Professor Steven Cooke
MBA, M.Ed., CHE
Assistant professor, American Public University
Business & Hospitality Management
About me
As a family, we have moved a few times. We left Vegas as a couple shortly after marriage and spent some time near Seattle while I was in the Army with a year in Tikrit, Iraq for me. After a work injury and a medical discharge, we moved to NC for around 15 years while the kids grew up. We really enjoyed living in the great Northwest and centrally on the East Coast, but we always wanted to get back to the desert valley of Las Vegas.
We enjoyed living in the great Northwest and being able to travel and see nature in that area. It was a great experience and I believe that we didn’t buy an umbrella when we moved to NC until we were here for 3 years. NC was a great home to raise our family. Now, we are back in Las Vegas for the next stage of our lives. So far, it has been great! We love the access to entertainment and hospitality that we have missed for the last couple of decades.
Something about me is that I enjoy traveling and experiencing new things. As an Army brat, I was fortunate enough to travel around Europe [though I wouldn't have said it at the time] as I grew up in Germany. I traveled a lot by train, often on my own while in high school, and those experiences cultivated a love of seeing the world and getting to know different people. As a family, we have enjoyed cruising as well, traveling to see different ports and enjoying the hospitality on the ships. When in port, we try to venture out and see the area and culture rather than participate in the tourist excursions. We always try to find a hidden restaurant as well to try the local cuisine.
Experience
During this time, I accumulated a wealth of experience in the field through direct experience working in a variety roles in different organizations, from entry level to management. A common thread in all of that experience was the conceptualization of being "of service" and creating success through team building and learning.
Experienced teacher and Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE). My work in organizational training and development became a foundation and scaffolding for a career change into teaching. While in food service, I seemed to always gravitate to training and development, so teaching has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience for me. My aim has always been to give others the tools to succeed. Teaching broadened my reach.
I was brought aboard with APUS in 2010 and achieved assistant professor and full-time teaching shortly thereafter in 2011. During my time with APUS, I have taught many classes in the Hospitality Management (HOSP) program as well played a role within curriculum development for the program. In addition to classes in the Hospitality Management program, I have taught classes outside the program well, including the new student orientation classes, different management (MGMT) classes, and the Prior Learning Assessment workshop helping students construct a portfolio for consideration of previous experience and knowledge for course credit.
Licensed coach for youth soccer to supplement teaching and coaching experience. From what developed as a hobby and a means to spend time with my kids when I could, I have worked as a soccer coach with several leagues and schools as well as league administration. I have obtained E and F licensure with the U.S. Soccer federation and completed a bachelor's degree in Sports Management. My coaching experience has focused on coaching players 6 - 16 years old and sustaining an inclusive environment for young players to compete at higher levels through additional training and development as well as participating in local and national tournaments for recreational players. Before COVID changed the world, I was starting and managing my own indoor soccer league as well.
Serving in the military and owning a business rounds off professional experience. I did take a break in my hospitality work with an enlistment in the US Army. We were a young family and the Army is a great job except for the bullets here and there. Also, Before transitioning into teaching, I was also building my own business in talent management before I transitioned into teaching and produced several shows featuring talent I represented. Though successful with several acts and contractors working for me, my decision to teach was made based on the quality of life and spending time with the family that teaching provided and could not be obtained from talent management. Talent management included many nights and weekends, which meant I was away or working when my family was home from school and work.
Education
"Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal." -Vince Lombardi -
I attended school through both clicks and bricks. I have sat in classrooms and listened to lectures as well as had to meet participation requirements in online forums while working and living. I was one of the initial users of the Army’s eArmyU program and used it as much as I could in addition to as much tuition assistance as I could muster and get approved I currently hold several degrees, including two Masters. I have attained ABD status (all but dissertation) but did not finish due to extenuating circumstances. My research has primarily been within the context of team development and hospitality, specifically restaurants. My first MBA focused on Human Resource Management.
Like you, I have been a student while working professionally or while serving in the military. I have experienced some of the situations you will find yourselves in regard to the obstacles and time constraints that always seem to find a way to hinder us. The one thing that gets me through it and I am no expert, believe me, is time management which sometimes means prioritizing and sacrificing.
- M.Ed., specializing in Online Teaching, American Public University
- Certified Hospitality Educator, American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute
- BS in Sport and Health Science: Coaching, American Public University
- MBA, specializing in Organizational Leadership, Capella University
- Post-Masters Certificate in Education, College Teaching, Capella University
- MBA, Human Resource Management, Keller Graduate School of Management
- BA in Liberal Studies, specializing in Ethics and Sociology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- BS in Business Administration, Thomas Edison State College
- PhD coursework in Organization Management; ABD Status; Capella University
- Associates degrees in General Management [TESC] and General Technology [Pierce College]
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy evolved from my experience training within a business environment. My professional experience spans hospitality and customer service management, specifically within food service. Much of my work experience has been performed in organizational management with significant time working within the realm of training and development. This experience has contributed to my experience in professional development and adult learning. This experience influenced my academic research related to professional development and the motivational level, or volition, of the worker.
As a teacher and student, I have been committed to higher education. I have come in contact with many styles of learning and approaches to training with one common element, each learner can be characterized as an adult learner. The learning objectives for classes I currently teach are established through experiences within the industry and the relevance of essential competencies, such as service excellence, production, accounting, and controlling labor costs. As a leader in the industry, I have been involved in the training and development of employees as well as leaders.
In the classroom, my aim is to engage students and create learning opportunities through a framework of constructivist learning theory, enabling and encouraging learning based on what students share and demonstrate of their current knowledge and previous experiences. This approach would provide a valued perspective for developing competency-based and problem-based learning content. Though I use the foundation of my life experiences in correlation with general learning objectives related to the material, my primary approach is to ascertain the level of familiarity of the learner with the material and construct their knowledge using their experiences as the foundation with the course material and my experiences in the industry as the scaffolding whenever necessary.
A primary motivation for the learner is their understanding of the return on investment of their time, or simply answering their question of “what’s in it for me”. Answering that question address several principles of motivation and volition, such as curiosity is aroused by a perceived gap in knowledge, knowledge is perceived to be meaningful to the learner, and the learner anticipates a satisfying outcome for learning. Within the constructivist approach, internalization of the course material is facilitated by asking about personal experience and how that experience relates to, supports, or refutes what they have been exposed to in class or research.
Another aspect of education that I have come to appreciate on both sides of the proverbial fence is a sense of community. From participating in web based forums for education, I have experienced the positive impact of the influence of a learning community. That sense of community is what serves as the mortar in constructing learning. Web based learning often utilizes discussion boards to build an atmosphere of a classroom, but the open format for expression of ideas, experiences, and discovery is essential for fortifying acceptance, retention, and learning.
Blog
Contact
- American Public University
- 111 West Congress Street, Charles Town, WV 25414, USA
- steven.cooke@mycampus.apus.edu
- I am typically online and checking in on classes six days a week. With possible exceptions on the weekends, response time is usually with 24 hours for emails and messages. Messages sent in the evening may not have a response until the next day.
