234 page baby. I cry just writing about it ;-)

My dissertation just waiting the in mailbox for one of my committee members to take home and read.
OSU faculty mail box.

Yes, I began the entire process in 2003 after talking with a friend of mine who suggested I enroll at OSU as a 'special student' and then just segue into the program of my choice.  Not sure that I wanted to pursue a terminal degree (that sounds like a terminal illness), I thought that maybe having another child would be great for my life and our family.  

When I suggested to Jay that I wanted to either have another child or earn my doctorate, he had one word for me: Enroll.  ;-) So, on a beautiful November day in 2002, I made my first drive to Stillwater, and met with Dr. Thomas Warren, Director of the Technical Writing program in the English Department.  He suggested I take Online Documentation in the Spring of 2003, so I tromped over to Whitehurst and applied to the university and graduate college.  That's where it all began.

I took one or two classes each semester, and my learning curve was steep.  The first time I had to make a presentation to the class, I was extremely nervous.  Writing papers sent me around the bend.  By the end of the fall of 2005, I was ABD in my Tech Writing PhD program, and the Spanish proficiency was escaping me.  I took a break from the program for one semester, and by the fall of 2006, I had decided to change gears and move to the College of Education.

That was a match made in heaven because I knew I wanted to stay in Higher Ed, and my tech writing background matched beautifully with my interests in  online learning and instructional technology.  So... in January 2007, just after returning from a wonderful trip to Italy, I began my work in COE.  I took more classes for four semesters and a summer and then I was ready for the dissertation.  

My incredible advisers lead me through my research and writing, and on March 4, 2010, I defended that 234 page baby in the longest defense on record.  Seems everyone was interested in what I had to say about learning to teach online. My diss advisor Skyped in for the defense because her husband was in ICU in Oklahoma City.  Amazing. Blessed.

After sending me out of the conference room during their final discussion, Dr. Harris stepped out and said, "Congratulations, Dr. Case."  I cry just writing about it.