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

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Eileen, Just to play devils advocate...have you seen movies such as A.I. where the android beings are very lifelike and are programmed to exhibit levels of behaviors that closely resemble human emotions. I know it might be many, many years away; however, if we had robots with this "human" effect would that negate your statement? Technology is changing at an exponential rate - scary at times! Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Mamie, You identified the KEY element: your learning style. Not everyone performs well in online environments. Just as not all students perform well in all forms of traditional classrooms. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

John, As with traditional classrooms we need to use formative and summative assessment methods. Those methods are usually more "formal" in online environments because we do not have the face to face real-time feedback. Short questionnaires, quizzes, reflections, etc. help. These don't have to be long complex quizzes, just short assessments to determine if the students got the concepts or not. I also use short reflections that the students write (based on a question I give them). A quick scan of their reflection will tell me if they are understanding and conceptualizing the materials or not. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Steven, We are going to need to be stronger facilitators of learning. Part of that process is to sift through the mountain of learning resources and filter out the quality materials and guide the students through this quality material to help them build their knowledge base and connect to their existing knowledge. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Eileen, Great tip on the subject line to facilitate your email management. Email overload can happen rapidly. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

John, This is certainly the response of many administrators regarding the higher freshman courses for brick and mortar schools. I would argue the point about student not wanting to interact. Many students just want to get through these courses with 100-500 students and do what is necessary to make that happen. In many cases the less interaction, the less headaches and easier process to get through it. However, is it BEST for the students? I would argue if you did an experiment and compared students satisfaction with the 500 seat class, versus classrooms of 20-25 with direct interaction and discussion,… >>>

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

John, I like your argument. Most instructors feel that the "average" course ratio should be in this range and for similar reasons. I have personally found this range to be ideal for most classes. For some writing intensive courses, I try to cap the higher level a little lower for similar reasons - the ability to provide meaningful feedback in a reasonable timeframe. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

james, You mention trade schools and traditional schools will be using more online learning. What about in areas such as carpentry. Will you be teaching carpentry or cabinet making online? Do you believe online learning will replace all traditional classrooms or just some? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Kristina, These are very "student" based expectations. Do you think there should be faculty expectations too? Is there anything that students should expect from their instructors? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Steven, Have you considered adding a short quiz or assessment on the contents of the syllabus and course expectations at the beginning of the course. This could serve several purposes: to document that students read and hopefully comprehend the material, to give students an early "easy" assignment to work on to get familiar with the course delivery, etc. Herbert Brown III

End of Content