Herbert Brown III

Location: appalachian state university - boone, nc - usa

About me

Herb Brown is a professor and program director in the business and information technology education program at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. He directs the Graduate program in New Media/Global Education and Online Teaching and Learning at Appstate. He has taught information technology, instructional technology, and business education courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels for 20 years and served 10 years in the role of Director of Technology for several universities. He has held teaching and administrative positions at James Madison University, The University of Virginia's College at Wise, the University of South Carolina and Appalachian State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Vocational Education with a cognate in Computer Information Systems from Virginia Tech. His articles have appeared in Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, and the NABTE Journal.

Interests

online teaching and learning, career and technical education, business & information technology education

Skills

online teaching and learning, teaching methodology, information technology education, web development/design

Website

http://edtech.appstate.edu

Activity

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Niki, I agree that the quality of the questions is paramount in the design and delivery of the course. However, if you have too few students you might not get as robust a discussion and with too many students it is hard to interact with all of them and ensure they feel your "presence" in the course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Engaging Learners in Discussion

Greg, What kind of questions do you use in your discussions? Could more open-ended questions address some of this too? Any other characteristics you have found that help? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Greg, I have also found that communicating in a timely manner is important. The timeliness of grading and responses to posts are also things my students have demonstrated that show my presence in a course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Greg, Do you believe there should be expectations for both the students and the instructor? What kind of expectations do you include in your courses? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Assisting the Online Student

Yvette, You should not forget the ones that want to learn, but we also have an opportunity to connect with the ones that are dropping by the wayside in their learning. I have found that many times when I contact wayward students I can get them back on track with a little effort on my part. I would rather have all students succeed if it just requires a little more effort on my part. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Emmanuel, Good. I believe it is important that students know what to expect from us. Therefore they are less likely to email you every 10 minutes asking for feedback when you tell them upfront that most grading takes 24-48 hours or more. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Billie, If your curriculum is set for you do you have an opportunity to contribute to the curriculum team and at least make those suggestions so that the course can be improved. Course design is a fluid process or should be. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Billie, Thanks for sharing your experiences. I am glad that you are being very interactive with your students. I believe we all need to do that. Your optimal ratio is pretty consistent with what others have found. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Billie, I agree with your statement. I have also found that it helps to alleviate any confusion over what is expected in the course. From a legal standpoint you have also established the clear expectations for the course and therefore it is hard to dispute them later. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Assisting the Online Student

Kevin, That is true. You do need to know students are struggling before you can help them. However, we can be proactive in watching our gradebook and other online indicators (general activity in the logs) and identify students that might be developing issues and contact them before they get too far behind that they can't catch up in the course. Herbert Brown III

End of Content