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.

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Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Student Rapport

Hi Paul, Like the way you have laid out your course expectations and requirements. Your students know what they must do to be successful and in return they will acquire the knowledge and skills needed for career success. This lays it out perfectly. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Carolyn, Great ideas for keeping students engaged in the learning process. Sounds like your class is one that I would like to take because of all of the practical applications you are making. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Shari, If you can work the motivation angle during any one on one time you might have with students. Try and greet each student as they enter the classroom/lab, chat with them a few seconds during breaks or small group discussions. This will help with the development of rapport which contributes to motivational development. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Hi Dorenda, Well said. Empathy plays such a critical role in helping students to succeed. They need to know their instructor cares about their success and will support them as needed. This enhances the retention factor greatly. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Laura, Thanks for this great list of ways to keep students engaged. These are many of the same techniques I use in my classes. The key is variety because that is what keeps students engaged as you well know. I also you a lot of learning group problem solving activities. This really helps to engage the more shy students in the class discussions. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Cathie, Well said. To keep them engaged requires variety and activity. This way you are touching on the different learning preferences that they have and you can keep them forward focused on the material that is being delivered and skills being developed. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Marion, There are two things you want to know about your students. The first is what brought them to the class and what life experiences they have had. As you know adult learners have different motivations and goals than those of younger students, even both groups have the common goal of having course success. The other characteristics you want to identify are their learning preferences. You can learn about these characteristics by observing how the students process information. Are they more visual-auditory-tactile learners. Once this is know you can plan your instructional strategies around these areas to help your… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Celeste, Support is so important to student success as you well know. By using the different methods that you are it gives the students options from which they can create a support system that will enable them to remain in school and be successful. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Holly, Good point. I like to think along the lines of "verbalize and visualize" course content. You are offering your students a change to hear/see/read about the content and then talk about it while looking for ways to apply it. These methods really help with retention. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

Hi Lora, I don't think professors worried about such things either when I was in school. They always started their first lecture with the "look to your left now look to your right" speech to spook us. Because when we looked left and right and was told that those people would not pass the course it really set the stage for feeling comfortable. We were scared to death. Fortunately I was one of those that survived those speeches but I was plenty scared that on any given day my number would be up and I would flunk the course. These… >>>

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