Gingras, Adams Publish Book for Online Instructors

WINTERVILLE—A pair of award-winning distance educators from Pitt Community College have partnered to release the second edition of a book published in 2008 to guide adjunct faculty through the process of converting traditional classroom courses into online instruction.

In October, Patricia Adams and Happy Gingras released a revised version of Evelyn Beck’s “Going the Distance: A Handbook for Faculty Who Teach Online.” Adams says the newest edition is “built loosely” around Beck’s initial handbook but focuses on a broader audience. She added that it significantly expands upon the first edition to serve as a starter kit for instructors new to online teaching and a refresher for experienced online instructors.

“We hope that readers will find practical guidance for designing and delivering quality online education,” said Adams, a psychology instructor and NISOD Award winner who designs, develops and facilitates online courses at PCC.

Published by The Part-Time Press, Adams says “Going the Distance” offers full- and part-time faculty the contents of a first-rate teaching workshop at a fraction of the price. The 112-page guide can be purchased on The Part-Time Press website (www.part-timepress.com) at a cost of $15 for a single copy. Several quantity discounts are also available.

According to Gingras, who serves as PCC’s Director of Teaching & Learning and Perkins Grant Coordinator, 44 percent of today’s college faculty members teach online courses. She said the first edition of “Going the Distance” helped thousands of those instructors develop online classes.

“’Going the Distance’ can help faculty in any discipline learn to plan, develop and deliver more richly-structured online courses,” said Gingras, a NISOD Award recipient and winner of the League of Innovation’s Innovation Award.

Gingras says the second edition of “Going the Distance” contains updated research and new materials on blending, assessment, student retention, course development, course design, conferences, awards, copyrights, and teaching techniques for the online classroom.

For Adams and Gingras, the revised version of “Going the Distance” is their second writing collaboration. The two teamed up in 2017 to publish “Blended Learning and Flipped Classrooms: A Comprehensive Guide,” which offers insight on incorporating technology and designing courses in a flipped or blended format.

12/02/2019