In this series, “T&T Student Stories,” current students share what brought them to the interdisciplinary Texts & Technology PhD program. Interested in learning more? Join us for an upcoming info session virtually or in-person on November 7th!
Technology has dramatically impacted the way we communicate with each other in both our personal and professional lives, and it is valuable to reflect upon how we have arrived at this moment in our technologically advanced—and, in many ways, still technologically challenged—society.
The intersection between today’s digital world and the information we communicate to each other, in both education and business sectors, is where my passions, experiences, and interests intersect. When I was researching doctoral programs, I knew Texts & Technology was the right program for me because it presented the opportunity to further my education in this area while tailoring my coursework and research to fit my disciplinary background and interests.
Currently, I am in my second semester of the T&T program and am a full-time faculty member teaching project management and small business finance in UCF’s Integrated Business (IB) program. My research examines using information technologies and software tools in both business and education. Recently, I co-authored an article outlining the positive impact of a business simulation game upon small business finance students’ learning outcome attainment. Additionally, I published a peer-reviewed article in a practitioner-focused publication on approaching workplace meetings with a project management mindset, which emphasized the value of communication and technological considerations. I will continue to explore these areas of research interest in T&T with either a specialization in scientific and technical communication or digital media.
In addition to the unique opportunity the program provides me to tailor the curriculum towards my research interests, the T&T learning environment is a major factor that attracted me to the program. I appreciate T&T’s interdisciplinary nature along with its strong culture, sense of community, and diversity of its faculty and students. Having worked in academia for over 15 years, I know that curriculum and content are important (you have to be passionate about and interested in what you’re learning) but the community of researchers (faculty and students) is even more vital to your success in a doctoral program. T&T places a strong emphasis on professionalization, mentorship, collaboration, work-life balance, and upon positioning yourself for your future academic career, based upon the goals you have set.
I plan to continue as a full-time educator while also applying business theories and practices to solve ‘real-world’ business problems in a consulting capacity. I know Texts & Technology is exactly the right program, with the right people, in the right place and time, to enable me to achieve my long-term goals.