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 Your Expectations Clear

Hi Russell, Great to hear. Anytime we have a smiling instructor we know things are going well. Sounds like you have the respect of your peers and have established rapport with them to the point that you all feel very comfortable working and learning together. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Duane, Right you are. This is so important when working with non-traditional learners. They need to be allowed to bring in their life experiences as a foundation upon which they can build. This helps to get them settled into the course and builds up their self confidence which is needed for success. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructor REFOCUS

Hi Michelle, What a graphic way to reinforce your course content. I wish I taught a content area like yours where I could give the concrete examples of our course content. I try to do this through case studies, group projects, and my own career experiences, but seeing an actual object is so out there for the students. Great job! I know this is a "big seller" for the students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Developing Clear Goals and Objectives

Hi Jeff, You make a good point about clarity. The more you can make the course requirements, policies and expectations clear the easier time the students are going to have getting settled into the course. When teaching online this is even more important as you say, not to mention the fact you are teaching subjects that cause a case of the nerves for many students. Anything you can do to help them calm down the better the course is going to flow. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Kim, Good way to "blend" the different deliveries to target the different learning preferences. This way all students will have their learning preferences offered at different times during the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Audra, There are a number of websites that you can review that has information about multiple intelligences and learning preferences. There is currently a number of research efforts being conducted in the area of learning modalities in digital classrooms that should be available by next summer. Keep on the lookout for these, I know you will find their results very interesting. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Sayida, Great connections you are building with your students. This method enables them to see the application and relevancy in what you are sharing with them. This really will help in their motivation. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Hi Patricia, Good point. Many courses lend themselves to classroom settings where as you listed they need to be supportive and comfortable to the learning process. In these settings it is the focus on the content and delivery that is critical. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Role Models

Hi Brian, The people factor is so important. Many times students miss this point in their education. Without the people factor and the knowledge and skill to work with diverse groups career success is going to be a challenge at best. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Duane, Right you are. This is what makes learning for adults so valuable. They are taking a risk by becoming students and then even more risk by being in classes with others where they risk failure in front of peers. This is why I admire adults learners so much. They put it all out there so they can improve their lives. This is why we need to support them in anyway we can to help them achieve their career goals. Gary

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