Hi Guys!
I am submitting my application materials to this program. This letter will go along with my transcripts and resume, etc. I would love any feedback you can give. Thanks so much!
Here are the guidelines for the letter:
As an applicant to the program, you are required to include a letter of intent that describes your interest, your
special strengths, and some goals that you hope to achieve through your work in the program. The letter of
intent should be 2-3 typewritten pages. Please include the following.
- Address the letter to the Program Faculty of the program you are applying for.
- Briefly introduce yourself. Show how your background and experience have prepared you for the
program.
- Outline some core values and beliefs - and how they will support your success in the program.
- Tell about your learning goals - what is it you hope to learn from the program, and how you hope to use
that new knowledge.
- Give an indication of your career plans and the contributions you hope to make after you complete the
program.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I am writing to request acceptance into University of Information & Learning Technology program. I am passionate about continuing to learn, grow and develop in the field of learning technology and believe I would be an excellent candidate for your program based on my unique experiences, abilities, and excitement for this field.
For the past several years I have been a corporate e-learning designer, developer, project manager and social learning architect for . I am thrilled to say my career is creative, constantly changing, and always challenging. Learning technology holds infinite opportunities and hope for educating those who have previously had limited access to education in the past and for engaging students of all kinds in countless new and exciting ways.
For much of my life, learning technology might have seemed an unlikely career choice for me. When I was 20 years old my family and friends believed I was destined to be an opera diva. By 30 I found myself an insurance broker and an exhausted working mother. When I was 40, however, I discovered that every crazy twist and unexpected turn in my life had led me perfectly to the doorstep of my true calling. I was being prepared all along to become a learning technology leader!
Growing up, I was absorbed with music lessons, acting, and performing. Initially I attended college on a vocal performance scholarship and was a regular performer with the university opera and theatre departments. I later worked in insurance marketing for over 10 years, then for a cafeteria management company in marketing and graphic design. At one point I also attended court reporting school for several years while searching for the career that suited me. When designing and developing blended and e-learning projects I draw from experience, knowledge and abilities obtained through music, drama, directing, marketing, communications, graphic design, selling and presentation as well as the strict attention to detail and accuracy I cultivated as a court reporting student.
While I did go to college for over four years just following high school, I left school before completing a bachelor's degree at that time. I was, however, fortunate to return to school in 2011 and graduated from Antioch University this past spring (June, 2013).
During my time at Antioch I was able to explore and reflect on my past as a student, discovering that a lack of confidence and fear of failure had been the biggest hurdles to finishing school when I was young. At this point, I became even more fascinated with what motivates people to learn and began striving to discover better ways to inspire, encourage, and engage students in learning projects at work. The experience that started off as "just finally finishing up my degree" turned into a meaningful, healing experience for me as I discovered that not only was I more capable, successful, and driven as a student and researcher than I ever thought possible, but I realized for the first time that my former weaknesses had actually made me an even better learning professional. I became determined to contribute to helping students unlock their own hidden potential.
I began working at in 2007 as the proctor in a computer based training lab. In 2009 the purchase of a new LMS gave the Training department new capability to house custom online content. Having done graphic and web design in the past, I volunteered to go to training and learn a rapid e-learning software package. It was on the second day of training that it hit me - this was the career I had been looking for all my life! It combined my creative talents along with my interests and strengths, and I could see a whole world of new possibilities that I found fascinating.
Initially I would be given a PowerPoint presentation, a plan or a manual and asked to "convert" the content to an online "course". Using video, audio, photos, animations, and humor, I was able to produce online courses that met the needs of shift workers and covered the material required in an entertaining way. Generally, students enjoyed these video and animated presentations, but I knew there was much more we could do to engage and motivate learners with this newfound medium and I was determined to learn how. Excited but a little overwhelmed at first, I became a voracious reader of e-learning blogs and follower of learning technology thought leaders.
Over the past 4 years I have participated in and completed a 9 month online certificate program in E-learning Instructional Design from the University of Washington, attended 6 learning tech conferences, 5 preconference certificate programs, and attained membership in numerous live and online learning technology forums and groups. I have become a regular participant in monthly webinars, am currently taking part in my 4th MOOC, and have developed into the one woman e-learning department for the and the learning technology leader for .
Currently I find myself at a bit of a crossroads in my career. I am unsure what road I will take next. Will I stay at , continue to enjoy developing better online and blended learning experiences while reaching outside of my work environment for more challenge and opportunity? Will I leave to join a team of enthusiastic e-learning professionals? Maybe I'll lead a team of my own? I believe graduate school is the perfect place for me to explore these questions and alternatives to help me decide. I feel that attending your program will expose me to different perspectives on the work I love while providing a community of experts and cohorts to learn from and grow with. I expect to be able to use, experiment with and reflect on most of the learning from your program in my work each day and believe that by the time I am finished with my MA I will not only have built an array of new skills, but will have a deeper understanding of the future of this field and more clarity regarding where to go next in my profession.
After exploring online portfolios from your recent graduates and exchanging emails with several of them, I am convinced your program will be a very good fit for me. It is cost effective, well-organized, and former students have told me is taught by professors who challenge, engage and seem to genuinely care about students. I was pleased to learn that your program consists of virtual instructor led classes along with a variety of online materials, discussions, group exercises, and a range of different types of projects that seem well-suited for the corporate learning/training professional.
I believe learning should be fun, captivating and remind learners that their brains are amazing. I believe it is my job to get people to think, to practice, and give them the tools they need to improve their performance for the future, to support the tasks they need to do right now, and to help them feel like heroes in their jobs every day. Technology provides an amazing world of access to information and endless possibilities for adapting to individual learners' preferences, abilities and interests.
I hope you will accept my application to your program and help me continue my journey of exploration into new ways to improve and innovate with learning technology. I look forward to becoming a part of your exciting learning community.
