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

Justine, Agreed, and all good points. Like the 'hands-on' item, the f2f has some fairly easy to identify advantages over online. Do you find any pedagogical advantages inherent in today's mainstream online instructional environment? Thank you for your contribution. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Phillip, Excellent point - slow and steady wins the race - consistency, frequency and dependability are foundational for success in online classes, and most other worthwhile pursuits. The 'every once in a while' student is at a substantial disadvantage for obtaining the value of the class. Thanks for the insight. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Jerry, "It takes a village" approach provides a great deal more opportunity to return the learner to the educational fountain. I agree with you that teamwork should be part of all institutions' strategies to help their students successfully complete the programs in which they enrolled. Good post - thanks. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Jerry, There are many on both sides of this topic. Case in point - my 16 year old daughter has known the Internet all her life, yet loves to spend Saturday afternoons at the library. I wonder how "traditional" the traditional classroom will be in two generations. Do you think the classroom will may be a gathering place similar to a cybercafe with specialized high-tech learning centers? Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Jerry, The non-verbal communications are, indeed, an overwhelmingly significant advantage of the f2f instructional setting. Excellent point. Do you find any individual components of online classrooms that may actually have a pedagogical advantage over f2f? Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hello Amir, You are in good company with this perspective. The student-centered approach with as much individualization for each student as possible has been well documented in research to provide significant advantage toward student success. The U.S. Dept of Ed published a meta-analysis of ten years of empirically-based research that strongly evidenced this finding. This includes the implementation of a facilitator-led orientation so the student may gain mastery of the learning environment before attempting credit courses. Do you have specific communication channels (texting, phone, email, etc.) that you prefer for the one-to-one dialogue? Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hi Louis, I agree on all counts, but today's society seems to demand differently - at least in my experience. Do you find the same thing in your experience? Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Phillip, I staunchly agree that persistence is a fundamental component to success in many of life's undertakings. Please expound on your successes and share the different avenues to which you refer. I am sorry to say that I have found student situations where I had to "give up" because repeated phone calls, texting, emails, twitter and facebook outreaches didn't get the student to respond. What has been your approach in thse situations. Thank you for sharing your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Phillip, I staunchly agree that persistence is a fundamental component to success in many of life's undertakings. Please expound on your successes and share the different avenues to which you refer. I am sorry to say that I have found student situations where I had to "give up" because repeated phone calls, texting, emails, twitter and facebook outreaches didn't get the student to respond. What has been your approach in thse situations. Thank you for sharing your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Hi Louis, Excellent! Keep up the great work. Thank you for sharing your insights. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

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