Instructor Spotlight: Dr. James Brown, Colorado Christian University

Written by Victoria Guzzo • October 29, 2024 •  2 min read
Instructor Spotlight: Dr. James Brown, Colorado Christian University Featured Image

Originally founded in 1914 as the Denver Bible Institute, Colorado Christian University (CCU) is a private Christian university in Lakewood, Colorado. In addition to on-campus degrees, certificates, and continuing education, CCU offers a variety of fully online degrees including programs in nursing, public, and health science.

About Dr. James Brown, ‘Community Champion of the Year’

Dr. James Brown teaches fully online anatomy & physiology, microbiology, and public health courses with up to 25 students per section. In addition to instructing, Dr. Brown has been designated “One of the Top 40 Innovators in Education”​ by the Center for Digital Education. He has also been dubbed “The Godfather of Online Science” for his advocacy and pioneering work to deliver science courses completely online and opening the door to a science education through the world wide web for more than 15 years.

Most recently, Dr. Brown has been named Science Interactive’s Community Champion of the Year for his tireless work in advocating for quality online learning.

Tips for Successfully Delivering Effective Online Lab Courses

In addition to being able to scale science education globally, the shift to fully online science programs continues to accelerate after the pandemic. As someone who has taught labs fully online for more than a decade, Dr. Brown shares his tips for how to make courses applicable to the real world.

Focus on Faculty Support & Buy-in

  • Be sure to invest in instructor support: Whether a new or seasoned online instructor, ensure your instructors are supported with the tools, resources, and professional development they need to deliver online labs effectively. The amount and quality of resources and support instructors have can directly impact student success.

Design Courses to Mimic the Real World & Build Career Readiness for Students

Whether online or on-campus, preparing students effectively is a challenge. In fact, more than 2,100 administrators, instructors, and students agree that a lack of preparation is the biggest challenge. Eighty percent of administrators and instructors said that students aren’t prepared because they lack prerequisite knowledge and are often not engaged. Similarly, more than half of students said they don’t feel confident or prepared for labs.

  • Incorporate Hands-on Learning Online: Providing students with an opportunity to learn by doing, to test their hypotheses, and to question results remain essential aspects of a lab experience. In fact, without them, it’s difficult if not impossible to build foundational skills in scientific literacy, let alone progress into advanced studies or feel prepared for careers in the health sciences.

The vast majority of students and instructors agree that this is the most effective approach for building readiness and preparation.

  • 84% of department chairs/deans rated hands-on labs for online students as the most effective format for students.
  • 86% of instructors using hands-on labs were satisfied with this modality. 
  • 84% of students felt they learned the knowledge and skills they needed in the online course because of hands-on labs.

Master a Mentoring Technique to Inspire Students

  • Peer coaching helps build community: pair students up online for built-in support and engage in peer review
  • Engage in activities that allow students to practice the art of revision: virtual simulations allow students to repeat experiments multiple times, manipulate variables, and come to conclusions
  • Invest time in providing students with additional support and guidance, using in-person or virtual office hours, recorded videos & tutorials, virtual simulations, and the opportunities to collaborate with peers. These tactics can help boost student confidence and better prepare them for labs both online or on-campus.
“When it comes to online learning, it’s important to focus on building career readiness in students. I deliberately have courses that work to mimic the real world. So in microbiology, for example, I use hands-on labs that replicate what’s going on in hospital labs and clinical labs. It’s very safe, and students get the best of both worlds: a flexible online course and hands-on labs that mimic real-world scenarios. Oftentimes, I’ve seen my online students outperform the students who take it face to face!”
-Dr. James Brown, Colorado Christian College

For more tips and best practices on delivering effective online lab courses, check out our Peer Learning webinar on demand.