Linda J. Smith is a graduate student in the Master of Distance Education Program at the University of Maryland University College. She has a Master of Arts degree in English from Florida State University where she taught freshman composition courses for two years before becoming employed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in Baltimore, Md. At SSA she began work in computer programming, systems analysis and design. Later, she held a variety of management positions in quality assurance, process redesign evaluation, and program development and research. In January 2004 Linda left SSA to prepare for entry to a Doctoral program in Instructional Systems in the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems at Florida State University where she will begin study in Fall 2004.

Personal interests include gardening (hybridizing daylilies), art, music, writing, community theatre, language studies (Greek and Hebrew), Arabian horses and ancient history.