Greetings! Marshall Herbst here… the really, really new guy, and welcome to my blog!  Just for your reference, I recently graduated Hanover College in Indiana and am currently enrolled in the MIC Program here at UK. I am also working as an Instructional Technology Assistant here in the College of Arts and Sciences  I think I am going to treat this like a journal of sorts. After my first couple weeks here at Online Ed, I feel like I am starting to get into the pace of things. With all the new programs to learn, the people to meet, and the problems to solve, it seems like each day flies by. The really cool thing about all this is that I really am beginning to see the value in what this office does for both professors and students, and appreciate all the work that goes into actually constructing, and maintaining, these online courses. I will admit, previous to my experiences over the past couple weeks, I did not acknowledge how online classes could be as effective as the traditional method of instruction, sitting in a class of peers with open communication with the instructor. Perhaps it is the History Major in me coming out, the one who is used to huddling in the library pouring over piles of texts to search for the perfect quote. But I did not think that such useful and accessible information would be as effective in an online format. I think I was quite naïve… if anything this new experience will, I think, provide a wonderfully eye opening endeavor for me as to the diversity of teaching methods and practices. So for all you non-believers in the values of multi-faceted and diverse instructional method, know that there is wonderful opportunity for learning out there, and new possibilities are opened every day. I think it is going to be a wonderful ride! Cheers until next time!