In touch - Saint Joseph's College of Maine

W H E N Y O U ’ R E N O T I N A C L A S S R O O M
Because online students don’t see their instructor or fellow
students face-to-face, teaching with a personal touch can help
them feel connected and part of a “classroom community.”
Ann Cohen, who teaches Educational Leadership in
the Master in Education program, sends out personalized
welcome letters to new students. She deliberately uses a
conversational tone and invites them to ask questions.
Throughout the course as she responds to their homework,
she also tries to call them weekly, shares her own teaching
and leadership experiences in e-mails, posts favorite quotes,
poetry and book recommendations, and even sends online
greeting cards with encouraging messages. This is in addition
to weekly online chat sessions and responding in a timely
manner to their assignments.
T
eaching online posed an intriguing challenge for John
Munroe, a theology professor.
“I had no idea how to even turn on a computer,” he
says laughing. “But the St. Joe’s technology people were
very gracious and taught me everything.”
Munroe’s meticulous nature made him a natural for
distance education.
“What makes John successful is the detail in which
he works,” says David Dziena, a 2005 graduate with a
master’s in pastoral theology. “He describes in detail what
he likes about your work, and when you need improvement,
he is very encouraging. He puts everything into a
positive light.”
A self-described easy-going sort, Munroe strives to be
open with his students and share with them his 73 years
of life experiences.
Laurie Spaltro, a project coordinator for course design at
Saint Joseph’s who earned her degree online, says students
are very relieved to get support. “Promptness and willingness
to respond really lessens that isolated feeling,” she says.
Spaltro says Barbara Plungis manages to infuse her personality
into e-mails through simply using a smile icon or adding
audio pieces so that students can hear the inflections in her
voice. Plungis and the other professors highlighted in the adjacent
article have been course designers, which Spaltro says
leads to a deep understanding of what students need to be engaged.
“They bring that into the online classroom,” she says.
Overall, Cohen says she tries to be both professional
and personal, using a reassuring tone and developing a
connection with her students. “I try to be human … all the
while showing each student that I care.”
“There must be a relationship established for learning
to take place,” Munroe explains. “Students get a lot of help
by learning my life story in bits and pieces. I’m not smarter
than them; I’ve just been around longer.”
“There must be a relationship
established for learning to take place.”
– John Munroe,
online theology professor
That personal approach to learning attracted Dziena
to several of Munroe’s classes.
“He brings the material to life by making it personal,”
Dziena says. “He takes a mentoring approach that really
breaks down the guard of the typical professor/student
relationship.”
Another recent alumna, Marian O’Brien ’09, found
a kindred soul in Munroe’s attention to detail. “His
knowledge of the subject matter is fantastic, and he will
do anything to make your learning experience as fulfilling
as possible,” she says.
John Munroe takes a mentoring
approach when it comes to teaching
his distance students. “That really
breaks down the guard of the
typical professor/student
relationship,” one of his
students says
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