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

Yes, Peggy. The implementation of new instructional technology is significantly helping educators in many classrooms (virtual and f2f) to improve the learning experience. Another area where technology is helping instructors is in the assessment of their effectiveness. Emerging technologies monitor instructors' activities, collect data and provide feedback to analyze teachers' different techniques and activities to identify areas of possible improvement.

Feedback to instructors is as important as feedback to students. The feedback for instructors’ performance should be immediate, specific, positive and identify a plan for improvement. Providing this in a timely and concise manner is a primary goal as new monitoring technologies become available within… >>>

Josh, Best wishes on your startup. You are wise to put this effort into your faculty onboarding. Their buyin to the institution's mission is a critical component for the school's success. Dr. S, David Vaillancourt
Ash, Excellent discussion of several diverse perspectives. Thank you for your contribution. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Joshua, Very good. I am glad to know when folks are able to make a practical application of the course material. Thank you. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Renee, Your prioritization and rationale are presented well and make a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Renee, Your observations are rightly expressed. In this respect, online faculty need to be directed and supported like all professionals. Good post. Thanks. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Joshua, The curricular benefits are often a substantial. Excellent point. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Renee, Yes, well stated. The positives and negatives you identified are insightful considerations. Thank you for your contribution. Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
How might a specific number of required actions per week (e.g., number of posts in a discussion forum, expected number of hours in the LMS, required number of emails to students, required number of phone calls, etc.) possibly not be an appropriate measure from one course to another, or even from one week to another week within the same course in order to determine instructional quality?
Discuss why focusing on predictive indicators of positive outcomes is much more likely to provide insights for improvement of online instruction than using lagging indicators that focus on negative results. (Predictive indicators - data demonstrated though regression analysis indicating activities to be accomplished (by individual students) to contribute to higher student performance. Lagging indicators - data demonstrated through correlations to possibly have contributed to documented lower student performance.)

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