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

James, I agree it is vitally important and it is very important to include both student and instructor expectations for the course. Such as how fast assignments will be graded, how and when feedback is provided, accessibility of the instructor, etc. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

James, All of these are important expectations for students, do you also post instructor expectations, such as how quickly grading will occur and feedback will be provided, etc. ? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Christopher, Just curious, what do you or your institution see as a reasonable time frame for communications? The communication or participation aspect of the course, I believe, is the most important. If students do have feel that you are present in the course, they become disconnected very quickly. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Charlene, Students feel empowered when they are asked about their expectations for the course and their instructor. It also helps to set the tone of the course as one that is collaborative and open for new ideas. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Xianbin, You are right, this can be very difficult especially if we don't get these comments until the end of the course. We can use the access system logs of some of the course management systems to monitor if the students are accessing the content we post, but that still does not guarantee that they are really reviewing and studying the material. Another option might be to give them mini assessments throughout the course, like pop-quizzes in a traditional course, to verify that they are reviewing the materials. I hate to do this, but I have had to resort to… >>>

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Managing Learner Behaviors

Simon, Good point. I like the fact that you "consider" their opinions as viable. There are certainly times that their input will show us a flaw in our curriculum that needs to be changed. We have to be at least OPEN to the idea that they have a good point. Then we need to address it correctly if they do have a valid point. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Engaging Learners in Discussion

Martha, It might get a little easier; however, children are on social media because they are talking about things THEY want to talk about. We need to mirror that in the online classroom. Make assignments and discussions open ended enough that students can add their personal experiences and opinions. Try to find topics that motivate your student demographic. The more you connect with your student population, the more likely you are to motivate them and they will want to post to the discussions. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Assisting the Online Student

Simon, If you have used all your possible options to reach them and they choose not to be reached, then you have probably done what you can. It is important for the administrative personnel to try to follow up with them later though to see why your drop outs are leaving. Most of the time it is family or related issues you cannot control. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Simon, Some skills based courses would be more difficult, such as how to draw blood virtually. Interesting point you make about introductory courses and size. Some administrators are pushing 1000's of students in MOOCs for introductory courses. What do you think about online classes with 1000's of students in one course? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Simon, Do you mean a maximum of 6 students in a course or just a group. If a group, then you would be ok with 24 students or 4 groups of 6? Herbert Brown III

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