Skip to main content

eMajor's Dr Whisler Brings Fun and Passion to Online Teaching

As an Associate Professor in the Adult & Career Education Department in the College of Education at Valdosta State University, Dr. Whisler teaches on-campus and online undergraduate and graduate VSU courses, as well as eMajor classes.

In addition to teaching eMajor classes, Dr. Whisler is the Associate Professor & OAT-OBC Advisor in the Adult & Career Education Department in the College of Education at Valdosta State University.

Teaching through eMajor has made her a better face-to-face teacher because of her online teaching experience. "Teaching online has taught me the importance of pre-planning and communicating instructions clearly," Dr. Whisler says.

"Interacting with online students needs to be a priority for online instructors, and it presents unique challenges", she says. Some online students call her, and those on campus stop by her office - but most communication occurs through email and discussion forums.  Dr. Whisler tries to communicate clearly to the entire class through announcements and assignment instructions. She also provide a CyberCafe where students can post questions so that the whole class can benefit from seeing them and the responses. When students do have questions, she makes it a point to respond to them the same day, if possible.

Dr. Whisler says students need connections with other students, so so she uses Wimba in most of her online classes as a place for them to meet in small groups. "They are usually a little apprehensive at first, but quickly become 'hooked'," she reports. Online learning provides convenience not only for students, but also faculty.

Whisler loves giraffes, travel, and nature. Something interesting about Whisler is that she learned she was expecting her second child (who is now 27) during an 800-mile bicycle trip (Ragbrai) across the state of Iowa. She rode an average of 100 miles a day, in 100+ degree temperatures, and slept on the ground (in tents) at night.

Learn more about eMajor's elite instructors and programs at emajor.usg.edu.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3 Things to Consider Before Taking an Online Class While Overseas

Online Learning allows students the flexibility of continuing their educational journey from anywhere in the world. Online classes are an excellent option for students who are studying abroad for the semester, military members and families who are stationed overseas, or even those who want to take classes while traveling for pleasure. While online classes can usually be accessed from anywhere with a reliable internet connection, there are some things to consider before registering for class if you intend to complete the course while located outside of the U.S.  Availability of a Reliable Internet Connection To access most online classes, students must have a reliable internet connection. This may be a challenge in some areas of the world due to various issues such as local network instability, outages, firewalls, or restrictive local internet policies. Before registering for an online class, research the internet accessibility situation in the area in whi...
23 comments
Read more

University System of Georgia eCampus Offers Free Online Courses

Students can now take more than a dozen online non-credit college courses at no charge. While most students who take FreeCampus courses already attend USG colleges and universities, the courses are open to anyone. These self-paced courses are also asynchronous with traditional graded assessments. After successfully completing a course online, a student can receive a certificate for earning a grade of 75 percent or higher. There is no penalty for not completing a course. With a focus on courses that are sometimes a barrier to college completion, the USG FreeCampus program allows students to better prepare themselves for credit-bearing courses. For example, a dual-enrolled high school student can take an English composition course to hone his or her writing skills before taking the for-credit version at a College or University. An adult learner who is returning to college after years away can brush up on math, increasing both confidence and future academic performance. USG eCampus also ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spring Semester: Overcoming the January Blues

Spring semester often presents with the excitement of New Year’s Resolutions, new classes and the knowledge that spring break is just a few weeks away. However, it also brings a sense of sadness for many students as December holiday activities have concluded and the days are short. For online students, these feelings of general sadness can be even more pronounced if the student is isolated. Fewer people are outdoors during the cold days of winter and social activities have likely slowed down. Following are a few tips for feeling your best as the semester unfolds. Know that you aren’t alone. The January Blues and the February Slump are well recognized. If you have these feelings, embrace them and understand that occasional blues are normal. Get outdoors . As an online student, it’s very important that you are intentional about spending time in the sunlight. Some believe that the January blues are caused in part by the lack of sunlight (as compared to summer months). Take time for daily...
Post a Comment
Read more