Jo Ann Coco-Ripp is Doing Good Things as WSSU

I had the priviledge of having breakfast this morning with Professor Jo Ann Coco-Ripp (at one of my favorite places, Cracker Barrel). I've known Jo Ann since her student days at the University of Utah but this was the first time we have been able to have an extended conversation.

Jo Ann is on faculty at Winston-Salem State University where she instructs in the RT/TR program. I was very positively impressed to learn what Jo Ann is doing with technology in her teaching.

For instance, she showed me a very small video camera that can directly connect to a computer. Jo Ann uses this camera in her therapeutic communications course to video student role plays of client interviews. These are then shown in the classroom and later sent out to students for their analysis.

Jo Ann also uses a number of web-based videos in her teaching. I told her that I hope that Indiana University will soon make the RTV videos available via online streaming.

It pleased me a great deal to learn of the level of instructional technology Jo Ann is using at WSSU. I hope other instructors are using today's technology to the same degree in their teaching.

I was also pleased to find that Jo Ann had developed a new assessment course that she is now instructing. I was able to share with her information on strength-based assessment that appears in the new (6th) edition of my Therapeutic Recreation Processes and Techniques book.

There were other topics of mutual concern that Jo Ann and I discussed that I plan to share in future posts (e.g., need for strong Ph.D. programs, the reduced numbers of university RT/TR programs, the need to improve/standardize RT/TR curricula, the need for faculty training in teaching, and the need for universities to build library and teaching resources).

I feel good about what is going on in RT/TR at Winston-Salem State University as a result of talking with Jo Ann. I'm a member of the WSSU TR Advisory Group so I plan to remain in touch with Jo Ann and the WSSU TR program.