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

Cristina, 20-25 is a pretty good number. My ideal is around 15-20, but numbers can vary as well based on the types of content, course design, interaction expectations, level of content, and more. The level of interaction and one on one communications that can take place are directly correlated with the number of students in your course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Heather, I am not sure I follow you completely with your statement. Can you be more specific in the context of your post? I would agree that expectations continually evolve, but so should our courses and course content even if we are staying current in our fields. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Milka, How the student will interpret the materials how? Body language is important, but if you are just trying to determine if the students understand course expectations, then you can accomplish that through a short quiz of the syllabus and expectations. Well created assignments, discussion posts, and other interactions can provide a lot of insight on our students. You can always hold a LIVE face to face session with something like Skype or Google Hangouts. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Jerry, I like how you included the importance of the students feeling like they are a valued individual in the course and not just a number, as well as the fact that we should have expectations for our students, but they should have expectations for us as well. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Vince, I think sometimes they get in over their heads. I have found that many students have an initial view of online as easier; however, when they get in the courses they quickly become overwhelmed with the amount of work and just stop working. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Julie Ann, Most would agree with you that the optimal number is 15-20 students. That can shift slightly either way depending on content, level of the material and certainly the design of the course and its assignments. Those courses that require extensive feedback should be smaller so that the feedback can be provided in a timely manner. Too few also causes issues with student to student discussions. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Vince, 40 or 66 is very high in my opinion and what research shows. These policies also reflect the experiences with online learning that you have mentioned in other forums. If you have this many students, it is very difficult to provide them the quality feedback they need to make the course effective. Most instructor agree with you that 15-20 is the optimal number. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Vince, When you say all online schools do you mean for profit, completely online schools? Many traditional universities also offer completely online programs and may or may not have the same format you suggest. My university for instance allows me to do anything I want and is not micromanaged by anyone. Even in the for-profit schools I see substantial differences in the way they have them set up. Overall it is important to make sure we always clearly articulate student and instructor expectations in a course. The clearer they are at the beginning, the less issues and questions you have… >>>

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Nanette, Consider more "personal" postings and introductions from your students to get to know them better. Consider LIVE online video conferences for feedback, help sessions, advising, and all forms of assistance to get that more personal touch with your students. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

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