BRIAN CLARK
College of Education
Title: Online Full Time Faculty
Years at GCU: Eight years. Started at GCU as an academic counselor in the College of Theology in 2011. During that time I worked on my master’s degree with the goal in mind of becoming on online faculty member. Then in 2013 I was blessed to have an opportunity to transfer to the Online Full Time Faculty department for the College of Education.
Academic degrees: B.S. Music Education; M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership; working on Ed.D. in Organizational Development. Something interesting: All of my degrees are from GCU! I attended GCU as an undergraduate ground campus student in 2002, before the online college modality really took off.
Faculty scholarship (publications, scholarly presentations, fellowships, etc.): Not a lot of formal publications outside of GCU, but I have worked as a subject matter expert for the curriculum department on a couple of new courses. Also, I have presented to other faculty and university leadership about various technology teaching tools such us Remind.com and Loom Videos. Most recently, I presented at the Fall Faculty Conference as part of a team of OFTF regarding the use of Loom Videos to provide authentic visualized feedback to online students -- in the style of Dr. Seuss!
Notable employment in your field: Before working at GCU, I spent five years as a high school music teacher in the West Valley. I taught marching band, choir, guitar and piano classes. However, my passion and the class I enjoyed teaching the most during that time was choir. I think much of what I learned in these experiences has shaped how I approach education here at GCU.
What are you most passionate about in your field? Helping others learn; I like to share knowledge! My high school students used to say that if they asked me what time it was, I would tell them how to build a watch. Proverbs 18:15: “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge.”
What aspect of your teaching style is the most distinctive and/or memorable? I try to get students to focus on learning and not worry so much about their grade. If you’re learning, the grade will follow. I try to incorporate videos and visuals in my online classes as much as possible to help support this. As of today, I have made 4,616 Loom videos for my students!
What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? I like to go camping with my family (though my spare time is quickly being filled with dissertation work). This camping often includes various off-roading, hiking and fishing adventures. For my friends who don’t like to go outside, I also thoroughly enjoy playing just about any board game. I play piano for a couple of churches and schools to stay plugged into the music community.
What is something interesting about you that most people don't know? I play several instruments, including piano and saxophone, and can sing. I find playing the piano to be the most relaxing one. I also just recently learned how to solve a Rubik’s cube and have practiced to the point of solving one in fewer than five minutes. I learned this from an 8-year-old kid on YouTube … but he’s still faster.
