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| Cathy at 4 years old, when her love of history began. |
Catherine Locks is a history instructor and instructional
technologist/designer from Richmond, Virginia.
She teaches history at Fort Valley State University. Her areas
of interest include pre-history, ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Rome, medieval
English history, and colonial American history, particularly of the
mid-Atlantic region.
Why did you choose your field?
I’ve always been fascinated with history ever since getting
into my Mom’s encyclopedias back when I was about 4 years old.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A veterinarian. But when I was in high school I suddenly became very squeamish, so that career was out.
Why did you choose teaching?
I fell into it through eCore. I have been involved in an indirect way with eCore since the late 1990’s when I was a grad assistant to one of the designers of the original history courses. Then I worked in an office at Georgia College that supported Blackboard, which led to a desire to teach. I wanted to experience what our faculty and students were seeing online. The experience was wonderful and I’ve been teaching online and face-to-face ever since.
What is the secret to a happy life?
Being able to let go of things.I fell into it through eCore. I have been involved in an indirect way with eCore since the late 1990’s when I was a grad assistant to one of the designers of the original history courses. Then I worked in an office at Georgia College that supported Blackboard, which led to a desire to teach. I wanted to experience what our faculty and students were seeing online. The experience was wonderful and I’ve been teaching online and face-to-face ever since.
What is the secret to a happy life?
Who’s had the greatest influence on your life and why?
How would you describe yourself?
A nerd, a geek, a soft touch for my students – one just came
and took a Pepsi…
If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be and
why?
Today it would be Putin, I would love to talk to him and
hear his views on the Ukraine. Most days its Pope Benedict XVI, I would like to
have a theology lesson from him.
What’s a secret ambition of yours?
Who in your life would you like to thank and for what?
My parents for never trying to force me into a particular
field.
What do you think is the most important lesson you’ve
learned in your life?
Patience – I need more patience, and am patiently waiting
for it.
How would you like to be remembered?
As someone who cared.
What is one thing that you absolutely could not live without?
Books of course! No seriously, I can live without most
things, but I would be miserable without family and pets and always having a
question to answer.
How would you describe yourself as a child?
Curious. I was always taking things apart to see how they
worked and putting them back together again, and reading and observing – and I was
also terribly shy!
Who is your hero and why?
Oh I have too many – really anyone who sticks to their
convictions and helps others is a hero to me. I admire our men and women in the
Armed Forces, law enforcement, emergency services – they put their lives on the
line for us, what’s not to admire? |
| Cathy Locks describes herself as "a nerd, a geek, a soft touch for my students." |
In a face-to-face class, I can see my students and tell when they are not really grasping the material and I can correct it on the spot. With online I have to wait until either the student tells me they are confused or until they demonstrate it in our discussions.
Online courses put a greater burden on the student to go
over the material themselves. In face-to-face, the burden is on me to present
the materials and engage the students. In both cases, I have to be able to
explain the materials in a way that helps the students understand them, so in
online courses I have to really read what the students post carefully. Some
will say that they don’t understand something. Others have no idea they are
confused and need help, and sometimes I have a student who is completely
confused by the material, has no idea they are confused and then they attempt
to correct the other students who have actually gotten it right! So for my
online courses I check in every day, 7 days a week to try to catch problems as
soon as possible.
How do you think education changes lives?
It opens minds to possibilities they have never imagined. In HIST1111 for example, we discuss Hinduism and Buddhism. For most of my students this is the first time they have ever looked at a religion outside of Christianity. Typically, they are amazed not only by what they learn, but by the realization of how much they did not know before – they are awakened to the need to know more about the world around them.
How do you think education changes lives?
It opens minds to possibilities they have never imagined. In HIST1111 for example, we discuss Hinduism and Buddhism. For most of my students this is the first time they have ever looked at a religion outside of Christianity. Typically, they are amazed not only by what they learn, but by the realization of how much they did not know before – they are awakened to the need to know more about the world around them.
What do you still want to accomplish?
I want to write more. I want to create history resources that are accessible and understandable for everyone, for example, short youtube videos.
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