorporate any feedback before submitting the manuscript for publication. I am a member of the Management and Information Systems Privacy Research Network and intend to be an active participant. Membership in these organizations provides an opportunity to network with others of similar research interests. I can make valuable contacts for future collaboration and stay informed with the current state of research in the field.
Service, the last component of my professional development, allows me to give back to the academic community. When I first entered the profession I was unable to contribute much; I was not familiar with the literature, the key individuals or the professional organizations. Since then I have become an established ad hoc reviewer and presenter for professional conferences such as the Academy of Management (AOM), AMCIS, ICIS and Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS). At Kent State University (KSU) I am the Communications Facilitator for the Center for Information Systems, an organization consisting of regional IS executives, KSU faculty and current KSU students dedicated to improving the development, application and management of information systems through quality instruction, research and service for profit and non-profit organizations. My service goals include serving on departmental, school or college committees, serving in a professional elected or appointed office, organizing an invited speaker session and eventually, a professional conference. Regardless of the appointment, I intend to represent my department, school and college to the best of my ability.