A FREE PUBLICATION FROM THE CREATORS OF THE TEACHING PROFESSOR

Rob Kelly

Choosing Appropriate Distance Learning Tools

Faculty need to consider learning objectives, learning styles, accessibility, cost, and available technical support when designing distance learning courses, says Laurie Hillstock, manager of distance learning at Clemson University.

Hillstock works with faculty to develop satellite, CD-ROM, and Web-based courses using a design model that is roughly 80 percent asynchronous and 20 synchronous. Within this model, instructors can…

Rob Kelly September 24, 2008

Learning Communities Link Courses, Bring Academic and Student Affairs Together

Faculty need to be very careful about how they commit their time and energy, so any potential partnership with student affairs need to be compelling

Rob Kelly September 23, 2008

Encouraging, Supporting Learning Communities

Learning communities, an approach to curriculum design that links two or more courses, can improve student success and retention and help students develop effective learning

Rob Kelly September 22, 2008

Build Learning Communities Throughout an Online Program

Nova Southeastern University’s Master’s in Health Law program is designed to encourage the creation of learning communities in which students view each other as partners

Rob Kelly September 21, 2008

Blogs Help Create Learning Communities

Susan Baim, assistant professor of business technology at Miami University-Middletown, uses weblogs to supplement her face-to-face courses to improve students’ abilities to use the internet

Rob Kelly September 20, 2008

Faculty Evaluation Serves Institutional, Individual Needs

The challenge of faculty evaluation is to simultaneously foster faculty development and fulfill the institution’s goals and mission, says Larry Braskamp, professor of Education at Loyola University Chicago and advocate of a humanistic approach to faculty evaluation.

“Evaluation involves setting the culture and climate for faculty to develop, and it has to take on an openness and respect for the individual to experiment and fail. You encourage faculty members to self-assess.

Rob Kelly September 17, 2008

Comparing Reflective Thinking in Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning

Conventional wisdom about synchronous vs. asynchronous communication says that while they both have their places in the online classroom, adult learners prefer asynchronous communication for its flexibility and that asynchronous communication allows more time for reflective thinking. However, a paper presented at the 2004 meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) contradicts these notions.

Rob Kelly September 15, 2008

Creating an Active Distance Learning Environment

Kristopher Wiemer, instructional technology specialist at Philadelphia University, encourages instructors to adopt active-learning strategies such as hands-on activities, interaction, and research “to make sure students are engaged and aren’t just sitting there like sponges. I introduce [faculty] to the concept of active learning. Most of them are new to this and…”

Rob Kelly September 13, 2008

Setting Academic Priorities, Identifying Signature Programs

What are your institution’s signature programs—those programs that epitomize your institution’s mission and define its distinctiveness in the marketplace? It’s a question that every institution should address, particularly when faced with increasing competition and decreasing resources, says Jonnie Guerra, vice president for academic affairs at Cabrini College in Pennsylvania…

Rob Kelly September 11, 2008

5 Ways to Create Nonthreatening Distance Learning Courses While Maintaining High Academic Standards

Instructors who are new to the online classroom often struggle with the issue of how to be rigorous while creating a safe learning environment, and mistakenly think, “You can be nice or demanding, but somehow you can’t be both.” “That’s absolutely not true,” says Andrea Sanders, associate professor of English at Chattanooga State Technical Community College…

Rob Kelly September 10, 2008

A FREE PUBLICATION FROM THE CREATORS OF THE TEACHING PROFESSOR

Rob Kelly

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