January 2007

Humor: Getting a Handle on What’s Appropriate
The contribution that humor makes to learning is well established in research. It is not that humor causes learning; rather, it helps to create conditions conducive to learning. It helps learners relax, alleviates stress, and often makes it easier for students and teachers to connect personally. The presence of humor in a classroom can be very beneficial.

Different Perspectives on Distance Education: Faculty vs. Administrator
There’s no question that faculty and administrators have different perspectives on distance education, but there has been little research on the ways in which these differences play out. To better understand the interactions between these groups, Claudine Keenan, a doctoral student in the University of Massachusetts higher education leadership program and executive assistant to the provost at Richard Stockton State College in New Jersey, compared the language used by faculty and administrators at three institutions that had recently launched or planned to launch complete (degree or certificate) online programs.

5 Ways to Build Community in an Online Course
Wayne Hall has high expectations for his online students. He tells them that he expects them to be in the course three or four times per week and to not go more than three days without logging on. “I do this because I want to keep this course on their front burner,” says Hall, a psychology professor at San Jacinto College in Texas.

Take the poll!
Last month's question was, "Do you have a tenure system at your institution? Have there been efforts to change the tenure system at your institution? If so, what changes have been suggested or implemented?" See the results and take this month's poll.