Dr. Linda J. Smith
I live in Tallahassee, Florida where I completed a doctorate in Instructional Systems in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems at Florida State University (FSU). I am active in doing research and writing with a focus on distance learning. My work has been shared in publications and presentations at international conferences. I am also a graduate of the Master of Distance Education (MDE) program at UMUC. It was the MDE that inspired me to enter a doctoral program to better prepare for a career in distance learning. I decided to begin a new career in distance learning because of the opportunities this field provides for learners of all ages not only in the U.S. but around the world. I am a consultant in higher education and work with the American Association of Registrars and Admissions Officers as Coordinator of Online Courses and Professional Development Consultant.
The term “life-long learner” describes me well. I began my post-secondary education with a three-year study in commercial art on a scholarship won in national competition for high school students. This art course was my first experience with distance learning—it was a correspondence course, and all instructor/student interactions were accomplished by traditional mail. Later, I completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities and continued study through a Master of Arts degree in English (both at FSU). I added post-graduate work in Information Systems Technology while working at the Social Security Administration (SSA) in Baltimore, MD.
At the SSA, I spent more than 30 years in a civil service career. I began work in computer programming, systems analysis and design. As my career progressed, I held a variety of senior management positions in quality assurance, process redesign evaluation, and program development and research. Many of the projects I worked on and led were national in scope.
When I’m not working online, I enjoy entertaining friends, working in my garden, playing in the pool, working logic puzzles, listening to music, and reading books on physics.
The term “life-long learner” describes me well. I began my post-secondary education with a three-year study in commercial art on a scholarship won in national competition for high school students. This art course was my first experience with distance learning—it was a correspondence course, and all instructor/student interactions were accomplished by traditional mail. Later, I completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities and continued study through a Master of Arts degree in English (both at FSU). I added post-graduate work in Information Systems Technology while working at the Social Security Administration (SSA) in Baltimore, MD.
At the SSA, I spent more than 30 years in a civil service career. I began work in computer programming, systems analysis and design. As my career progressed, I held a variety of senior management positions in quality assurance, process redesign evaluation, and program development and research. Many of the projects I worked on and led were national in scope.
When I’m not working online, I enjoy entertaining friends, working in my garden, playing in the pool, working logic puzzles, listening to music, and reading books on physics.
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