Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

About me

Dr. S. David Vaillancourt currently serves as the Vice President of Academic Affairs for the College of Health Care Professions based in Houston, Texas. Prior to this post he worked as an e-Learning consultant for companies across the USA. His primary research focus over the past four years has been the development of online learning Engagement Metrics. Dr. Vaillancourt’s 27 years of service in education includes multiple levels of experience in both private and public educational institutions. His professional positions include Online Campus President for Virginia College, National Dean of ITT's Online Division, Director of Education for Ultimate Medical Academy, President of a two-campus allied health college in Utah, Certified Cisco Academy Instructor, Master Certified Novell Instructor, and K-12 public school science teacher.

Dr. Vaillancourt’s BS and MS in Education were earned from Samford University in 1983 and 1989, respectively. He completed his Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Distance Education from Nova Southeastern University in May 2004. Dr. Vaillancourt designed, founded and chaired the non-profit National Math Bee (2006-2011), which provided an online learning community for over 15,000 elementary school mathematics students in 37 states across the country.  He was a US Army soldier prior to his career in education.

Activity

Ann, This approach is straightforward and thorough. Very nice. Thank you for your contribution. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Ann, Very good analogy. Thanks. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Amjad, Gardner provided us with a needed release from the constraint of "IQ" connotations. Your use of these demensions of intelligence with your students should prove to be a significant enhancement to their educational experience. Very nice. Thanks for sharing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Amjad, I am so very glad you found this forum of discussion with other professionals to be of some value. Many times we (I am terrible about this) miss out on the intended/inherent value of something because we don't fully participate (get it on the run...) and then walk away with much less than we should have. Your valuable participation has been very helpful to me and the other participants. Thank you for sharing your insights and perspectives. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Natalie, Fair enough. Thank you so much for the dialogue and sharing your perspective and insights. The challenges of thinking through these issues with other professionals, like you, helps all of us look at online teaching with new insights. Thank you for your contributions. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Trude, What a difference a decade can make. Only 10 years ago, online postsecondary courses were disdained by many reputable colleges as "not being real college courses." Today, the general public usually deems a college or university to be substandard if they do not have at least some online offerings. Your prediction seems very likely, given current trends. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Sara, It is a difficult transition for many of us. Being that coach and "cheerleader" is sometimes more difficult for many of us then leading the student through the material. Regardless of the classroom, I find the interactivity with students to be stimulating and means of furthering my own education. I have also found being the Sage and online classroom has helped me be more learner centered in a traditional setting. Thank you for sharing thoughts. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Sandy , This sounds like an excellent strategy. Explaining and modeling the expected behaviors are very powerful in any instructional situation. I especially like your "Early Thoughts" idea to open their minds to the ideas which they are about to study. It makes sense that this strategy promotes participation and more expanded discussions. Thank you for your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Sharon, Accounting is an common this course for many students, especially the thought of taking it online. I completely agree with your approach and creating that individual mentoring bond with the student. Many studies have proven this out to be one of the most effective online instructional practices. Of course, the time constraints for doing this with every student can make it a challenge in our institutionalized, mass education systems. Excellent recommendation. Thank you for sharing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

Raymond, I am a big fan of homeschooling. We homeschooled both of our children for a period of time. Both of the children also attended online high school classes, as well as public and private face-to-face classrooms. I agree with your statements above. Over time, more and more face-to-face classrooms will be replaced by online classes. As technology improves and online courses rely less and less on primarily text-based instructional format and move toward more human interactivity media, online will likely take over the mainstream of institutional education at the secondary and postsecondary levels. Thank you for sharing your thoughts… >>>

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