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

Instructor Presence

Lucille, I would agree that any video element will help with addressing the lack of body language. However, I have also found that the longer I communicate online, the more I am able to pick up subtleties even in email and other communication. Still nothing is as good that face to face when you are relying on body language in your communications. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Anne, I like how you articulated that there is not necessarily one correct ratio. The proper ratio can and should depend on each individual course. I agree with the examples that you give that the content can and will definitely play a role in the proper course ratio. Other factors such as the level of the content, the design of the course (interaction, discussion, etc.) and other factors also influence the ideal ratio. I have personally found similar ratios in my experience teaching online. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Providing Feedback

Brian, The sandwich method can be very helpful in providing the correct type of feedback to our students regardless of background. No student wants to feel like they are being torn down all the time when they submit work, they need positive reinforcement that something they are doing is correct along with the necessary feedback to help them correct their issues. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Brian, That is a unique challenge that I can see would be difficult to overcome at times. How do you specifically find yourself overcoming that challenge? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Emry, I think you have articulated this well. I do find that I have to provide much more detail in my online course expectations than in my traditional on-ground classes. The physical disconnect seems to establish this need for more detail as early in the course as possible to establish the proper learning environment. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Brandon, I would agree with you. One way to help make sure your comments are appropriate is to use the sandwich method when responding to student work. Start out with some positive comments about their work, then address the concerns and wrap it up with another positive comment. That way you buffer the bad news with a little good. This method can help. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Samantha, You can only do the best you can do to reach them. Use all of your resources to reach out to them. Find a phone number and call them, many times a personal phone call can be enough to turn them around. Some schools have specific advising staff to help you reach wayward students. In the end, it is up to the students to make the effort and complete the necessary work. Your job is to make all reasonable efforts to reach and engage them in the learning. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Brandon, I agree that smaller courses do allow for more instructor/student interaction. Too small can have a negative impact on the discussion dynamics in the course. It might be hard to get administrators to connect with a 12:1 ratio. The more common ratio I see, for the same reasons you identify, is a 15-20:1 ratio. Administrators can also connect better with this slightly higher ratio. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Samantha, Your response is well articulated. There do need to be expectations for both the students and instructors and then each party needs to live up to those expectations during the course. Without the daily face to face interaction, these expectations are that much more important so you don't get 100's of emails with the same questions or concerns throughout the course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

LaKeisha, I agree with you that much of what we do in a traditional classroom is replicated in the online classroom. There are some differences in how we do it, as you mentioned, that do make it a bit more difficult at times. However, the online learning tools are so strong that even traditional classroom instructors are beginning to teach in a hybrid mode to optimize the best of both environments. Herbert Brown III

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