Dr. Julie Sanford

Dr. Julie Sanford is an Associate Professor in the College of Nursing started teaching online courses in 1999. She was among the first group to be asked to start teaching online. Dr. Sanford loves teaching online courses even though they lack the face-to-face interaction.

Through online classes students are known at a greater depth because they have more time to gather their thoughts before participating in discussions. The idea that even the quiet students can participate in online discussions is what she likes.

When asked to explain what she is doing differently online, she said that she feels that she is more accessible to her students online than she is in the traditional classroom setting. She is able to respond daily to her students via email. She loves online classes because they offer a more sense of family feeling.

Further interaction with her student’s includes online instruction through the use of threaded discussions and "the attic place" where students can respond to questions and evaluate other student’s answers. She understands that her students need a lot of encouragement because the nursing program is very challenging. She usually posts "Simple Truths Videos" which are inspirational to motivate her students.

When teaching online, instructors can be tempted to offer the students a lot of information and assignments to do without really thinking about the pedagogy. Dr. Sanford encourages her fellow instructors to take time to plan the courses and also to attend Online Learning Lab WOW workshops where they can further their skills to help them with their online courses. She also advices her fellow instructors to praise their students, practice proper time management, and be available to the students online.

Dr. Sanford is one of the change leaders, innovators, and motivators when it comes to Online Courses at the University of South Alabama. We recognize her efforts, hard work, and applaud her for all of her accomplishments.