Apple Distinguished Educator Chris Meylan: SHMS BA Programme Leader

As an Apple Distinguished Educator, Chris is participating in a passionate community of educators bringing innovation to classrooms around the world. Chris joined SHMS Leysin Campus 9 years ago. As the BA Programme Leader and Lecturer he teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students during their last year of studies in Public Relations, Traditional & Digital Marketing and Social Media Management

“Mr. Meylan was our ultimate ‘Tech Savvy’ who we turned to whenever a problem arose. It was clear that he had extensive knowledge on what seemed to be ALL Apple products and was always ready with practical advice. I will never forget how he challenged us to be constantly innovative and to use our creativity in our work and daily life."
Charlotte Wong, 2015 SHMS Graduate

Chris’ Role in Innovation in Education
Chris believes that real skills in digital marketing cannot be acquired if students sit passively and listen to lectures in a traditional classroom. Chris focuses on engaging and motivating his students through the use of technical tools. His methods include:

1. Flipped videos: Videos prepared before class are used to explain theoretical concepts that are explained in further detail in a classroom setting through interactive exercises.
2. Blended learning: With all students given an iPad, he has been able to create classes, modules and exercises that are more interactive to help students apply the theories that they have learned. Through the use of iPad apps, he is able to follow student understanding in real-time and follow up accordingly.
3. Social Media Case studies: Problem based learning methods to analyze real world case studies.

"It is the teacher’s responsibility not only to teach, but also to encourage learning. This can only be done if we can make the students engaged with our material. The iPad is a great tool that can help us achieve that, but having the technology is not enough. The onus is on us teachers to explore new ways of delivering the material, to experiment and use technology to make our classroom more exciting and interesting, and ultimately to make our students eager to learn again."
Chris Meylan, SHMS BA Programme Leader

One Step Further
For Chris, the learning doesn’t stop in the classroom. He spends his free time supporting his colleagues to adapt the new technologies to their own classrooms and encourages and motivates others through:

• SHMS Support Lounge: A space dedicated for students and employees to come with questions when using and applying new technologies.
• User Tips Videos: Chris creates and shares videos providing accessible tips to students and colleagues to create a better experience through technology.

What’s next for Chris?
All Apple Distinguished Educators are asked to participate in building resources to share with the collaborative Apple community and beyond. Chris will be building an iBook based on his teachings in his Masters class at SHMS titled: "How to leverage Twitter in Higher Education to foster students’ research and reflection skills." The iBook will be aimed at educators to demonstrate how Twitter can be used in and out of the classroom by students to reflect on the material and encourage more research on the subject area being taught.