On March 9, 1832, upon the announcement of his candidacy to the state legislature of the State of Illinois, a twenty-three year old Abraham Lincoln stood and addressed a group of his political supporters. In his address, Lincoln would say: “Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we, as a people, can be engaged in.”
More than 170-years later, Mr. Lincoln’s sentiment remains common, and one that I can identify with personally through my own ambition and passion to become an educator. I believe an academic journey through ECU‘s program will help me achieve this aim.
My initial academic exposure to the field of instructional technology came during my undergraduate study within Mercer University’s technical communication major. The core areas of knowledge within the technical communication field are likely to be familiar for many within instructional technology, but it was the course work within my undergraduate major designated specifically to the study of the science of instruction and instructional content delivery that I found the most captivating. In my junior and senior years, I enrolled in as many courses as were offered within my major in support of these interests, and continued to pursue knowledge and query professors associated with the topics, eventually developing close academic bonds with Mercer faculty which remain active five years later.
The discovery of my passions for instruction and instructional technology have been cultivated and refined in the next steps of my career. Specifically, I found that my technical background in instructional content delivery, along with professional knowledge in the underlying technology of the Internet and a strong aptitude for acquiring new skills and knowledge, led to my employment at [the/a] College in Ashland, Virginia as “college webmaster.”
Within my role as the college’s sole webmaster, my duties in support of the college were, and remain, very broad. I view that attribute of my employment as a distinct asset to my development as both a professional, and also as a student. My position as webmaster for [the/a] College allows me to immediately apply and practice skills gleaned from studies inside and outside the classroom. This capability of my job provides an excellent platform to grow within ECU’s curriculum.
Among my responsibilities at [my employer], there are several that I particularly value. These include tasks in which I assist college faculty in the integration of technology into their coursework to improve instructional outcomes. Additionally, I have learned from opportunities to work with [my employer's] students in the use of instructional technologies. I find these opportunities, to help and enable faculty and students, some of the most fulfilling of any in my current job responsibilities. Over the last 5 years, I have enjoyed working with a number of student web interns, instructing the students in the development of marketable technical job skills upon graduation and aiding them through coursework at [my employer], then mentoring these students as they graduate and join the work force.
Without doubt, these roles have been the most rewarding elements of my work at [my employer], and the components I most enjoy. Each fall, I look forward not only to continuing the development of these interns and providing close individual instructional support to faculty members, but also guiding the the general student population through my efforts in support of the college’s academic support systems and web sites.
To that end, I view the curriculum at East Carolina as a means for greatly improving the services and instruction that I develop, one that offers exciting opportunities to learn how to contribute to learning and successful learning outcomes. In addition, I have become a trusted resource to the the upper administration of [my employer]. In that respect, I believe the knowledge, experience and perspectives that I will gain from ECU faculty and other students within the program will help me provide strategic technical advice to the [my employer] leadership, it will also help me add value to support that I provide faculty and students.
Outside of [my employer], my involvement with professional societies has provided another outlet for my interests in instruction. In particular, I have served within the Society for Technical Communication as the both the programming chair and, later, as chapter vice president and president. My roles within STC have involved developing broad educational programming covering the breadth of chapter membership interests, and facilitating and leading instructional seminars for the STC group. These experiences with STC reinforce my on-going commitment to instructional science that I have grown through my Mercer and [my employer] experiences, and provide yet another platform for practicing my skills in instructional development and technology.
Looking ahead, the desire to integrate curricula with the internet and other technologies is increasing dramatically, and I anticipate that this desire will only compound and accelerate with time. I believe now is the time to move forward with my life plan for graduate school. In particular, ECU’s specific emphasis on experiential learning and portfolio development makes its instructional technology curriculum very attractive. Additionally, the parallels between the curriculum and my employment allow me to build upon, but also focus and expand my existing technical capabilities and professional experience, maximizing the personal impact of the ECU curriculum.
I believe study at ECU will offer opportunities for substantial personal growth, particularly through practical application of what I learn from ECU. My work at [the/a] College provides me the capacity to immediately apply the knowledge learned within the ECU program to my existing work makes study at ECU particularly valuable. I look forward with great anticipation to the start of my education at ECU, and am committed to not only completing, but excelling within the online instructional technology program. 
