Gary Meers, Ed.D.

About me

I am an Education Advisor/Consultant for MaxKnowledge. I write courses that assist in the professional development of career college instructors. These courses range in content from the introductory level to advanced instructional development. I started my teaching career as an instructional technology teacher on the high school level, completed graduate school and then moved into higher education. I spent many years in the area of teacher training at the University of Nebraska. While at the University of Nebraska I stared working with career college instructors to improve their instructional delivery skills. As a result of these experiences I have been a consultant to career colleges throughout the United States and a number of foreign countries.

Activity

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Increasing Student Retention

Hi Carol, Thank you for this example of how our students need to be treated so they will retain the needed content, develop the required skills and keep returning to class. Being a valued student is very important for the class management as well. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor REFOCUS

Hi Rosita, This is a good point. We need to work at being fresh in our approach to instructional delivery as well as strive to introduce the most current content in our field. This way everyone benefits and the classes are much more enjoyable for the students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi John, Good strategy for laying out how you are going to approach the classroom and the sharing of your course content. You have a great grasp of what you want to do in the classroom and this is going to help you to be an effective instructional delivery expert. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Marigrace, I think sharing your life experiences also helps your students value what you are sharing with them. You have lived many different experiences and as a result you know what it takes to be a success. This helps your students to see you as a role model for the career area you are helping them to prepare for. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Maria, The questions I ask are related to my field. This way I can determine the knowledge the students are bringing to the class. I came up with the questions by looking at the key foundational skills/knowledge that students need to have to get started. Based upon their responses I am able to develop my lectures and activities around their responses. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Student Feedback

Hi Joel, You make a good point concerning the need for a balance between how soon you return their work or quiz scores as it relates to the in-depth analysis and evaluation of their work. Your comments about getting to know the preferences of the students and then meeting their needs through those preferences are good. This helps to customize the experience for each student. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Hi Jodi, Good strategies for getting a class off to a good start. Your blend of professional knowledge and human compassion illustrates to the students that they have an educator that cares about their success. This sets the stage for them to put forth the effort needed to past the course and acquire the needed knowledge and expertise. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor REFOCUS

Hi Gretchen, This is a good point that all of us instructors need to remember. We have to remember that the material is fresh that that group of students even if we have taught the course many times before. By stepping back as you say we can keep ourselves fresh and focused. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Hi Patricia, I was facing a similar situation because the information I needed to share with my students was not available in a current text. I put together my own packet and then contracted with a commercial publisher to provide the packet to my students. The publisher is University Readers.com They will customize in anyway you want. The result is that my students get current information at a very reasonable cost. Like your students when I posted the information online they did not avail themselves of it as they should or printed parts and so they were missing sections that… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Patricia, Great way to "spread" out your presentations so you are appealing to different learning preferences. This as you know helps to keep the students engaged and focused. Thanks for sharing with us. Gary

End of Content