I've been teaching online since 1997 when a chemistry teacher and I developed the first online course at Albuquerque TVI (now CNM). We developed Legal Terminology for Court Reporters before course management systems like WebCT existed. In those days, when we would tell people that we used brute force to create the course, and they would ask where they could buy that, too!
I have taught a variety of subjects at a distance since then. One especially interesting experience has been my teaching ESL classes to people in Mainland China, Taiwan, and Singapore, using mics and headsets. This teaching experience increased my interest in the cultural aspects of online learning.
I've always been interested in peer interaction in online learning. That was the topic of my dissertation-- The Effects of Peer Interaction on Learning Outcomes in Computer-mediated Conferencing.
I have become increasingly curious about the uses and benefits of synchronous and asynchronous communication in online learning. I believe we need both communication tools to engage the full learning cycle as described by Dewey and Kolb. I am also interested in the different processes engaged when reading versus writing versus speaking versus hearing.
I look to my students as online learning advocates who will explore emerging technologies and pedagogies and continue to improve distance education. Distance education serves many learners worldwide; sometimes it is the only opportunity learners have to accomplish their educational goals and improve life for their families and their countries. We cannot let them down.
Courses I Teach
OLIT 535 Theory and Practice of Distance Learning
OLIT 538 Distance Education Course Design
Selected Publications
Kayleigh Carabajal, Deborah K. LaPointe, and Charlotte N. Gunawardena (2007). Group development in online learning communities. In M. G. Moore and W. G. Anderson (Eds.) Handbook of Distance Education, Second Edition. Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Charlotte N. Gunawardena and Deborah K. LaPointe (2007). Culture and Online Learning. In M. G. Moore & W. G. Anderson (Eds.) Handbook of Distance Education, Second Edition. Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Deborah K. LaPointe; (2007). Pursuing Interaction. In S. Michael Spector (Ed.) Finding Your Online Voice: Stories Told by Experienced Online Educators. Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum Publishers. Deborah K. LaPointe (2006). The Role of Transformational Learning in Distance Education: Becoming Aware. In M. Beaudoin (Ed.) Future Perspectives on Higher Education.
Deborah K. LaPointe (2005). Distance Education International Research: What the World Needs Now. In Y. L. Visser (Ed.) Trends and Issues in Distance Education: An International Perspective. Greenwich, CT : Information Age.
Deborah K. LaPointe & Charlotte N. Gunawardena (2004). Developing, testing, and refining a model to understand the relationship between peer interaction and learning outcomes in computer-mediated conferencing. Distance Education, 25, (1) 83-106.
Deborah K. LaPointe, Katherine R. B. Greysen, & Kerrin A. Barrett (2004). Speak2Me: Using synchronous audio for ESL teaching in Taiwan . International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Retrieved April 5, 2004, from http://www.irrodl.org/content/v5.1/technote_xxviii.html
Charlotte N. Gunawardena and Deborah K. LaPointe (2003). Assessment in Distance Education, in S. Panda (Ed.) Planning & Management in Distance Education. Sterling, VA : Kogan Page.
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