What began as a pedantic, lecture format – has evolved into an engaging,
Socratic style whereby I encourage students to participate in the discussion. I do not pretend to be able to make anyone an expert in one course. However, I do expect my students to be able to grasp the underlying concepts, methodologies and the particular jargon of the course. For example, when I teach statistics – I do not expect any student to become a statistician in one, 6-week graduate level course. However, I do expect them to speak intelligently about statistical concepts, such as confidence intervals, random sampling and probability.
I accomplish this by continually asking questions. I ask how each course concept applies to their work? How can it be used under other circumstances? How they can use it on the job today, not sometime in the distant future. If a student were to ever ask me, “why do I have to learn this?” I would immediately update the course, because business education should be applicable immediately.
I never pretend to be the only expert in the classroom. I teach marketing management at the graduate level, and even though I have spent over 25 years of my career as a marketing professional – I would never pretend to know all there is to know. I have had students that work for Fortune 500 companies as Product Managers, Marketing Managers, Directors, etc. I knew instantly that I could either allow my ego to come forward and compete with them, or I could choose to invite their expertise into our discussions in order to reach even greater levels of understanding.
I have been teaching at the university level for over 12 years now, for three different universities. I teach in the classroom and on-line. I am continually energized by this experience. To receive the feedback from students when they have their ‘aha’ moments - when they see how this newfound knowledge applies to their lives – is what makes the time and effort all worthwhile.
I listen intently to my students. This allows me to adapt my teaching techniques situationally for each class. Each class takes on a personality of its own. I would be remiss to assume that the same teaching style works well in all cases. I can use my extensive teaching experience to introduce a variety of methodologies that will engage a student. This flexible philosophy serves me well. I have used prepared lesson plans where I knew this exercise should only take twenty minutes – and it ended up taking 90 minutes (and vice versa). Thus, I remain flexible and know that different groups take different amounts of time to grasp various concepts. This bodes well in terms of creating an inclusive environment in the classroom.
Finally, I am inclusive and facilitative. I encourage spirited discussions and appreciate what all participants can bring to the discussion. I enjoy teaching mostly adult-learners, who are returning to school. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom and my job is to help them share their perspective, listen to and appreciate the perspective of others, and to create new understandings they can place in their toolkit. All of which will help them become better critical thinkers, communicators and leaders in their chosen professions and communities.
Thank you for the opportunity to elaborate on a topic that is near and dear to my heart.
Sincerely,
Gregory. S. Evans
Adjunct Faculty
BS, MBA
PS. I have told many of my students that earning a degree does not require brains. It requires backbone. If they are willing to do the work, the results will follow. While some students may grasp concepts quicker than others, everyone can succeed if they are hardworking and dedicated. If they bring those two attributes to my classroom, I will do everything possible to help them succeed.
