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Post University
Jim Chernesky
Art History Adjunct Professor
Post University
Jim Chernesky has been an adjunct professor with Post University since 2002. He currently teaches both online and on-campus courses in the art department. Chernesky earned his bachelor’s degree in education with a minor in art from Southern Connecticut State University in 1972, and a master’s degree in instructional technology in 1979, also from SCSU. He started his career in 1980, writing programmed learning and interactive video training for Unimation Robotics and has done similar work for a variety of organizations. He currently lives in Oxford, Conn. with his wife Beth and their three sons.
What are your work responsibilities?
I am a process manager with a utilities company in Connecticut. I help them design procedures and metrics. That’s my full-time position. I’ve been in training and organizational development for 30 years. I am also an adjunct faculty member with Post University and a professional photographer.
As an adjunct professor, what courses do you teach?
I started in a management curriculum with an HR course that covered training and development. I also did some organizational development courses. For the past two years, I have been doing almost exclusively art history. Art 101 covers ancient art to the renaissance period. Art 102 covers renaissance to modern.
How did you get into teaching, specifically online?
At some point in 2002, Post was part of something called the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium, which was formed by local Connecticut universities beginning the process of online instruction. They asked me if I was able to teach online courses; I had never [taught online before], but my master’s is in instructional technology, so I was used to online training and those types of programs.
How do you integrate art into a class online?
I actually have taken students through virtual museum tours. We have even gone to the MOMA
and the Louvre
online. I create specific assignments to go along with the virtual visits, and students go through on their own by accessing the sites and clicking through the virtual tours. I also use YouTube and other online sources for video and images.
I teach art classes both on campus and online. For my on-campus classes, I make sure the students know that going to an art gallery is part of the curriculum. In the last week of class, we take a museum tour together. The students take their own cars, and the trip is counted as a group participation grade. I call the museum to set it up beforehand, and a guide takes us through in a prescribed fashion. We will stop and talk about different works. The entire visit lasts about an hour and a half, and the students write about a page on one of their favorite pieces, and why.
With my online classes, I try to recreate the experience in an online format. We will have a scheduled deadline for when students must visit a museum online. Sometimes we do virtual tours of a couple different museums. I provide them the link to the museum when I post the assignment on Blackboard, and the students navigate the tours on their own. After the tour, they must choose their favorite piece and write one page on it.
In all my art courses, I attempt to give students a set of visual tools that they can use in order to develop an appreciation of art. This is different than liking or loving a particular work of art. When you finish the course, you may still like what you like and dislike what you dislike, but you’ll understand why. The museum trip is the time when they can stand face to face with the whole thing and use the visual tools that they’ve developed.
How do you communicate with students?
Class discussion is an asynchronous discussion board. I post questions for the week. [The students] have to be in and out of discussions. I tell them it’s not a short answer — they have to respond to me and other students and ask questions. But that is the major way we communicate throughout the week. I also use email, and I post course announcements online. Discussion is part of the grade and makes up about 20% of the final grade.
How is an online classroom similar to a traditional classroom?
It should be designed with the same logical flow — there’s a reading assignment, some sort of interaction or discussion, and something to close the loop to check for retention. In either an online or traditional format, you need that. From week to week, whether in the classroom or online, I make sure they’re getting feedback on how they’re doing. They can get into the grade book every week and check their own progress.
Do you ever see students run into problems that are specific to an online environment?
Definitely. One of the things about online is you get the complete spectrum of student experience. I have had senior students who are taking three online courses at once and totally know the ins and outs. Some students are just starting out and can’t attach something to an email, so you never know if a student is having problems finding an assignment or navigating the system because of something that you, as an instructor, possibly forgot to do, or if this person just doesn’t understand how to use the technology yet. A lot of the time it’s some of both!
What do you like about teaching online and what do you dislike?
I like the flexibility. It’s a special challenge because you can’t narrow it down to two- to three-hour chunks of time. Students are participating in the course continuously. I really need to spread my time out and interact with the online course so they all feel serviced, no matter what time they get online. As far as what I dislike, I have been in corporate training and development and in front of people for 30 years. I love the one-on-one interaction, and I use that as part of the class in a face-to-face setting. You just don’t have that face time online. If you’re sitting in my classroom, I can see in your face if you’re not motivated or not getting it. I can’t do that online. The student is much more responsible for putting the effort in themselves.
Where do you see online learning going in the future?
There is so much potential there. But, like anything else, it has to be designed. It can’t be an answer in search of a question. The educational objective has to come first, and, if you use technology, then it’s supplemental, and it makes sense.
What makes Post University stand out from other online universities?
Post University was really involved early on with online education, and they have done a good job of trying to stay on the cutting edge and getting student and faculty acclimated to the technology. They have great online tutorials for the professors. They have tried to make education flexible with things like satellite locations and online options and really help working students get an education.
