Planet eCampus

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...

Hello, I am Dr. Farooq Khan and I am the Professor of Chemistry, and Interim Dean, College of Science and Mathematics at the University of West Georgia. There are several major differences in face-to-face and online classes.   In a face-to-face class, there are students who rarely speak up.   In eCore classes, discussions are required, so that there is no “quiet” student.   Second, in a face-to-face class, I inject quite a bit of humor.   I would have to work hard at writing humorous lines for eCore courses while ensuring that I am not taken out of context.   As a result, I am a very solemn eCore instructor.   Finally, in eCore Chemistry, I find that ideas that can be expressed very simply in a face-to-face environment (simple figures, formulae, equations, etc.), take a lot more ingenuity.   One of the things I do differently using eCore than my face-to-face class is that I am more serious. Secondly, I try to be very car...

Dr. Jack Waskey is a favorite of eCore students because of his incredible depth of knowledge and research, dry wit, and no-nonsense approach to helping students succeed. Q. What do you teach? I am a Professor of Social Science at Dalton State, where I teach American government, Introduction to Philosophy, Logic, and World Religions. My other job is writing professionally, usually for encyclopedias. I have retired recently from my ministry job as pastor of a Presbyterian church. I am now Pastor Emeritus, but do preach or engage in other ministry from time to time. Q. What do you see as the differences in teaching face-to-face classes and online? Surprisingly what may be the biggest difference for me is that online students seem to “talk” more than students do in class. I get to know them better. So we share more about government and other matters as they arise. It is also easier to give students personal attention to their writing and discussions than it is in a face-to-face c...

What is your occupation? Full time student and also work part time.  What is your college major?      Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Public Administration. How did you come about choosing this major?   I was looking for something that I enjoyed doing and wanted to change majors.  What career path do you want to take upon graduation?   Where ever the Lord sends my fiancé and I for him to go to dental school (he will be my husband by this point), is where I’ll look for a job. I’m hoping to work for a great organization using my degree.  Why eMajor?   Online classes work best for me. You are in control of when you do you work, but also know that you have to be organized and disciplined to do your work and get it turned in on time. Who is the biggest inspiration for your education?   My parents are my biggest inspiration. They told me when I was little,” the sky's the limit.” I have had that...

This is an easy and delicious project. You'll need an eCore or other very cool mug, 16-20 donut holes, styrofoam, lollipop sticks, a few green and brown candy melts, and chocolate coffee stirrers or similar. We whipped this one up in about 15 minutes. You could make a really stunning one in about 30 minutes. 1. Cut a piece of styrofoam to fit your cup. 2. Put some chocolate-covered coffee beans (or other chocolate) on top of the styrofoam. 3. Melt some green and brown candy discs in a microwave oven. 4. Pipe the melted candy on top of some of the donut holes. 5. Put lollipop sticks into the donut holes, and arrange them in the styrofoam. You may want to cut some of the sticks into shorter lengths. 6. Tie a big green bow around the arrangement. You can also add some chocolate stirring sticks (may need to use toothpicks to connect them).

Time to Recharge -   Most of us are already pining for the days of the long holiday break to sleep late, gorge ourselves on sweet treats and cheese ball, spend hours in front of the television watching reruns of King of Queens or perhaps head to the movies.   No doubt, we are in need of rest and relaxation and enjoying time with our families.   It is important to clear your mind of algebraic equations, sociological theory, or the Georgia constitution, and fill your head with dancing sugar plums for a while! I want to suggest that during the many days away from school and the computer that you keep yourself motivated so that you can return in January with tenacity and a fresh perspective.  Here are a few tips while recharging over the break. Keep reading .    Finding things you love to read over the break will keep your mind stimulated and your vocabulary sharp. (Please don’t rely on Facebook for ALL of you intellectual perusing J ).   Maintain “to-do...

1. What is your occupation? Medical Billing Specialist 2. What is your college major? Office Administration and Technology 3. How did you come about choosing this major? I work full time, and it was becoming very hard to make sure my school schedule fit with my work hours. I needed to be able to take classes online. I talked with a few people who recommended the degree program and I changed my major. It has been very helpful with my work schedule. 4. What career path do you want to take upon graduation? I really enjoy medical billing. I've changed jobs a few times in the past year, but I went right back to my old employer with the same position. I enjoy my job, and would like to further progress in the position and possibly earn the title "billing manager". 5. Why eMajor? The online courses are perfect with my work schedule. My job requires that I be available for our patients during the hours we are open. If they have billing inquiries, I need to be ther...