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

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

Carol, thanks for sharing and I love to hear from those that love their work. Can you provide some more information as to your experience with watching your students grow and share your love for respiratory therapy? How have you noticed the intrinsic and extrinsic motivators of your students and how might they have changed over time? Thanks for any additional information you can provide.

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Self-Doubt

Michael you are so correct. Great faculty members really separate themselves from the pack of just ordinary instructors when they can identify the unique needs of different students. Someone who has been away from formal education for a long period of time is going to require a different set of techniques to motivate and build their self-confidence. Those instructors that feel such things are not their responsibility have really lost what it means to be a caring and understanding instructor. No one is saying take it easy on this group of student. We are saying however to understand their unique… >>>

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Traits of Successful Instructors

William, you have really hit the nail on the head with your post. How we as faculty model behavior has more of an impact on student success than instructional design or institutional policy could ever have. A poorly designed course can still have positive outcomes and on the flip side, the best designed course can fail as a result of what role an instructor plays. I myself have four children and what drives me in my teaching is I always imagine one of my children could in my classroom someday and I ask myself how would I teach differently. The… >>>

James Jackson

Blog Comment

The Role of Admissions in Student Retention

Strategic Enrollment Management is all about the student outcomes. The Admissions Department is just as responsible for student retention as anyone in academics, financial aid, career services or administration. Everyone within the institution needs to understand their role towards student outcomes if the institution is to have a true impact on student retention and eventual graduation.

James Jackson

Blog Comment

Pitfalls When Developing Rubrics

What role if any should rubrics play in evaluating institutional effectiveness? This goes beyond the traditional use of rubrics as a platform to standardize grading across a curriculum but interested in how else rubrics can be used to enhance the academic efforts of an institution. Thanks for any feedback you can provide.

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Classroom Discipline

Erica thanks so much for sharing and what an experience. I have been incredibly fortunate in my career to have never been involved in such an altercation. I do know these things happen and this is why it is critical to think ahead and know what you would do if ever involved in such a situation. Having a scenario in your mind can be the difference between handling the situation safely or having the situation escalate out of control. The lesson learned from what you have provided is know your environment as best you can and always separate those involved… >>>

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Small Groups

Shannon you share a very interesting and sometimes complex issue when working with groups. Thanks for sharing your solution and providing how the activity ended on a positive. Another suggestion is to provide the kind of group activities whenever possible that allows each group member to take a lead on some aspect of the overall project. You could even incorporate a grading rubric that allows each member of the group to rate the leadership qualities of the others in an anonymous fashion and then do some group discussions about the pros and cons of leading in such situations. Regards, James

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Improving Classroom Management

Shannon, what you describe is very similar to the technique called scaffolding. By providing a formal and tangible structure for your students of all intelligence levels to follow, you provide them a roadmap of sorts to reach their educational goals. Great use of mental imagery as well in that by allowing them to focus on something as simple as how many ways to tie a shoe lace, they can mind trip of sorts about how other concepts can be handled in multiple ways. Greatly appreciate you sharing and demonstrating the success you are having being so progressive in your teaching… >>>

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Traits of Successful Instructors

Shannon, very well stated. There are several studies that would agree with your statement concerning the importance of students feeling part of the educational process and taking ownership of their own learning. The works of Vincent Tinto in the 1970â€™s and 80â€™s as well as the results of the studies conducted by the National Research Council and the Committee on Learning Research and Educational Practice in the late 1990â€™s all provide affirmation that students that feel connected to their education get the most out of their educational experience. Regards, James

James Jackson

Discussion Comment

Classroom Discipline

Outstanding example Shannon and thanks for sharing. Your statement affirms the reality that most of the time students are not even aware they are being disruptive. By engaging in a safe and unthreading conversation, you were able to bring awareness to the student and enhance the learning environment of your classroom. Definitely a skill we can all benefit from and practice to become better â€“ effective and efficient communication. Regards, James

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