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

Rebecca, You are so right. Clear, definitive expectations are a fundamental component for successful student. Sometimes the fundamental basics get lost in the 'creative' endeavors to enhance the learning environment. Very good point. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Deborah, When yoou can get them to slow down and do that, it can pay some significant dividends for them. Good points. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Deborah, That is a good point. Using reflective thinking in a metacognitive approach could provide some significant benefits. Good thoughts - thanks. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Carol, Good question. Thank you for asking. I am probably more conservative than most, but the risk to benefit doesn't work for me. Only a couple of times have I seen it start to 'run wild.' Praising in the open forum is almost always great, but the possibility of providing too much validation to the challenges sometimes brings an attitude (out of the group) that the class requirements should be changed instead and diverts the conversation. Just my two cents... ;-] Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Deborah, Yes, the drive and discipline to do this is sometimes lacking. The instructor's encouragement and facilitation can help many persevere in those efforts, who may not otherwise. Thank you for contributing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Carol, Very good - keep bringing all activities back to accomplishing the instructional objectives. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Carol, This is terrific. I have a similar approach (provide rubric, same format of response for each student, minus the "amazing" component), but I believe I will be adopting that from your format for all of my students. Very nice. Thank you for sharing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Stephanie, Very good. All correction needs to be done out of the public arena. However, I would recommend e-mail within the LMS or hosted by the institution. Sometimes students may not remember the discussion the same way you do. Therefore, an accessible record needs to be available to validate the content of the discussion in case a dispute arises after the fact. Very good approach. Thank you for sharing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Stephanie, Yes, as long as instructor's posts do not overrun the students' postings. Additionally, asking carefully constructed questions to encourage collaboration among students and deeper investigation into the content is a worthwhile effort. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Stephanie, Yes, knowing who your students are and the perspectives from which they come can be very helpful for "meeting the learner where they are." Dr. S. David Vaillancourt

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