PROGRAM
ASSESSMENT
What surprised me the most when I first joined the LDT program was its warm, welcoming atmosphere and the sense of supportive community. I think such an atmosphere really helps new students feel comfortable and adjust more quickly to the new environment. Additionally, I really like that I was able to take the Doctoral Seminar classes with fellow first-year students in my first semester. It not only helped me get a better understanding of this program but being able to connect with peers who were in the same situation as me was extremely encouraging and consoling. It was disappointing to hear that we had to skip the Doctoral Seminar for the second semester, but I think everything eventually worked out for the best in the given circumstances.
Working with Dr. Kopcha as my advisor, he has been understanding of my struggles and always provided constructive and encouraging feedback on how I can improve as a scholar. He guided me to take design-based research courses from early on and as a result, I was lucky enough to find my research interest, initiate my own project, and open up the opportunity to get started in writing a design case paper. I am very grateful that I was able to have such opportunities in my first year.
Suggestions
I wish the students had more opportunities to know what was going on in our department, such as who were the new and graduating students each semester, what projects are being done by the faculty (at least in general), and to be informed in advance of some major changes in the department such as news regarding faculties or courses. I think a good idea would be to have a virtual bulletin board (e.g. a Facebook page, on the ITSA website, etc.) where these updates can be posted in one place. Having such an up-to-date connection would help us be more aware of what is happening and feel a stronger sense of belonging to the department.