As I reflect on my progress in this course, I’m proud of the ways I’ve grown as both a self-directed learner and as a contributor to our learning community. This course has challenged me to not only apply my innovation plan in meaningful ways, but also to deeply engage with my peers as we’ve all developed action research plans that are authentic and relevant to our own instructional contexts.

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What’s Working

One of the most impactful things I’ve done throughout this course is consistently seek and provide feedback. I approached each discussion post not just as a requirement, but as a genuine opportunity to share my thinking and refine my ideas through collaboration. I shared my own action research plan early and openly asked for suggestions, particularly around data collection and the structure of my interventions. This vulnerability allowed me to receive valuable insights that directly improved my plan—for example, I gained helpful ideas for managing qualitative data and for improving how I track lab performance for at-risk students.

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In return, I made sure to read my classmates’ posts carefully and provide meaningful, thoughtful responses. In particular, I engaged with Whitney Davis’ project about UFLI and encoding support in a blended setting, offering affirmation and posing questions to push her thinking further. Peer conversations helped me make connections between our work and strengthened my understanding of what effective blended learning and classroom research can look like in different contexts.

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I also made consistent progress on my own assignments and met all deadlines. My discussion posts were more than surface-level summaries—they showed the evolution of my ideas and linked my learning to previous courses and practical applications in my role. For instance, in my action research plan, I connected the shift in lab instruction timing with student data, clearly laying out how I would ethically handle data collection and communicate results. 

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Beyond participation, I’ve also worked to take initiative in combining my innovation work with the goals of the research plan. For example, I coordinated with our Distance Education office and IT support to prepare for implementation. This effort reflects a deep commitment to seeing my project through beyond the theoretical stage.

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What I Can Do Better

While I’ve grown a lot in this course, there are areas where I could improve. I sometimes get caught up in execution and project planning, and I don’t always leave enough time to reflect more deeply on the theory or literature. I want to continue working on balancing practical implementation with critical reflection on what the research says and how it applies to my context. Another area for improvement is initiating more peer conversations outside the required discussion responses. I often engaged with others when prompted, but I’d like to grow into someone who starts more of those informal, peer-driven conversations as well.

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Additionally, I want to challenge myself to share my own learning more broadly—whether through presentations, blog posts, or internal faculty sessions. I realize now that sharing my process openly, not just the polished results, is part of being a contributor to a learning community.

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Collaborations and Connections

Working with Joseph Perrone and Whitney Davis throughout this course has been incredibly valuable. We each brought different perspectives to our research topics, and we were able to bounce ideas off each other that enhanced our individual work. These collaborations made me realize that while our projects are unique, we’re all working toward the same goal: designing learning environments that better support students. I’m grateful for their feedback, encouragement, and the different lenses they provided throughout this course.

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Conclusion

Overall, I believe I’ve made meaningful contributions to my own learning and to the broader learning community. I’ve been proactive, engaged, reflective, and open to feedback. I’ve also strived to be a resource for others while consistently improving my own work based on their input. This course has reinforced my belief that learning is a shared journey, and I feel more equipped than ever to continue that journey with a spirit of collaboration and continuous improvement.

Links to My Work:

• Action Research Plan

• Reflection and Innovation

• ​My ADL Journey