Ghania Zgheib's Ph.D. Portfolio

My initial goals for enrolling in the PhD program were the following three: learning about the role of technology-based instruction in the motivation of learners, investigating the effects of technology-based instruction on the academic achievement of language learners, and becoming a college professor and a consultant in educational settings especially in developing countries where technology has not yet been applied in instruction.

After three semesters as a full-time student in the PhD program, my three goals have become more specific and some new goals have emerged. Mainly, I have new research and professional goals.

Research Goals

Through the coursework and the readings that I have done for the last three semesters, my research interests were narrowed down to the following:

• analyzing the learning environments of countries which do not use technology-based instruction in order to suggest best practices and technology to match the learners’ needs.
• introducing technology-based learning in countries that still depend mostly on face to face instruction.
• studying retention in e-learning settings through motivational practices.
• Learning from other scholars the best practices for conducting research.

Professional Goals

• Get more experience in teaching in online settings.
• Learn about new technology tools and their cognitive affordances
• Use more technology tools in my teaching.
• Design and conduct a faculty training on the best practices and tools of online learning at Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon.
• Participate in designing online courses at my current job.