Teaching. |
Teaching Philosophy
Dr. Cullen C. Merritt, director of PROMPT, teaches courses in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Regardless of the student audience or course topic, his pedagogical philosophy centers on creating a critical-thinking classroom environment by:
Dr. Merritt's scholarly expertise in publicness theory and awareness of the variety of student job placements upon graduation have motivated him to develop students’ leadership, management, and collaborative competencies that—while particularly germane to careers in public service—are also applicable to the private and nonprofit sectors.
Dr. Cullen C. Merritt, director of PROMPT, teaches courses in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park. Regardless of the student audience or course topic, his pedagogical philosophy centers on creating a critical-thinking classroom environment by:
- Providing students with theoretical and empirical foundations on which to understand complex and practically relevant public affairs concepts,
- Bridging the gap between public affairs theories and practices through in-class simulations, case studies, and interactive activities, and
- Offering research-intensive course assignments which emphasize practical application and professional development.
Dr. Merritt's scholarly expertise in publicness theory and awareness of the variety of student job placements upon graduation have motivated him to develop students’ leadership, management, and collaborative competencies that—while particularly germane to careers in public service—are also applicable to the private and nonprofit sectors.
Student Quotes
This class taught me how to work effectively within a group setting, this class taught me more about diversity, equity, publicness and organizational performance. This class gave me insight into...how to achieve the common good as well as the idea of authentic leadership. I learned about how some decisions that are made within one country affect another country and our relations with that other country. We were privy to organizations both on the governmental side as well as the non-profit sector through weekly case studies. The challenging material that was presented in this course assisted me in seeing my potential and honing in on hard work.
Class time is so thoughtfully constructed that you could quickly see the concepts building on one another. Logistically, Professor Merritt packs so much learning into class time because everything was so well structured and facilitated. Professor Merritt is intentional and respectful about making sure all voices were heard, drawing out quieter students to add to the dialogue.
He goes above and beyond for all of his students, and comes to class every day filled with passion and inspiration. His attitude alone would be enough to affect most students, but Professor Merritt demands the best from all of his students.
What I liked most about Dr. Merritt would be his focus on the growth of a student as a person and leader, rather than solely on a grade they achieve in the course. His passion for this personal growth, as well as his passion for the course topics, inspired and motivated me to work hard not only in this course, but also in life in general.
Personally, this was the first class that made me feel excited to be at college. Dr. Merritt did a wonderful job at making it obvious that he is our advocate and made himself available as much as he could. This class made me motivated to accomplish more, and that truly is from the professor. His enthusiasm made class informative and interesting.
...Dr. Merritt was the most dedicated and amazing professor I have ever had in my 3 years of college. He truly cares about his students and their success inside and outside the classroom. This semester was hard for everyone with COVID–19 causing classes to be online for the remainder of the semester, but Dr. Merritt made sure that our mental health was more important than our grade and made online lectures positive and enjoyable. I would recommend him as a professor in a heartbeat.
This was my first semester in grad school and I really couldn't have selected a better class to start with...Dr. Merritt is very organized and structured, which I really enjoyed. He was very adamant about making sure we understood that he is our advocate. The lectures were phenomenal and the class discussions were engaging and fun. I enjoyed the assignments. I enjoyed Dr. Merritt's humor and knowledge about the topics. It was one of my favorite classes I've ever taken.
I enjoyed the energy Dr. Merritt brought to the classroom and I enjoyed how the assignments and readings were a strong return on investment and brought out the major themes of the class. I have been working for a nonprofit for four years, but I feel I have learned more about the inter–workings of an organization in these past 13 weeks.
I really enjoyed how much Professor Merritt was not only engaged in the course material, but also how he made us so engaged. The way he taught the class was so energizing and made me want to keep on learning more. I also felt the way he addressed his work had an influence on me to act more professional and be more prepared for class lectures, which I am grateful for. I now feel that I have a better work ethic and more motivation to continue in this field.
I enjoyed learning more detail on the global scale of public administration. I am a public servant, and this course opened my eyes to the ever changing landscape as it relates to the political, social, economic, and environmental conditions we work in daily. This course gave me better understanding on governance across multiple sectors of society to include the global context. Thank you Dr. Merritt for explaining and breaking down each concept to become clearer and understandable.
Dr. Merritt is the most passionate and devoted instructor I've ever had. It was evident on the first day of class, the last day of class, and every class session in between. Every class exercise we had was fun, interactive, and clearly showed how the theories we were learning applied to the real world.
I appreciated Dr. Merritt's commitment to his students and our success. He valued our time in and out of the classroom and treated everyone with the utmost respect. Through his own teaching methods, command presence, and general character, he inspires students to become better people, as well as leaders. I always looked forward to attending class!