Educators are heroes - they are taking the time to share knowledge in a way that students can understand, learn and be excited about the subject!
Give a listen to z/Education! podcast that shines the spotlight on our amazing community of IBM Z Educators - one educator a month!
The z/Education Podcast - Episode 10 with Herbert Daly
This is the golden age of mainframe learning! there's never been a better time to get involved with the mainframe community.
This episode features Dr. Herbert Daly, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire.
He explains, “In teaching Computer Science, the topics are quite generic, and mainframes fit into many areas like cybersecurity, data science, and more. There are plenty of opportunities to include mainframe learning.”
Herb believes real deep learning happens outside the formal curriculum. He actively engages the student community through clubs, societies, guest talks, and industry events. These efforts bring practitioners directly to students and help build practical skills and enthusiasm for the mainframe world. His students often say, “I would like to be the person who knows everything about something as big and important as mainframe!”
🎧 Tune in to hear how Herb’s approach is inspiring students and opening new doors in mainframe education!
The z/Education Podcast - Episode 9 with Geoffrey Decker
This episode features Geoffrey Decker, an instructor in Computer Science at Northern Illinois University (NIU) and a firm believer in quality over quantity when teaching programming. Geoffrey encourages getting students “down and dirty into the programming” — not just teaching theory or showing pictures — so they truly “program and really test their skills.”
"Don't be a droner!"
His advice to educators: “No teacher of programming should just be a droner. Don’t drone — bring your enthusiasm and a solid, positive attitude to teaching.” This mindset transformed his tough Assembler class into an engaging experience that sparked students’ interest to sign up for and continue with advanced Mainframe courses.
Don’t miss the rapid-fire questions at the end — you won’t believe how many vinyl LPs and CDs he owns! If you guess right, let me know!
🎧 Don’t miss this motivating conversation with Geoffrey!
The z/Education Podcast - Episode 8 with Scott Piersall
“The answer is always No until you ask.”
This episode features Scott Piersall, Lecturer at the University of North Florida’s School of Computing.
The lifelong learning takeaway? Keep your mind and options open—to new ideas, new directions, and new possibilities.
Scott’s journey into academia is anything but traditional—after high school, he had no plans to attend college. But after years of experience in the industry, he discovered a passion for teaching and is now pursuing a Ph.D. with a focus on machine learning. His message to mainframe professionals thinking about moving into academia is just as clear: “Don’t hesitate! Go for it—it’s fun and deeply rewarding!”
🎧 Don’t miss this compelling conversation with Scott!
The z/Education! Podcast - Episode 7 with George Chudyk
Listen to a lecturer who disputes textbooks and will tell you why!
In this episode we talk to George Chudyk lecturer of Computer Science in Bergen Community College, New Jersey. His best advice is, “If you think of something you want to do, if you envision a solution to a problem, just do it! If you get 50 errors, fix the first two, run it again, fix the 2nd, 3rd, run it again and just try it out”!
The z/Education! Podcast - Episode 6 with Dr.David Woolbright
Dr. Woolbright Emeritus Professor of Computer Science talks about his passion for teaching programming languages and how he made learning assembler interesting and fun!! His best advice “Be excited about what you're teaching and, if you're excited, the students will be excited!”. The biggest surprise reveal is that in his retirement he is a writer of mystery novels!
Listen to this fascinating episode about his journey as an educator and an author!
The z/Education! Podcast - Episode 5 with Dr.Alex Citurs
"Get ready for the real world! One of the best practices in teaching is to bring in real world examples, think about the context not so much straight theory". A must not miss fascinating talk with Dr.Alex Citurs Assistant Professor of Business Information Systems at Eastern Connecticut University on the January Episode.
The z/Education! Podcast - Episode 4 with Professor LeRoy Hardy
Our guest for this episode of The z/Education! Podcast is Professor LeRoy Hardy, a lecturer at the University of North Texas, College of Business. As an alumnus of UNT, he’s thrilled to teach IBM Z at his alma mater. One of his best-known practices is incorporating IBM Z Xplore into his teaching. According to Professor Hardy, "IBM Z Xplore is an excellent opportunity for students to explore various aspects of mainframe technology, enjoy the learning process, and spark their curiosity to dive deeper."
Don't miss this insightful episode!
The z/Education! Podcast - Episode 3 with Dr. Cameron Seay
Our guest is Dr Cameron Seay a mainframe thought leader and adjunct professor at East Carolina University. He has been in mainframes since he saw the platform in 2005. He is a “mainframer” at heart! who is passionate about teaching. He loves the community and says, anybody that learns mainframe has a competitive advantage.
The z/Education! Podcast - Episode 2 with Germanas Samrickis
“Education can have profound impact on the person's life and shaping their future and broadening the horizons.” Listen to this inspiring conversation with Germanas Samrickis an IBM Z educator from Lithuania about his journey, success stories, best practices, and also includes “Butter Chicken and Snowboarding!!”
The z/Education! Podcast - Episode 1 with Leendert Blondeel
This episode is the first in the series, showcases Leendert Blondeel a lecturer in mainframe technology in the University of Applied Science, also known as HOGENT. Leendert shares his journey to academia, his passion for mainframes, what he really enjoys about being an educator and more!