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

Instructors as Motivators

Hi Steven, Good points concerning motivation and rapport. If you can develop rapport with your students then it is much easier to motivate them as the course progresses. They do get tired and worn down so they need support at different times throughout the course. By them knowing your are empathic to their situations and supportive of their efforts they will strive to meet all of the deadlines and assignment completions. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Hi Quiana, You have a great plan for keeping the energy level high in your class and continually supporting your students throughout the course. It is easy for them to get bogged down with everyday life while taking a class and let course progress get away from them. Keep up the good work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Andrea, This is a good method (2x2) to use in providing support and feedback to your students. The music is a good way to get the students settled into the course format. I am sure that with this approach you get good buy in and engagement from your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Jennifer, The examples are a great idea. That way the students can compare examples with their work so they can see how they measure up. Also, I like to use grading rubrics. They really help the students to understand why they receive the points or grade they did. Helps to reduce complaints and questions because it is laid out there for them to see. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Increasing Student Retention

Hi Richard, You are right about the limitations of contact but the personal touch even though by phone is still valued by students. By emailing and phone contact you are sending a message of support and caring and this is important for student to know. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Rodney, I am a big fan of journals. They help you to recall what was successful and what wasn't. I was like you and tried to recall what occurred each time I taught the course but that soon got away from me because I had too much going on to recall everything accurately. So the journals now give me accurately recall from which I can make changes, additions or modifications as needed. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Hi Lataunia, You are so right about the human factor being important in the instructional process. Students need to know you care about their success, even when they don't work as hard to achieve success as we would like. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Hector, What are some ways that you go about recognizing student success? How do you provide positive reinforcement to your students? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Beth, This is a great way to get the students invested in the course. When they get to share course content it gives value to what they are doing. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Thomas, Good idea. I have been teaching for many years and still enjoy observing other instructors because I can always learn something watching them work. Your point about different teaching styles is a good one. You are who you are so you need to take your personality and develop your delivery around that. By observing other instructors you learn about other strategies that you can try in your own classroom or lab. Gary

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