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LEJA Professor Uses Campus Resources to Deliver Creative Online Courses

May 7, 2020

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Editor's Note: This is the eleventh in a series of feature stories about Western Illinois University faculty who are adapting and finding unique ways to reach their students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

MACOMB, IL – As a Western Illinois University professor who earned his Ed.D. studying mostly online, Glenn Daugherty knows the challenges his students face while studying law enforcement and justice administration (LEJA) in an alternative format during the pandemic.

This semester, Daugherty is teaching an introductory LEJA class, a writing and current issues class and an introduction to investigation class, and said his biggest obstacle has been not being able to work face-to-face with his students, so he can see if they are understanding the material.

"The interaction between the students and the instructor is very important and helpful for me," he said. "When I bring up a topic, I can see in the faces of my students if they are getting it or if they have that look of confusion or terror on their faces. I then can ask questions to verify if they are assimilating the information, or if I need to clarify what I just presented. Once I feel confident that I have left no one in the dark, I can move on with my lecture."

This type of interaction is only possible through the online format by asking written questions to make sure students are understanding the material. Daugherty said the majority of his students seemed to adapt very well to the change in learning format, but his biggest concern is "burnout," which he said can be an element of online learning.

"These courses have time sensitive requirements, and time management is a skill that is necessary to successfully manage an online class," he said. "They have lesson challenges to write or research, along with any other writing assignments required as part of the course."

One way to combat burnout, Daugherty said, is to develop creative ways to make courses interesting, which can, in turn, be a challenge for instructors.

"Additionally, the professor needs to be available to answer student questions as soon as possible," he said. "I am spending six-eight hours a day on the computer developing my courses and keeping in contact with my students."

While dealing with the pandemic's impact on higher education, numerous WIU departments have worked together to assist each other with course delivery. Daugherty credits WIU's Center for Innovation in Teaching and Research (CITR) with helping him get creative with his classes, including assistance with recording his lectures and offering help to become more comfortable with online learning.

"Of course, email and the telephone are always available to deal with student questions," he said. "Zoom is a very important element in the online learning tools available to instructors. Providing students with PowerPoint presentations on course materials, along with instructor notes that coincide with the PowerPoint slides, helps a great deal with the instruction."

Daugherty has found that asking students to answer questions specifically created to challenge them on academic topics is important for their creativity and to use their critical thinking skills. He said one of the things often on his mind is how to reach students and he believes working in this alternative format has changed him as a professor.

When it comes to incorporating the pandemic into the classroom, Daugherty said it's difficult to avoid the topic when students have friends or family members impacted by the virus.

"I have had students who have had friends or a family member hospitalized by the virus and it has affected their school work," he said. "Some have missed tests or assignment deadlines. I believe that due to this miserable pandemic, we need to be a little more understanding and accommodating regarding the special challenges students are facing."

Daughter said he has also appreciated working with many of his fellow LEJA department members to grow as a faculty member.

"Working with these talented professionals has been a blessing and a joy for me," he said. "I love coming to work, and, if I have a problem, there is always someone willing to guide me through the issue. Academia is truly a different kind of beast and having caring co-workers who are willing to take time from their busy schedule to help me is something that has helped to make this the best job I have ever had."

Daugherty said he misses coming to campus and attending classes in-person, but added that he has changed his methodology and uses as many online tools as possible.

"I am an animated instructor, who likes to interject some humor and personal experiences from my former career as a police officer," he said. "I believe our students are very fortunate because all of our instructors in the LEJA department are past or current practitioners from many areas of the criminal justice, emergency services or firefighting professions. I believe that if we work together, put in some good effort and never lose focus, we can deliver our students an education they can be very proud of."

For more information on the WIU School of LEJA, visit wiu.edu/leja.



Posted By: Jodi Pospeschil (JK-Pospeschil@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing