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

Engaging Learners in Discussion

Romanda, It does sometimes take more questions after they post to continue the discussion. Add personal experiences can also help engage the students deeper in the content and may encourage them to post related personal experiences as well. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Engaging Learners in Discussion

John, Anytime we can make the learning experience more real and relevant for the learner we are doing things right. Personal experiences both yours and the student's help the learner connect with the course material. Do you find this is enough to keep the discussion going, or do you have to ask more questions and "lead" them where you want the discussion to go? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Romanda, We are definitely experiencing continued growth in online learning. For the foreseeable future I expect we will have some traditional classroom experiences. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Romanda, So what do you feel, or does your institution suggest, is a reasonable time frame to respond to students? Do you find yourself only responding from 8-5 M-F or do you respond almost 24/7 as you are available? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Managing Learner Behaviors

Charmelia, Just curious...do you work in an environment where all of the curriculum is provided for you and you manage the coursework? This would not work for me as I create all of my curriculum and the students know that. Is there any other way that you might address this with the student? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Providing Feedback

Charmelia, I agree that feedback does provide this information. What are some of the ways that you provide effective feedback to your students in online courses? How do you provide details to the students regarding how they will be evaluated? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Ruben, I would say most opinions fall within the 15-20 range. I completely agree that all of these are factors that effect the ratio and it is not a uniform number. Another category I would add is the "level" of the course. This follows with the subject matter category. Graduate courses typically require a lot more research and writing and usually have smaller ratios. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Kimberly, It is not wrong. The online environment does have more of what you describe. I find that I can head off a good bit of this by having very clear expectations articulated to the students at the beginning of the semester. However, I do admit that I am a little more lenient with my online classes and excuses than in my traditional courses. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Philip, I can certainly understand that. I feel that way many times as well. I have also found that student's concepts of time and mine are sometimes not in synch. That is why I asked. Some students might think that a call to your cell phone for help at 1:30am if fine...they are up...shouldn't you be. I find myself tweaking my expectations the more I teach online. It just sets clear direction for everyone involved. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

End of Content