Welcome. This portfolio is an edited version of the collection of artifacts I presented and defended in order to successfully achieve Ph.D candidacy at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada, in December 2012, as part of my third year of doctoral work in Educational Studies. I eventually completed that doctorate and defended it successfully in April 2015.
I designed this portfolio to demonstrate my scholarly development and address the competencies and capacities required by the UPEI Faculty of Education. This site outlines some of my research contributions and writing, speaking, teaching, and collaborative accomplishments, and showcases my capacities as a researcher and thinker. A more extensive and ever-evolving outline of my academic and professional identity can be found at bonstewart.com.
Above are five clickable links, each one leading to an artifact that demonstrates particular aspects of my academic competency and research range:
1. My final dissertation proposal (2013)
2. A Masters of Education course I independently designed and successfully taught (2012)
3. An academic conference presentation introducing MOOCs and their implications to a higher education audience (2012)
4. A social media conference keynote outlining my research into digital identities (2012)
5. A very early MOOC survey study I designed and conducted (2010)
I’ve worked and taught in higher ed and at the intersection of education and technologies since 1998. My MAEd thesis (2000) explored the ways in which the technologies of a given time shape what it means to know in the societies of that age. My dissertation will build on that work by examining networked practices and their implications for scholarly identities and concepts of reputation and influence. I am interested, ultimately and always, in who we are when we’re online.
During more than three years as a doctoral student, I have sought out and participated in a number of academic endeavours aimed at supporting my development as a scholar. My involvement in formal and informal writing collaborations and digital learning communities has enabled me to deepen and hone my writing craft and my scholarly research skills, as well as to position myself at the forefront of an emerging field. Beyond research and publications, I have been invited to consult with and speak to a number of learning organizations and professional communities about social media, digital identities, and MOOCs. I have also been part of a successful SSHRC Knowledge Synthesis grant on the Digital Economy, with my supervisor Sandy McAuley, George Siemens, and Dave Cormier, and was awarded a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship during my first year of doctoral studies.
I live and work and research in the open, online: I think out loud at http://theory.cribchronicles.com and as @bonstewart on Twitter.
email: bstewart@upei.ca