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

Joseph, Your experience is similar to almost all other teachers moving from face-to-face to online. The question, "How can you accommodate the void left in the online classroom, by not having a nonverbal cues once available in the face-to-face classroom?" Most teachers have found that many approaches are required to replace this vital communication lack. Using probing questions, seems to be one of the most helpful tools along with monitoring the posts and test grades. Have you had any specific experience/success with the questioning technique? Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hello Adam, Your point is well taken. The content of the course (level of subjectivity, technical difficulty level, etc.) can be a contributing factor to the optimal size of an online class. Additionally, the learners'skill level with the online environment plays a role in determining the optimal ratio. Very good points. Thank you for your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Christina, Your "daily" approach definitely the learner with the knowledge that the instructor is engaged. Timely feedback, engage instructor is a prime motivator for students to participate. Very nice. Thank you for your contribution Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hello Joseph, Well stated, especially about the students "opportunity to choose a course that fits their needs." Thank you for your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Ginny, I really like your in–depth, student–involving, approach. Working with an audience consisting primarily of adult learners this open model provides many opportunities and advantages. Very nice work. Thank you for sharing your valuable insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Sandra, My experience is similar with the availability of student assigned advisors and electronic forms/e-mails to request assistance and provide information on out reach efforts to date. I too look forward to the audiovisual e-mail which will allow concern, urgency and affective components of the outreach to be greatly enhanced. You are absolutely right that knowing your resources, and using them, is key. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Kimberly, The fulfillment of these same responsibilities may require differing amounts of effort depending on the delivery platform. Yes, I agree the ultimate responsibilities are the same. Thank you for your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Kimberly, Those are all good follow-ups, and in many cases do the trick. Thank you for your contribution. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Kimberly, I understand, as I type this text, exactly which you mean. And I agree wholeheartedly. However, if online classes were communicating asynchronously through audiovisual files where body language, voice inflection and other "human" communications are shared, would that be close enough to cause people to embrace the advantages of distance education and abandon the traditional classroom? Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Sandra, Your explanation of the online environment is a very good description of the current status with current technology, policies and procedures. I agree with your statement about the socialization within the educational environment. As many social constructivists would purport, social engagement is a strong component of learning. However, with so much on the Internet (Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, etc.) changing the way people socialize through video and audio at a distance, could eventual technology improvements someday evolve distance instruction and socialization to replace the traditional classroom? Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

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