James Jackson

Location: chicago, il

About me

James is the Senior Associate at JAJ & Associates, Adjunct Faculty and eLearning Consultant at MaxKnowledge and member of the Board of Advisors of Dream Catchers Global. James was the Associate Provost of Faculty Development, President of the Online Division at Harrison College and the Director for the Center of Technology Resources for Indiana Business College. Because of his extensive background in technology and his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for assisting aspiring business owners, James has provided his leadership/project management skills in many start-up operations mentoring dozens of young leaders over his career. All providing great growth opportunities for his stakeholders.

James has developed more than 50 courses and dozens of programs in the areas of technology, business, progress management and general education. James has been an instructor for more than 15 years during which time he provided training to over 500 trainers and more than 5000 students. His academic background includes a Masters of Education in Occupational Training and Development and is currently working on his doctoral dissertation in Higher Education Administration emphasis on Strategic Enrollment Management. James enjoys working with students and assisting them through complex concepts which he is able to turn into easy to understand and usable skills.

A full profile of my professional career is available on LinkedIn:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesajacksonjr

Connect with me on LinkedIn and here in the Lounge.

Interests

my family, golf, tennis, swimming, and participating in youth sports.

Skills

faculty development, elearning, program and curriculum development, project management, business analysis and technology integration

Activity

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Self-Doubt

Linda, you mention a critical issue in teaching with respect to students not reaching out for help until they are deep into problems. This is why it is so vital to build early relationships with your students and create as many instances as possible early in the course to gauge their understanding of the materials. Regards, James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Self-Doubt

Stephanie, what a fantastic post and incredibly motivating. I hope everyone in this discussion thread reads this and gains some insight from your words. We as humans tend to become more like the things we think about so a positive person tends to have positive things happen to them while those with negative thoughts tend to have negative things happen. By being that model of positive behavior, you provide great leadership for your students and become a mentor of sorts. Most people I know can think of someone in their lives that motivated them to great accomplishments and the one… >>>

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Self-Doubt

John, very well stated. It is all about building a bridge to understanding and eventually learning. If your students feel it is OK to fail and feel secure in your environment they will then begin to remove the self-doubt and come to a self awareness that is very exciting to watch as an instructor. Regards, James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Fear Factor with Tests

Karen, I like the approach of ensuring your students are comfortable with the materials. That shows great insight into preparing them for success. What are you doing in addition to this step to ensure the students are taking away the proper learning outcomes? Do you in any way review their success in future courses where the information you are providing to them is required? Your methodology would make for a great study and could provide great feedback for others to review. Regards, James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Traits of Successful Instructors

Maria, it is always best to lead by example. By demonstrating the behaviors you want your students to follow, you provide a direct and constant model for them to follow. Regards, James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Traits of Successful Instructors

Maria, I like your comment on changing up of style according to the dynamic of your student group. Each group of students will bring different challenges and it does not matter if you have taught for 3 years or 30, the dynamics always change. Regards, James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Traits of Successful Instructors

Joanne, can you share some of the techniques you have used in the past to make a lesson fun? I am sure others can gain from your experience and ideas. Regards, James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Traits of Successful Instructors

Marivic, you bring forward a very important topic. There is a difference between an instructor and an educator. An instructor performs the functions of a job, an educator is fulfilling an internal need to share their knowledge with others. It is similar to the difference between intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation. This concept stirs a great deal of debate within the academic community but after working with thousands of individuals over a 20 year career, I can say without hesitation the difference between an extrinsically motivated instructor and an intrinsically motivated educator is noticeable and significant with respect to achieving learning… >>>

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Improving Classroom Management

Laurel, great post. Setting the stage day one of a new group of students is really key to a successful class. It is also a great resource for later then you can remind some of the students of what was covered on the first day. Really makes it easier to have them recall the rules when they may tend to "forget" from time to time. Regards, James Jackson

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Traits of Successful Instructors

Ernida, great points here. Can you share some of your own experiences where you had to work to accomplish any of the traits you have mentioned? I am interested in your experiences that other instructors can read and takeaway some insight and action items. Regards, James Jackson

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