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

Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Marie, Way to set the stage for your students. They get to see a professional that cares about their success. Each of these areas contribute to the develop of the emotional, social and professional development of your medical assistants. Keep up the good work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Hi Doug, Good way to approach the learning development of your students. The more "real world" experiences you can give them the better you are going to prepare them to make the transition from school to employment. In addition you will help them to develop their understanding of the ethics of their field. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Retention Strategies

Hi Kimberly, There are a number of methods that are gaining favor with online instructors. MaxKnowledge is bringing out a series of professional development courses targeted specially for online instructors. One EL 103 is already out and available. EL104-105-106 are coming this fall. Look them over because they contain a number of very good suggestions and strategies for retaining online students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Laura, All of the things you mentioned contribute to the making of a positive impression. This I believe build the foundation for the development respect and rapport with the students. These two elements are essential for creating a professional and comfortable learning environment for the students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Student Motivation Factors

Hi Alejandro, An instructor needs to have the respect of the students and have developed rapport with them. Once that two critical elements are in place then the gestures take on more importance. You are right without respect the gestures lose their impact. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructor Enthusiasm

Hi Peter, Good point. No matter the content we need to be excited about it and try our best to make it exciting and engaging for the students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Herbert, Thank you for the kind words. I wish you much success in your teaching efforts. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Liz, I agree with you about the pretest needing to be short and targeted. I have 15 questions on mine and it takes about 15 minutes to take. I do some iced breakers and then give the class the pretest and then have some group activities. This way I mingle the pretest into the first nights class without making a big deal of it so the students don't get stressed out but I get the information I need to plan where I start with the class. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Alejandro, You raise a very challenging question that requires a creative series of answers. I'm not sure how to answer your question with out some additional information. Since the students are from a distance they can't use their family or neighborhood supports so they are left to come up with their own support. I would first start with looking at the support that the school provides. It is sufficient or targeted enough? Are there areas lacking that the school could provide? Questions like this will help to identify areas of support that the school needs to expand into. The… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Ytevia, Right you are. By offering a variety of instructional deliveries you are offering the students the opportunity to work in their learning preferences throughout the course. Gary

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