Professional Overview

I am presently working as an Instructional Technology Specialist at the Department of Medical Education and Health Systems Science, Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNT (University of North Texas) Health Science Center, Fort Worth. I have 25+ years of experience in the Information Technology field, having worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Sri Lankan Airlines in Sri Lanka. My life’s journey has been full of challenging experiences. While working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as a Senior Information Technology Associate, I was prone to take up hardship and managed and facilitated the overall IT operations in UNHCR Sri Lanka, which included the branch office and eight field offices. I traveled to separatist guerilla-controlled war zone areas to set up, maintain, and train the field office staff. This experience molded me to be courageous, accomplish challenges without fear, and adapt and confront different situations. I joined the educational environment at Tarrant County College, Fort Worth, Texas, in 2015. My vision was to bridge the gap between education and technology to serve the faculty to serve learners better.

Toward the achievement of my dream

I started the Bachelor’s degree program in Applied Technology and Performance Improvement at UNT in 2016, and this was the first step of my graduate journey. Inspired by the saying, “If we teach today’s students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow” by John Dewey.” I enrolled for my accelerated Master’s program in Learning Technology at UNT in 2018, pursuing my Master’s in Learning Technology. I enjoyed the advanced knowledge and skills laid before me by learning the broader view of using technology to support education. While learning the new technology of instruction, I was inspired to take the new technology of instructional development to the less fortunate, “the refugee camp population,” guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that “Everyone has the right to education… Article 26 (1)” and to avail the camp population to see beyond the camp for a brighter tomorrow. Continuing my exploration, I enrolled in the Ph.D. program in 2020 (Cohort 2024) at UNT, determined to take my opportunities and aspirations further taking the next step in acquiring a broader knowledge of learning technologies which will enable me to understand the relationship between human learning, latest technology intervention, and instructional practices to enhance learning.

The Ph.D. program, through research, educational management, and technological skills, enabled me to pursue my passion and persevere in serving the less fortunate. The software development life cycle (SDLC) within the technology environment combined with the instructional design model of ADDIE gave me an advantage of better design instructional systems that need periodic updates and maintenance as technology is transforming daily. I was fortunate to work as an interim instructional design specialist during COVID-19, which paved the way to apply my instructional design knowledge. My research focuses on teaching, learning, and technology practices to see the advancement of theoretical and ethical practices in the digital environment, online teaching with feedback and engagement, emerging technologies with personalized learning, and building systems to uplift learning within the learning technology environments. The doctoral program provided experiences and insights into research methodologies which connected me to create distinct phases that could help the community learn with various educational and technological platforms.

My Philosophy is to “Support education to learners who do not have access to a classroom environment, by consolidating solar powered energy, raspberry pi system, and wi-fi accessibility, to enhance knowledge.” Considering the above, I intend to work on a solution that could facilitate learning for those who do not have the privilege of education. My portfolio contents represent the advancement of my academic goals, my interest in serving the faculty, and my vision to transform lives for a sustainable education. In the future, I plan to continue seeking opportunities to serve these populations and to grow in my current position to serve UNTHSC by collaborating with the faculty to identify the best use of technology for instruction to meet specific goals in teaching and learning to better serve the learner.

The dedication and teaching of Doctors Warren, Spector, Lee, Norris, Tyler-Wood, Hayes, and Kaplan-Rakowski inspire me, as they made me focus on serving these communities, and Doctors Baker and Wright kept me on track so that I would be able to achieve my dream.

Achieving my PhD in Learning Technologies in Fall 2023