One hour with Dr. Sean Nufer — Online adjunct extraordinaire
This month we caught up with an eLearning specialist and adjunct assistant professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and talked online courses, adaptive learning, and Disney obsession.
The Basics
Sean teaches exclusively in an online environment. He completed his undergraduate study at Brigham Young University–Hawaii and holds a master’s and a doctoral degree from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. In addition to teaching in a variety of programs, including graduate programs in organizational/industrial psychology and educational psychology and technology, he is the eLearning specialist at TCS Education System (a consortium of small and mid-sized universities across the country). Sean is married with two children and lives in Orlando.
Why psychology?
From a young age, Sean was fascinated with concepts such as interpretation of dreams and subliminal messages, though he now considers these “the wrong reasons” for wanting to study psychology. Over time, he came to appreciate the methodological side of the behavioral sciences and the power of data and statistics in helping to understand behavior within cultures and societies.
Biggest professional influence?
Sean took all the classes he could with a professor who inspired him at BYU–Hawaii in his undergraduate career and even had the opportunity to be mentored by him. He was impressed by the professor’s dedication to education — even when he had his pick of career path, he always chose the path that would allow him to work with and teach students.
Favorite tools
Sean routinely asks his students to dazzle him with their comprehension of course subject matter by creating demonstrations using Prezi. Sean also uses VoiceThreadregularly with his students. In many of his courses, Sean’s students use platforms such as Poll Everywhere, blogs,Camtasia®, Eyejot™, and other interactive tools.
Secret weapon in the classroom
Because many of his students will never meet in person, Sean has them record and share YouTube™ videos on various topics as a way to create face time and overcome the digital divide. As he puts it, just about everyone consumes media on YouTube, but only a fraction of people create content, so this is also a great way for students to add depth to their learning.
Proudest teaching moment
As an online educator, Sean teaches students all around the world — including many who live in active conflict zones. He’s constantly impressed by students who travel to a library or an Internet café to complete their assignments — sometimes passing through dangerous areas to gain online access to course materials.
The course curriculum is hard enough, he says, but when you add logistical challenges to the mix, they’re going above and beyond what a “typical” student might have to do in order to complete their education. (Our hats are off to those students too, Sean!)
How can higher education do better?
He gets frustrated when educators aren’t willing to learn, adapt to, or espouse new developments in educational technology. Educational technology is constantly improving and evolving. Shouldn’t education professionals do the same? He encourages his fellow educators to embrace what they know works, but never pass up an opportunity to try something new — whether in traditional brick-and-mortar schools or online and blended environments.
Coolest thing happening in education today?
Sean is particularly excited about the concept of adaptive learning. He thinks that five years from now this will be a much more permanent part of teaching and learning and will be commonplace in the corporate/professional training environment. The idea of being able to offer each student a highly personalized learning experience is super exciting and something that The Chicago School is embracing.
How does he respond to the phrase “Learning makes us”?
“Learning makes us challenge our understanding of the world, recognize our biases, and construct a better understanding of the world in which we live. The shorter answer: Learning makes us improve!”
Where can you find Sean outside of the classroom?
Believe us when we tell you that Sean loves Disney World®! Living in Orlando, Sean has a premium annual pass, and on any given week you’ll find him and his family riding the rides and hanging out with Disney characters.
His flexible online teaching schedule even allows him to bring his laptop to the parks every so often. While his family enjoys a few rides, he’ll connect to Disney’s Wi-Fi and get some work done in a quiet area. Or, after a hard day’s work, he’ll simply head over to Disney and unwind by watching the fireworks. When he’s not at the parks, he relaxes by playing piano.
See more stories like this at www.pearsoned.com
(This story originally appeared in Pearson’s digital magazine, Degrees.)
