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

Being Successful in College

Hi Michelle, You make three very good points about how to approach the classroom successfully. By doing all three you are setting the stage for success for your students. You are blending both the educational and personal aspects of teaching into your delivery. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Hi Neal, Good question concerning who is the customer. I believe as do you it is the student because the school exists for the purpose of education the student. Thus, we need to be student centered in our approach. The employer hires the product that is produced by the school (the student) but only after that product has been through the training process. During the student is the customer, after graduation it is the employer that is the consumer. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Stacy, Well said. We all need to have a comprehensive approach to our planning so we can offer instruction to the entire class while meeting the individual needs of our students. Variety and understanding are two parts of the planning process that makes this possible. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Linda, This is a great way to start a new class. By having the students list the things that might keep them from coming to class or being successful they know you are aware of what they are going through. Then by having them list ways to overcome those situations you and other classmates are giving them ideas for how they can overcome those barriers and be successful. This should be very valuable information for those students that are uncertain about how they can make it through the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Jan, This is a great way to develop rapport with students as well as providing them support. This also helps you with keeping your finger on the pulse of the class based upon the feedback you receive. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Sara, Good list. Thank you for sharing it with us. This list can be valuable for all of us. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

Hi Stacy, Good point about helping students to feel accepted into the course. This is so important for students that are uncertain about how they are going to do in the course. By having early success and feeling accepted they get settled into the course and are ready to learn. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Jan, What a great way for getting a class started off right. By knowing they have an advocate and mentor the students can be more focused on success throughout the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Heather, Good comprehensive approach to offering your students variety in their learning. This is what helps to keep them engaged in the learning process. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Oriole, How you do it is to look for a variety of ways of presenting the content of your course. You mentioned that many of your students are visual learners which is one of the learning preference areas. You can also have the students work in groups, have discussions and provide them with guided notes all of which can appeal to their different learning preferences. This way they have some choices for how they can receive new information. You are on the right track with what you are currently doing. Look for things you can do to engage them… >>>

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