Faculty Spotlight - Ron and Dori Ingersoll

MacDill Campus
Course Range: Traditional, Online, Hybrid

Ron and Dori Ingersoll are adjuncts at the MacDill Campus. They are also consultants in the area of enrollment and student success and have just completed the editing of a book titled "Strategic Enrollment Management: Transforming Higher Education:" Published by AACRAO the American Association for Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. They currently are associated with Educational Systems Inc. and are working on current methods of managing and improving enrollments.

Capital Course:
Ron: I like environmental science because it is easy to get people interested and it is very practical. It turns out to be a good course for on-line.

Dori: My only course at HCC has been Public Speaking, both face2face, hybrid, and online.  I do enjoy teaching it face2face most since I can develop a stronger relationship with the students there.  I also have a chance to clearly set the safe boundaries of the classroom to allow them to grow.  In the online course, it is more difficult to develop relationships since that takes more time.  Students take an online course for the most part to get a course completed by tucking it into their busy schedules.


Ideal Ideology:
Ron: I believe that everyone has a good chance of doing well. I do not believe in looking only at the number grade but at the process by which the student came up with a response. I believe in hard work and I am getting used to students coming in and saying they have to have an A.

Dori: I believe in creating an environment in which students can develop their communication skills by working with others and me in the activities of the course. Theory and text material are included as subtext for them to use in the development of their own ‘voice’ as speakers. They are asked to interact with others in their process instead of hiding out and learning on their own. This will help them as they move on into the world to work with others and keep growing.

Student Success:
Ron: I use videos and articles in my course. I find that the students get a little confused because they are not used to analyzing something. Instead of reciting back what they heard in class, one thing I try to do is have them distinguish facts from opinions. It takes a while for them to do that on a regular basis.

Teachable Moment:
Dori: I believe my work with students as they give speeches, providing immediate feedback to them, have given me many ‘teachable moments’. Students have opened themselves up to the class sharing life events that one would not assume they would be telling in a public arena. The acceptance and feedback to them dictates how the rest of the class goes. My students know I don’t allow hurtful feedback. I also require them to put the best they can into their speeches and the work they complete for me.