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

Marco, Do you mean the experience OF the instructor? So you might include a welcome forum where students introduce themselves and you as the instructor do the same and provide the students with your experience and background? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Pamela, As you note the content of the course and even the level of the course can have a great impact on the optimal ratio. Even with the software for math feedback, what do you think would be your MAX number of students in a class - optimally... Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Marco, I have also found the more I am actively engaged in the course, the more students see me as present in the course. Beyond the minimum expectation I believe we should have high expectations for the promptness and thoroughness of our presence in the course. Prompt grading and feedback are very important in the course. The quicker you respond, the more students feel your presence in the course. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Alan, I have also taught at multiple levels and with all ranges of student enrollments. I believe most instructors have found the 15-20 or 15-25 optimal for most courses. I have experienced what you describe with the lower enrollments; however, in some specialty courses at the higher levels, the smaller number including 12 was more effective. There are so many variables. The main point is that there is no magic number and there are many factors that play in to the "ideal" or optimal ratio. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Alan, Is this consistent for ALL courses? I agree that a few more students can make the discussion richer; however, in writing courses it can make it much more difficult to get the appropriate feedback to students in a timely manner. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Alan, I am sure it does :-) That topic should get all students motivated to connect...at least to the first chat. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

Alan, I like how you included expectations for you and for your students. Sometimes we focus more on what the students are expected to do and not do, but we forget to establish expectations for ourselves to help ensure you are doing our part in the course as well. Such as prompt feedback on work, etc. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

amanda, You do lose some of that non-verbal feedback; however, new types of feedback emerge as you teach more online. You start to get a deeper sense of the student's learning and feelings through their emails, discussions, etc. It is amazing what you can start to pick up on in your online communications. Just like the first time you taught, you likely didn't pick up on all of the body language, you had to build that skill. No different in online teaching Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Faith , It depends on the instructor and the content. Unfortunately, I have seem some instructors remove most of the interactive components from larger courses because they do not have the time to properly respond. This would also reduce the effectiveness of most online courses (which is what I believe you would find in the literature). The key to online environments is to build a sense of community in your courses with instructor to students interaction and student to student interactions. You can do more peer reviews and student driven interactions to help facilitate larger classes as well. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Lauree, Those numbers and arguments are fairly consistent with most online instructors I have discussed this topic with. Herbert Brown III

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