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

Alice, Your ideal ratio of 20 students is consistent with most other online instructor's experiences. Too many more and it become difficult to give the students the individual feedback and attention they might need, while too few makes it difficult to have meaningful discussions and student to student interactions. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Ligia, These all sound like expectations for the students in your online course. Would you also list expectations for what the instructor will do in the course? What might those look like? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Mark, Online learning is still growing at a strong pace. Another area is blended or hybrid instruction that blends the best of both environments. That is another area that is seeing strong growth. I too believe that in the foreseeable future we will continue to see all types of classrooms. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Mark, I appreciate that you share with your students both student and instructor expectations. Instructor expectations hold us accountable for our presence in the course just as much as the students and sets the stage for things like effective communications, appropriate communications, timeliness of grading, etc. When we establish clear expectations for everyone, the course will typically run smoother. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Managing Learner Behaviors

Monte, I agree that the more you can personalize the instruction and help connect students with the content in a more personal way, the more likely they will be to engage the content. Relating the material to the students in meaningful ways helps to motivate them in the learning process. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Rashunda, Online is certainly growing; however, I agree we will likely see both delivery methods in to the foreseeable future. Blended or hybrid learning environments are also growing rapidly. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Rashunda, I agree, detailed expectations for students are important for any course and it helps to ensure that students have a good chance at succeeding in the course because they know the clear expectations. These are expectations for the students, do you believe there should also be expectations for what the instructor does in the course? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Katie, I agree. The more detail you can provide your students, the more likely they will be to meet your expectations. If they don't know what they are, they can't meet them. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Erica, Actually many faculty find the reverse. Online when done right includes all forms of delivery and interaction, including lecture components if appropriate. However, much of the class interaction is asynchronous. I can promise you that you can talk MUCH faster than you can type, so you are at a distinct disadvantage when communicating online with all of the discussion forums to respond to, emails to write, etc. It takes a lot of time to provide sufficient interaction with your students so they feel they are part of a course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Andrea, This ratio is pretty consistent with the observations of others teaching online. I have personally found the optimal level to be between 15:1 and 20:1. I have a class now with only 6 and it is very difficult to get a natural flowing dynamic discussion within forums with this few. Herbert Brown III

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