The Lasallian Way Online Christian Brothers University - Center for Digital Instruction

Delve into the transformative impact of community with Dr. Craig Shepherd and CBU’s Center for Digital Instruction. Explore the profound influence it holds for both students and ourselves, going beyond simple physical presence.

Dr. Shepherd shares invaluable insights on cultivating a stronger sense of community, breaking free from traditional classroom boundaries. This episode highlights reciprocity, shared experiences, and common goals that shape a brighter, more connected future.

Join CDI and Joseph Preston, Vice President of Mission & Identity at CBU, for a discussion exploring the Lasallian tradition. Discover how the Lasallian star, symbolizing interwoven Lasallian principles, guides the pursuit of an inclusive, accessible, and holistic approach to education. We will examine how these values shape our institution's character and commitment to education for all.

Join the CDI team as they gather and record in the same room for the very first time! In this brief exploration of the wild, wild west of online courses, the team discusses the development of assessments for high-quality courses at Christian Brothers University. Topics include the evolution of Online Faculty Training, details of Online Course Design, and pioneering the Online Course First Day Readiness check.

Dr. Jacqueline Stephen, Instructional Designer and Director of the Office of Distance Learning at Mercer University in Atlanta, joins the CDI team to discuss her research on high impact practices for teaching online. Dr. Stephen’s research examines critical topics in today’s global educational climate, including undergraduate and graduate online learner persistence, instructional design, effective practices for online educators, and virtual peer mentoring for racial and ethnic minority women in STEM.

Walk-in tutoring services and writing centers are invaluable staples of many colleges. When a student is learning fully online or even for commuter students, however, these critical services may be out of reach. In this episode of The Lasallian Way Online, we talk with Christian Brothers University professor, Dr. Clayann Panetta, the Director of CBU's Writing and Communication Corner. Dr. Panetta shares why she made this service available online even before the pandemic, and how providing multiple modalities for students to receive help is critical to CBU's Lasallian mission.

Course design directly influences student perceptions and satisfaction in any course mode. Transactional Distance Theory encourages course designers and instructors to build learner interactions using dialogue, autonomy, and course structure to support learner needs and preferences.

In this episode of the Lasallian Way Online, the CDI team talks with their own Dr. Shontale M. Bryant about current research and her recently published dissertation titled “Perceptions of Transactional Distance from Black Males in Asynchronous Online Math Courses.”