Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

About me

Dr. S. David Vaillancourt currently serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs for the College of Health Care Professions based in Houston, Texas. Prior to this post he worked as an e-Learning consultant for companies across the USA. His primary research focus over the past four years has been the development of online learning Engagement Metrics. Dr. Vaillancourt’s 27 years of service in education includes multiple levels of experience in both private and public educational institutions. His professional positions include Online Campus President for Virginia College, National Dean of ITT's Online Division, Director of Education for Ultimate Medical Academy, President of a two-campus allied health college in Utah, Certified Cisco Academy Instructor, Master Certified Novell Instructor, and K-12 public school science teacher.

Dr. Vaillancourt’s BS and MS in Education were earned from Samford University in 1983 and 1989, respectively. He completed his Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University in May 2004. Dr. Vaillancourt designed, founded and chaired the non-profit National Math Bee (2006-2011), which provided an online learning community for over 15,000 elementary school mathematics students in 37 states across the country.  He was a US Army soldier prior to his career in education.

Activity

Jennifer, Individual outreach requesting attendance is one tool that has had some success. Additionally, I have found video conferencing (WebEx) has a much better participation rate than text-based chats. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Rubiela , These are all well founded components of solid online instruction. Yes, the challenges remain. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
John, You are very correct. The tools for the instructor to accurately discern the student/class demeanor is quite different in the online environment. The Socratic outreach is one of the better contemporary tools for that. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Alan, In a few cases it does. However, it often requires a stronger outreach to get many students to respond. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Thomas, The technology is available and used in limited situations. The widespread use is not far away. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Ted, This is very comprehensive. Well done. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Gershom, Well stated. This is the position of the majority of online instructors. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Johnnie, Your point is very valid. The 'right; number is often dependent on the course requirements. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Eric, Maintaining a high level of engagement with the individual students would support your numbers. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Amy, Very good. This is in alignment with many of your contemporaries. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

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