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

Kathleen, I agree, classes with too few students can be just as problematic as classes with too many. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Jean, Very detailed, thanks for sharing your process, it really shows the detail that can be included. As I am sure you have found, the more detail you can include at the beginning of the course the less likely students are to misunderstand or misinterpret their course assignments and activities. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Stephen, Excellent point that the level and type of content in a course DOES greatly influence the optimal ratio for a course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

lou, There is no magic ratio, but for many the range is 15-20 students, However, that can vary greatly depending on the type of course, the level of the course content, the type of assignments and design of the course, etc. For example, a writing course should probably have fewer students since the amount of time to provide quality feedback to the students is greatly increased. The research and discussion focus of many graduate courses might also suggest smaller numbers for those classes. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Patrick, I might disagree on the comment that the course size should depend on the instructor's other full time job since you are paid to do a job and if you can't handle that with your other responsibilities then you probably shouldn't be teaching that many courses....However, I absolutely agree with your second statement that it should be based on the number that can be reasonably taught with the proper feedback and interaction. For many that ratio is around 15-20 but it can vary based on the level of the content, the type of course (writing, etc.). Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Ann, I like what you are saying here. There is (or should be) a very PERSONAL element to all courses including online courses. All students need quality feedback and effective communication. With poor communication students feel completely disconnected in all aspects of the course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Ann, Clear and concise goals and expectations are a great start. The more you can clarify before it becomes an issue, the less likely you will be to have to deal with problems later in the course. The expectations that you mention here suggest mostly student expectations. Should there be instructor expectations too so that the students know what to expect from their instructor in the course? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Loretta, Can you give a little more detail here. Are you saying that it is hard to project your presence in an online course without the face to face? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Loretta, These can be hard things to demonstrate online. Have you had any success with this? What kinds of things have you done that have worked for you? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Jerri, Do you do any "mini assessments"? For example you could give them a simple reflective discussion to complete where based on their responses you can tell if they understand the concepts and can apply them, or a simple activity that accomplishes the same task like a short quiz just for understanding. It does make it more challenging, but I have also found in my on campus courses that students still learn to give you the "I understand it" look when in reality they still don't get it. Herbert Brown III

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