K aren Swan, University of Illinois at Springfield
James J. Stukel Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership
To hear Karen Swan, UIS’ new Stukel Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and an expert on online education, learning is one of the greatest joys we have as humans.
Research indicates that students have a better chance learning course content when they see teachers as real people — “The less the psychological distance between students and teachers, the more students actually learn,” according to Swan. With face-to-face learning, where students can see a teacher, eye contact is the most natural way to establish a personal connection, but humor, facial response, body language, and tone of voice also help. All are readily available in on-ground teaching.
So what can be said for online classes, where technology makes this personal contact more difficult? With more than four million students in the United States — seven million worldwide — taking online classes, social interaction is vitally important and online teachers must be cognizant of its development.
Swan uses the Community of Inquiry Framework, developed by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer, as a theoretical framework for researching the teaching, cognitive, and social presence in online environments. Through her research, Swan intends to identify both the affordances and the constraints of online learning so that educators and students can take best advantage of new and rapidly changing available technologies.
Recipient of the coveted Sloan-C award for Most Outstanding Contribution to Online Learning by an individual, Swan brings to UIS a stellar and extensive record of faculty excellence and scholarship. UIS now has a troika of Sloan-C award winners for individual achievement: Ray Schroeder, the 2002 winner; Burks Oakley, II, 2003 winner; and Swan, the 2006 winner.
Swan holds the James J. Stukel Distinguished Professorship, which honors the 15th president of the University of Illinois. The professorship was created by the University of Illinois Foundation for a candidate who possesses expertise in and scholarly accomplishments relating to online teaching and learning issues.
Ideally, a professorship changes the culture of an institution, and already Swan’s presence has inspired collaboration within her department. In May, an article by professors Len Bogle, Vickie Cook, Scott Day and Karen Swan was accepted for publication in a special issue of the Research Center for Educational Technology Journal (RCETJ) on blended learning.
Research, according to Swan, is what moves America forward and makes our country exceptional. “One endowed professorship,” she says, “can inspire a whole group of people around that person. The research snowballs, and that’s why professorships are so important.”