Professional Growth Plan and Service
As an educator in the fields of Business Management and Leadership, my goal is to introduce my students to the complex world of business in the 21st century, and prepare them to succeed in this world. With over 25 years of business experience prior to beginning my career in higher education, I am well aware of the skillset that is required to thrive in the modern business environment. Critical thinking is key to success in today’s world. Business education helps students prepare to take on roles as employees, consumers, investors, and business owners.
I am fortunate to work in a brand new facility, with extensive technology resources. My vision is to establish a collaborative group of educators at the University, who want to expand the use of this technology and gather regularly to share ideas and techniques. My goal is to make my own classroom an open lab for experimenting with new techniques and technologies which will engage students and lead them to deeper understanding.
Of all of the leadership theories we studied, I identify most closely with authentic leadership. Northouse (2013) states that “Authentic leadership describes leadership that is transparent, morally grounded, and responsive to people’s needs and values (Northouse, 2013, p. 282). One of the pioneers in the study of authentic leadership, Bill George, uses the analogy of knowing your “True North”, staying true to your beliefs no matter what the situation (George, 2007). My upbringing and beliefs have given me a strong sense of my own “True North”, and I strive every day to align my actions with those values. I believe that by holding firm to my values, I am a more effective student, teacher and leader.
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My own career path has been unique and unpredictable. I have worked for the Federal government, in corporate America, and in higher education. My experience ranges from working as a Park Ranger, to Vice President of a major brokerage firm, to college professor. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these periods of my life. I was surprised to love teaching as much as I do. I know this is what I was meant to do. I see tremendous potential in each of my students. I want to give them tools and experiences that will help them be successful in their own lives, no matter where their own road to success takes them.
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In my undergraduate years, the PC had not yet been invented and huge mainframe computers processed punched cards. Today, our telephones and watches are far more powerful than any of this technology. I hope that I will continue to be open to new ideas, and will continue to explore emerging technology. I have taken the first steps in this direction, working with faculty and my cohort members who all have varied experience and interests. As I move into the final year of the program, I am hoping to contribute to the body of knowledge in the educational technology field, and become a leader in using technology to increase student success.
In his book Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times, Eric Sheninger (2014) encourages educators to find one word that represents their brand as a teacher. I selected the word “Opportunity” to represent my personal brand of teaching. I want my students to take full advantage of the wonderful opportunity they have to study at the college level, an opportunity that many of their family members and friends did not have. I want to inspire my students to see the opportunities all around them, and help them find the courage to follow their dreams. Lastly, I want to seize the opportunity to personally grow and learn, to continuously improve my teaching abilities, and embrace the new technology that is available to educators and business people.
Goals achieved on this journey so far
Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Since graduation:
- Developed positive and supportive relationships with each of the members of my Cohort, which will last throughout the program and endure into our future careers
- Participated in the Girls in Technology Symposium
- Attended the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) and New Jersey Educational Computing Consortium (NJECC) conferences and presented at each
- Co-presented a conference session at NJASL with Dr. Shamburg and other doctoral students
- Worked with members of Cohort 3 on projects supporting their doctoral research
- Facilitated a formal professional development session in my department
Year 2:
- Served as an ambassador for the Educational Technology Leadership program at the annual Doctoral Program Open House event, assisting potential members of the new cohort as they consider joining the program, and participating in recruiting efforts for future cohorts.
- Continued my participation in the NJCU Day Wearable Technology demonstration
- Facilitated two formal professional development sessions at the School of Business
- Presented my work at the New Jersey Educational Computing Consortium (NJECC) and the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children (NJAGC) conferences.
- Co-presented a session at the NJECC “What the Research Shows…” event with members of my cohort.
- Assumed a greater role in the Gamified Orientation project for the STEM Success Academy at NJCU, creating challenges and moderating the game at the Summer Orientation Program, as well as creating a presentation which was shown to participants at the orientation.
Year 3:
- Served as an ambassador for the Educational Technology Leadership program at the annual New Jersey Education Association convention in Atlantic City, NJ, at the New Jersey Association of School Librarians annual conference, and at the NJCU Educational Technology Doctoral Program Open House event, assisting potential members of the new cohort as they consider joining the program, and participating in recruiting efforts for future cohorts.
- Presented my work at the New Jersey Educational Computing Consortium (NJECC) conference.
- Successfully completed all coursework for the program
- Developed, wrote and defended a dissertation
- Achieved a doctoral degree
Since graduation:
- Presented my work at ISTE19 international conference
- Jimenez, R. & O’Neill, V.E. (2024) Communities of Practice in the Workplace. In Smerda-Mason, D. L. & Koch, D. J. (Eds.). (2024). Utilizing Virtual Communities in Professional Practice. (pp. 29-48). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1111-0
- Shamburg, C., O'Neill, V., Jimenez, R., Rodriguez, J., & Harb, K. (2023). Podcast Listening and Informal Learning. The Qualitative Report, 28(7), 2033-2057. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2023.5862
- Jimenez, R. & O'Neill, V. E. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook of Research on Current Trends in Cybersecurity and Educational Technology. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6092-4
O’Neill, V.E. (2023) Esports in education: An overview, In Jimenez, R. & O'Neill, V. E. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook of Research on Current Trends in Cybersecurity and Educational Technology. (pp. 298 – 328). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6092-4 - Jimenez, R. & O’Neill, V.E. (2023) Third-party resources as part of an organizational learning content and knowledge strategy, In Jimenez, R. & O'Neill, V. E. (Eds.). (2023). Handbook of Research on Current Trends in Cybersecurity and Educational Technology. (pp. 390 – 405). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-6092-4
- Shamburg, C., O'Neill, V., Jimenez, R., Rodriguez, J., Harb, K. (2022). Learning by ear: Cases of informal adult learning with podcasting. Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education Ed Media Conference. New York City, New York. Link here for Presentation.
- Co-authored a chapter, Strategies to Maximize Asynchronous Learning, in Durak, G., & Çankaya, S. (Eds.). (2022). Handbook of Research on Managing and Designing Online Courses in Synchronous and Asynchronous Environments. IGI Global. http://doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-8701-0
- Jimenez, R., O’Neill, V., Evans-Bailey, T., Zieger, L. & Grew, J. (2021) Understanding Student Motivation Towards Traditional and Online Supplemental Instruction. Journal of the Instructional Technology Council 3(2).
Goals still to be achieved on this journey
Beyond the doctoral degree:
References
George, B. (2007). Authentic leaders. Leadership excellence. 24 (7) p.4. Retrieved from http://draweb.njcu.edu:2076/docview/204515103?accountid=12793
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Sheninger, E. C. (2014) Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
- Attain a full-time faculty position at a university
- Continue to participate in professional development to practice lifelong learning
References
George, B. (2007). Authentic leaders. Leadership excellence. 24 (7) p.4. Retrieved from http://draweb.njcu.edu:2076/docview/204515103?accountid=12793
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Sheninger, E. C. (2014) Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Service and Leadership
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Facilitate outdoor training sessions to teach adult volunteers how to safely lead girls in camping and other outdoor activities Revised curriculum for outdoor training and developed a trainer's manual - Commitment to Excellence Award 2022 Troop Leader (2000 – 2013) - Outstanding Volunteer Award 2002 - Outstanding Leader Award 2012 Grants for Girls Committee Member (2007 – 2017) Awarded financial assistance to girls in need
- Outstanding Service Award 2016 |
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