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

Gamaliel, Much of what you address in this post are components of collaborative/cooperative learning structures. Leveraging peer to peer interaction and learning differences for the benefit of all participating students requires creativity on the part of the instructor, but is often very beneficial to the students. Thank you for sharing your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
gamaliel, I agree that personal discipline is a key factor in critical thinking, as well as many other human endeavors. Very good point. Thank you for sharing your insight. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Lisa, Very succinct and accurate. Thank you for your contribution. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Austin, Your positive, reassuring and timely response to the learner is a good approach. Keeping the advisor in the loop, so you may work as a team to support the student is a strong addition. Keep up the good work. Thank you for sharing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Austin, The sandwich approach is one of the "best practices" that has found much success in the online environment. Maintaining this form of engagement with consistency is a corresponding component for student success. Keep up the good work. Thank you for sharing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Miriam, Appropriate application of previously learned knowledge is a terrific skill with which to begin developing analytical skills. As the instructor, you have the opportunity to guide as you add factors to the situation being analyzed. This guided engagement can be quite effective. Very good. Thank you. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
David, Very good. An accurate definition of the problem using reflective thinking can be key to moving in the right direction for an effective solution. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Miriam, Yes, setting, circumstances and context are vital factors to consider when assessing intelligence/competence. This is an excellent example of specific factors for a given situation. Very good description. Thank you for sharing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Ned, Business is not my area of expertise, and certainly not marketing. This sounds like a terrific critical thinking exercise in this area of study. Thank you for sharing your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Maria, As frustrating is that maybe to the student, it is probably the best pedagogical approach to take. One "critical" component of critical thinking skills would be to not take shortcuts. Providing the answer in this scenario would only reinforce the undesired behavior. Nicely done. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

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