If this is what you are getting, it is because there are multiple objects selected.
At this point the scale tool functions as a uniform scale.
That is what the number 1 in the Coordinate manager represents…the seelction is 1 times as big as it is, which would be no change if you clicked apply.
In some ways this actually presents you with a better option for scaling.
What the instructor did was to first hit “c” to make editable.
Then, with the resulting geo selected, and in object mode he was able to set the values directly.
The issue here is that his values could cause a non-uniform scale, which may change the original profile that he was trying to achieve.