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

Arijana , I expect your PJs and slippers are close enough to the "fuzzy bunny" that we can trust your statement to be of first-hand knowledge. ;-] My guess is we have all had a traditional class or two of the type you described. Your point is well taken and your prescription for responsibilities of the teacher are sound. Thank you for your contribution. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Joe, To answer your question, yes, we are all here to ensure the learner gets most knowledge from the course. "The most" is a relevant term dependent on each learner (in many cases) and as facilitators it is our duty to provide that opportunity by meeting the student where they are and helping them achieve the educational objectives of the class. Very good point. Thank you for your thoughts. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hi Amy, Sorry about the delay in my reply. This is an excellent approach to gain the students confidence and have the student become engaged at a deeper level. Very nice. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Joe, This is excellent for assisting students on both ends of the spectrum. It is a very good system that may help many improve their students'engagement in the discussions. Thank you for sharing your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Arijana , This energetic approach "to see what gets them going," is likely to reveal some useful information. Have you gathered any data that may be of value to the participants of this forum? Thank you for your contributions. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Joe, Your statements bear out the findings of the May 2009 published meta-analysis from the Department of Education indicating individualization of instructional components for each student in the online environment provided some of the most significant findings of positive effect over a ten-year period of research conducted to identify best practices in online instruction. I believe the policy for online course load is a wise endeavor and I expect the positive benefit is significant and measurable. Thank you for sharing these guidelines. I'm sure they will be helpful to many in this forum. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Arijana , This is a fantastic level of service. Most online instructors are adjunct and have other full-time jobs. Some of these positions would not permit this type of access. However, since your circumstances (even though I'm sure you're as busy as most other adjuncts) provides opportunity to engage in this frequency of contact, this is a great service to your students. Nice going. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Joe, This is a terrific approach. The amount of reflective thinking and interactivity would be excellent foundational components for establishing teacher-student ratio in classes. Thank you for your astute insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Arijana , This is an excellent recipe for success. Your approach allowing students to understand their success is a major component of your success let them know you are "on their side." Nicely done. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
William, you make a very good point. Providing students with the understanding that terms like normal and abnormal are fully dependent on the context. Thank you for sharing your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

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