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

Faculty Expectations

Ty, Can you be a little more specific on your statement? I agree you have to be a good listener and you have to provide students the direct feedback they need to be successful in the course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Jean, I agree. I tweak my expectations statements on my syllabi for my courses almost every semester based on that semester's questions and concerns that are raised. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

David, True, we all have to be careful with what load we can handle. However, I have also seen administrators that see online as a money maker and put 100+ students in one course section. This course load limits any instructor's ability to communicate effectively with all of the students in a course. Most faculty find 15-20 students in one course section ideal for effective communication. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Ramona, The research would agree with you and we continue to see strong growth in blended or hybrid learning environments as even traditional instructors realize the value of many of the online tools available to us in our classrooms. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Engaging Learners in Discussion

Andrea, I agree that the students need something meaningful to discuss to engage the discussion group. I would go one more step and suggest that we need to try to design our discussions with enough openness in the question to allow them freedom to connect their personal life experiences as they directly relate to the content. The more students connect on a personal level with the course content, the more motivated they will be to learn it and engage it. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

David, I would agree. Most people find the optimal number to be 15-20; however, I would suggest that number as important because it allows us to better connect with our students and build a sense of community among them, without being too many that you can't connect with all of them. Is that what you meant about keeping you too busy? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

David, So if I read your comments correctly you are saying we should ask our students what their expectations are for the course. I agree. Their feedback can also be used to help the students understand the content of the course relative to their experience and therefore what they expect to get from the course. Would you also be asking the students for their expectations for the instructor in the course and what they expect the instructor to do in the course? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Ann, For many courses, I would agree that online will replace many traditional courses. However, as online continues to grow, so does a smaller group that really wants the traditional experience and therefore we are seeing additional growth in blended or hybrid courses that combine both traditional and face to face elements to provide the students with the best of both worlds. I also don't want a doctor performing surgery on me if they only did it "virtually" through an online course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Ann, Those clues are harder to pick up in an online environment, but not impossible. The more you teach and communicate online the better you become at picking up subtleties in communications with students. Although maybe not as effective as face to face you do learn to adapt the best you can. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Jean, I like your final statement. You are correct, we all need to be very flexible and do the best job we can with what we are dealt. Even if we are handed a course of 50 students, we can do our best to connect them them and build the best "community" we can even with that large number. Herbert Brown III

End of Content