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.

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Instructors as Role Models

Hi Dinah, Thank you for sharing all of these excellent strategies for presenting yourself as a professional and a model. By doing such you are setting the stage for showing the how they can be successful professionals as well. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi Theresia, What methods do you use to help your students to understand the difficulties of the course beyond the course description in the syllabus? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivating Learners

Hi Kay, Good strategies for keeping your online students engaged in the different parts of the course. In your teaching experience have you found something that really helps to get the attention of a student and get him/her involved in the course? I know a lot of online instructors are dealing with this same issue. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Ronald, Good way to create a clear plan of action for the upcoming course and to get your students settled into the course. What has been your most often asked question or greatest student concern after you finish your introduction? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi Christopher, Right you are about the change of pace after a lecture period. The break could be a Q&A session, small group work, demonstration, etc. Anything that lets the students reset their thinking and concentration. This way you can keep the class moving forward and not waste their time but keep their focus. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Jeff, These sound like very good ideas for keeping students engaged in the learning process. As you say your options are limited when teaching online, but I see you are still bringing creativity and innovation to your instruction. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Monique, Well said in terms of how you will develop and adapt your instructional style for your students. A side benefit of doing this I have found it that it keeps my interest high in terms of seeing how the adaptation works out. When you teach the same course over and over again it is easy to fall into a rut and not being as dynamic as you should be. When you bring new activities, ideas and strategies into the course then both the students and you increase your interest. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Monique, This is so true. Learning is a simple process with many complex aspects to it. Instructors need to work hard at trying to understand the dynamics of the students, the pace of the class and the learning that is occurring. This is a big task but when the students get "ah-ha" moments then all the effort is worth it. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Rolinda, This is a great way to approach a new class. You are informing, modeling and supporting your students and your profession while showing your students that you care about their success. I know your students get off to a good start as a result of your efforts. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructor Enthusiasm

Hi Marlo, Good comments. This is why instructors are such powerful role models. They need to be excited about their field, if not maybe they would be better off doing something else. Students like to see someone that is excited about what they are teaching because that helps them to create a sense of excitement for themselves. They see a future that includes success and respect for their field. Gary

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