LETTER OF INTRODUCTION

    I am happy to introduce myself through my personal homepage. I am currently teaching at the Adult and Higher Education Program at the University of Oklahoma as an Associate Professor.

    You will note from the enclosed vitae that much of my work, teaching, research, and extracurricular activities have focused on human resource development and technology applications for learning and performance improvement. During my six years of work experience as a trainer and Assistant Manager of Training at an international chain hotel, I implemented and managed various training interventions for employee performance improvement, leadership development, and organizational development of the company. As a graduate student of the HRE Department at the University of Illinois I served the department as the first webmaster and my expertise in instructional systems and technology was culminated through the development of the Online Global HRD Master's Program at the Department of Human Resource Education. During the project, I contributed to the instructional design and technical development of the delivery system of the online graduate program. At the Indiana State University, I taught two courses in instructional systems design and computer applications for education. The teaching at the Indiana State University provided me with various opportunities to deliver undergraduate and graduate courses through diverse instructional delivery methods including classroom instruction, satellite-based system, and online learning delivery. Here at the University of Tennessee, I have led a project team called DIMS (Diversified Instructional Modality System) to develop an advanced web-based instructional design and delivery system to implement a nationwide contract to deliver graduate and undergraduate curricula to non-traditional students who were geographically dispersed. During the project period, I have demonstrated advanced instructional development processes and technologies for other faculty members of the department and college so they could convert classroom instructional materials to quality online learning modules. I, by myself, developed and delivered two online courses on program evaluation and performance improvement systems and technologies using the DIMS. Since the development of DIMS, I have experimented various innovative technologies and instructional strategies to improve learner satisfaction and learning performance. Some examples include the use of a flexible web-based learning delivery system for non-traditional students, incorporating virtual case studies with database applications for improved learning interactions, and utilizing blended approaches between classroom and online instruction to satisfy learners' learning styles while achieving better learning performance. The main rationale to use these kinds of various instructional experiments and tryouts was to realize my teaching philosophy that emphasizes the art of instructional systems design seeking for meaningful learning experiences for students not only to learn knowledge but also to apply and transfer their learning to personal jobs and tasks.

    My expertise in instructional systems and technology has met another leap when our HRD program moved to the Department of Management at the University of Tennessee as part of the university wide reallocation process occurred in 2003. While teaching and researching the field of instructional systems and technology is considered an important area within the education discipline, my competencies in the subject matter have been significantly augmented through various opportunities to apply advanced instructional technologies to deliver several business courses involving heavy case studies and reach out services to private sector organizations to resolve performance problems of their employees. Some example activities of these efforts include the development and delivery of technology related courses in e-HR and performance improvement systems and technologies at the Department of Management and the development of learning object authoring system (SCORM based) for an international software company as a project co-leader.

    My scholarly research interest has been on the evaluation of learner performance in classroom, online, and blended learning environment with the utilization of learning technology. The primary focus has not only been on the learning aspect, but also on the application and transfer of learning because, as I mentioned, any learning experience is converted into individual learner's competencies when it is connected and situated in each learner's job, tasks, and personal situations. Several of my research studies assessed the effectiveness of classroom, online, and blended learning methods within academic, corporate, and cross-national contexts. Other research topics of interest include the examination of the effect of student's online learning motivation and styles on learning performance and the international comparison of online learning motivation in school and corporate settings. To develop my research expertise to a broader scope, I have served industry wide consortiums for e-learning and EPSS product evaluation and have been heavily involved in several international projects for online learning system development in private as well as public organizations. My future plan for the leadership role in instructional systems and technology is initiating various collaborative research activities linking advanced learning systems, technologies, and performance strategies to enhance learning and work performance in the rapidly evolving and globalizing working environment of today's organizations.

    I hope this letter provides useful information about my research and teaching expertise within the adult learning and human resource development area. You can find more detailed information about my expertise in learning systems and performance technologies through other pages of this homepage.

    Sincerely,

    Doo Hun Lim