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

Managing Learner Behaviors

Andrea, Do you think there could be any merit in their arguments or would you just reiterate the objectives and expectations for the course and tell them that is the requirements of the course if they are going to stay in the course? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Lealan, Have you personally experienced issues where the missing non-verbal was an issue for you? Is it your non-verbal to the students or the students non-verbal toward you? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Engaging Learners in Discussion

Andrea, Making content real and relevant for the students is so important. It ensures that students truly understand and connect with their learning. Instructor and student real world examples are extremely important toward this end. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Engaging Learners in Discussion

Andrea, All great ideas. There are times that discussions seem to die off too soon. Have you experienced this? Have you found any strategies to get the discussion back on track? Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Engaging Learners in Discussion

Keith, Personal experiences from both the student and the instructor makes the content real and relevant for the students. Incorporating these experiences in the discussion helps to motivate the students to participate and share. Good points. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Sandra, Online learning is certainly growing and continues to demonstrate strong enrollments; however, I agree with your statements that a complete replacement for traditional teaching is unlikely in the near future. Herbert Brown III

Herbert Brown III

Blog

Building Community in your Programs

The concept of Community and building community in courses and programs is vital to the success and growth of online programs. So, HOW do we do it? The online environment is inheriently physically disconnected so it may seem foreign. It is important to stay regularly connected with your students AND find ways for students to connect with one another on a personal basis. An online social networking site for your community of learners is one way to promote this interaction. You can enhance that interaction by making it "personal" for the students. An example of something we do in our… >>>

Herbert Brown III

Blog Comment

Resting yourself

I think everyone should have some type of hobby that is different from what they do on a daily basis. For some it is as simple as reading books; however, for me I started building boats. It is completely opposite of connecting with a computer all day! It is mentally refreshing. This is not just during breaks, but throughout the year as time permits.

Herb

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

Sandra, I believe this is certainly an area that needs more research. In my experience, 25 would be my upper cap and I would really prefer 20 to be my cap. You hit all the key elements that do effect the ratio. There is no "optimal" ratio alone without the contributing factors mentioned. I have seen online courses with 200 students and computer-graded assignments. The instructor only facilitates and answers questions as needed. There is little discussion and additional interaction. For some, that is acceptable. For those that believe there should be much more interaction in online courses (as I… >>>

Herbert Brown III

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Leyann, You can build a pretty heavy social component with modern online learning tools. Even though there is strong growth in online courses and program offerings, there are still courses and programs that would be much harder to teach effectively online. For example, advanced Welding techniques - you can demonstrate the skills and provide extensive media of how a weld should look, how to do it, etc. but you still have to pick up a welder and DO IT and have someone evaluate your work and provide detailed feedback. Herbert Brown III

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