Meet Our Faculty: Kenneth Jackson, DM Organizational Leadership
February 16, 2021 2:20pm
What made you want to become an online instructor at SC?
One of the main things that gave me the drive to be an online instructor is my passion for teaching and the convenience online teaching provides. I’ve been in a teaching role early in my life since my firstborn arrived. It has been and still is a thrill to teach my kids. I carry that same drive and determination over to online teaching and it fulfills my desire to help students achieve their academic goals and aspirations.
How do you think your own professional experiences make you an effective online instructor?
I truly believe I have an extensive professional background that is so diverse it allows be to bring my experiences into the classroom. I retired from the military with 20 plus years and worked for a manufacturing organization for 11 years. Now I work in the public sector and all those experiences help me shape the way I instruct by providing all my personal experiences to my online learners so they can get an up close look at the world today.
What is one misconception about earning an online degree that you hear often and what to do you say in response to correct it?
One of the misconceptions about earning a degree online that I hear often is people not being disciplined enough to do online classes. Many people are so used to face-to-face learning and they look at online schooling as being too difficult to manage. What I say is it just takes discipline and determination to earn your degree strictly online. What I always say is if you took one step forward to getting your degree online, that is half the battle because your determination is already there. All it takes is setting up a weekly schedule where you can balance out your personal, professional, and educational goals in a way that is attainable for the individual.
How do you help your online learners who might be struggling with their coursework?
One of the things I do is stay in constant communication with that learner to offer them my advice or assistance with anything. There are times when learners are struggling because they have never taken an online class before, or they may be going through a personal or professional situation that is inhibiting their ability to complete coursework. I just take the time out to understand their situation and try to help them get through that situation. If I cannot help them, I always have resources I can use through the school that is sure to help.
What advice would you give to someone who is concerned about establishing connections and networking in an online environment?
I think the school provides great ways to connect and network between leaners. One piece of advice I would give someone who is concerned about establishing connections and networking in an online environment is telling them there are so many ways to connect online. There are many times when I am instructing a class that has group projects, networking is formed through teams that are assigned. I have taught classes where I see online learners coming back to work together from previous classes where they formed a bond or friendship due to being in a group setting together. So, I believe group assignments are a perfect way to connect with one another.
How do you stay connected with your learners in the online classroom setting?
There are so many ways I stay connected with my online learners. One way I stay connected is through discussion engagement. In these threads I can engage with most of the class and offer my personal and professional experiences to help them understand how the world is today or how things previously used to operate. Another way I stay connected to my learners is by doing mid-week Zoom announcements. I always think it is important for learners to have this personal feel of seeing the instructor and not just reading announcements all the time. I also stay connected by doing at least one “live” direct instruction so there is a face-to-face feel and learners get to see me up close and personal.
How do you feel SCPS stands out from other online colleges?
SCPS stands out from other online colleges because they put their learners first and their main priority and objective is offering a great online experience to their learners. SCPS takes pride in always trying to change the way they do business because they are always keeping the students first. I have seen many institutions that do not put their students first, because they are so money driven that they forget about the students’ needs. I have never seen this with SCPS. I see their drive keeping the learners first and I admire that.