Alan Francis, Ed.D.

Instructor

Alan Francis, Ed.D., knows the value of an A&M-Commerce education. He began his career in sales, advertising and management. After several years in the business world, he switched gears to earn a bachelor's degree in business from A&M-Commerce in 2000. Francis went on to complete a Master of Science in Electronic Commerce, a Master of Business Administration and a doctorate in higher education—all from A&M-Commerce. Since joining the university, he has served as an adjunct instructor, instructional designer, and full-time instructor.

A Conversation with Dr. Francis

What would you tell a student who is thinking about attending A&M-Commerce?

Ask yourself if the courses offered at A&M-Commerce will meet your future educational goals. Be aware that all, or a majority of the courses, might be offered online instead of face-to-face. Check to see if the university offers new student enrollment incentives, such as grants and scholarships. If so, take advantage of these opportunities by applying to all that interest you before the application deadlines. Make a commitment to yourself to achieve your educational goals!

What has been your favorite course to teach?

My favorite course to teach has been Research Methodologies, which I am usually assigned to teach each fall and spring semester. Most students find this course to be the most challenging in their degree plan, as it involves writing skills and the use of American Psychological Association (APA) style formatting.

Tell us about an academic project you are working on or recently completed.

I earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Electronic Commerce and a Doctorate of Education from A&M-Commerce. My plan several years ago was to become a tenured professor and continue my research. However, that goal was not to be accomplished. For the past few years, I have taught undergraduate and master’s level online courses at the university.

Educational Background

• Ed.D., Supervision, Curriculum and Instruction—Higher Education, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2010
• MBA, Business Administration, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2004
• MS, Electronic Commerce, Texas A&M University-Commerce 2003
• BBA, Business Administration, Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2000

Honors and Awards

• Teaching Excellence Award, The Texas A&M University System, fall 2010
• Teaching Excellence Award, TAMUS, spring 2010

Research Interests

• Online course design and testing

Selected Publications

• Larkin, C., & Francis, A. (2012). Plagiarism and academic integrity. American International Journal of Business, Humanities and Technology,2(1), 1-7.
• Francis, A., & Larkin, C. (2011). Academic integrity and plagiarism. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 1(2), 17-23.
• Francis, A., Larkin, C., & Aslinia, S. D. (2010). Interaction in online courses. Journal of Online Engineering Education, 1(1), 1-4.
• Francis, A., & Aslinia, S. D. (2009). Integration of technology and development of strategies in making online assessment more reliable and valid: An introduction to altered testing. Proceedings of ICERI2009 Conference (pp. 332-336).
• Aslinia, S. D., & Francis, A. (2009). Development of elearning methods for teaching and practicing counseling online: Effectiveness and significance. Proceedings of ICERI2009 Conference (pp. 322-326).