June 26th, 2018

EDCP 481 Credit Transfer to MET Program - Rationale

The Master of Educational Technology Graduate program has given me an amazing

opportunity to build upon my understanding of pedagogy and instructional values as a K-12
educator. As a recent Bachelor of Education graduate, I’ve embarked on my teaching career as a
multi-disciplinary trades and technology teacher with the following first year course load: Power
Mechanics, Automotive, Woodworking, Information Technology and Applied Technology. Through
these various subjects, I have been able to incorporate multimodal learning with digital learning
techniques in conjunction with traditional classroom education. My training under the Bachelor of
Education program at UBC has provided me the fundamental building blocks of creating an
engaging community of learners which has transitioned well into my studies for the Master of
Education program. For this reason, I am requesting that an additional elective I have taken in my
undergrad, EDCP 481, be considered for transfer to my MET degree.

EDCP 481 – Media Studies Across the Curriculum

(blogs.ubc.ca/etec/files/2012/03/EDCP481-2017-v3-1.docx) is a third-year course I have completed
as an additional elective in my Bachelor of Education year. The course was taught by Dr. Rachel
Ralph, MET alumni, in the Summer semester at UBC in 2017. EDCP 481 is a course that provides an
opportunity for students to research and explore learning technologies across the curriculum which
have applications inside and outside of classroom context. The class was designed to have a
balanced level of analysis of theory and practical learning technology incorporation. As part of our
assignments and projects, the students engaged in building a community understanding of media
and education in theoretical framing and appropriate inclusion in all levels of learning. A large
portion of time was spent on discussions to provide a deeper understanding to media and learning
technologies being included into modern education, legal ramifications, appropriate instructional
material and key concepts and techniques to design and produce curriculum. As a class, we
developed a large resource for theoretical and practical applications of new learning technologies in
education. Projects completed within this course include: Media analysis, lesson planning and study
guide creation, exploration of different mediums such as PowToon and GoAnimate, development of
a UBC e-Portfolio blog and managing content as a resource database.

By definition, the educational value of EDCP 481 applies directly to meet the goals of a MET
degree, my professional and academic goals. The MET program serves to provide an environment in
which students can engage in teaching, instruction, planning, management, design and
development of learning technologies. EDCP 481 fulfills each of these categories as we were taught
to create lesson plans and apply those lessons into our education profiles and philosophies. We
planned and managed curriculum through our practical application of learning technologies (ie.
Creating videos, digital study guides, etc.) and we designed and developed our skills as educators
through the practice of media inclusion. As a technology and trades teacher, I have applied both the
learning I’ve received from EDCP 481 and my MET courses thus far. For example, my students and I
put together a VEX Robot with the goal for it to be a “bomb diffusing robot.” The lessons were
designed with critical analysis of current events and how learning technologies could serve to
improve living quality in areas of need with our modern educational opportunities. I applied the
learning from EDCP 481 in analyzing media, providing students with an appropriate “problem” to
design an appropriate solution for and we completed the assignment through learning
technologies. The students were tasked with designing the robot and putting it together through
VEX kits and parts (motors, frames, wiring, coding etc.) and they had to rationalize their design and
objectives in a blog post done on their own websites created in Adobe Dreamweaver. Under these
circumstances, the theoretical and practical applications I have derived from EDCP 481 have fulfilled
a professional objective related to my MET degree. Under academic objectives, I’d like to reflect
and research further on how I can further deepen the learning of the well-received project.
Currently, the MET program has taught me an abundance on fair practice, theory of education and
working in technology-supported environments. These academic references have allowed me to
continually reflect and improve my lessons to provide a wholesome experience for all users
involved and include learners of all levels and ages. I hope to have the EDCP 481 credit transferred
towards my MET degree as my strength as an educator is my ability to relate to students and create
practical applications for student learning with new learning technologies and technology-
supported environments. I have proven that through my 89% received in the coursework and the
well-received project from students, peers and administrators. If the class is to be transferred
toward my MET degree, it will allow me to focus my time on researching, reflecting and focusing my
practice towards enhancing my theoretical and academic knowledge in order to help me succeed as
a well-rounded educator. I would like to complete the rest of my MET degree by continually
improving on my professional practice through my academic learning and this is an opportunity that
can be provided to me by UBC.

UBC has supported me as a student and a professional over the last two years and it has
been a pleasure to work with an enthusiastic community of professionals working towards
improving practices of educators around the world. The Bachelor of Education program trains
hundreds of new teachers per year, to which many burn out or stagnate their practice after
reaching the professional world. As a life-long learner, I hope that UBC can continue to provide me
with the encouragement and support they have by crediting the EDCP 481 course towards my MET
degree. Given the opportunity, I will be able to focus my research into improving my theoretical and
academic knowledge in simultaneous fashion with my practical applications of learning
technologies. I am a strong student (A-average in UBC Education courses) and I am a determined
and motivated individual. In my transcript, I have taken 3 additional Education electives on top of
the requirements to receive my Bachelor of Education. My continued studies have aligned both
with my academic and professional goals, as well as relate directly to completing my MET degree.
The one provision I require, is the luxury of time, to which I will receive if my application is
approved and I will be able to further my coursework as a MET student.

Thank you for the opportunity to state my case and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Derek Wong
MET Student – Student #: 67181164
Trades and Technology Teacher – Richmond, B.C.