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

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Hi Joan, The key is to get the student to personalize the course to their career goals. With many different kinds of supports and encouragements you can get them moving the right direction in their motivation. Then when they start to see the return on investment (ROI) in their lives they get excited about the effort they are putting forth. It is like them seeing the "light at the end of the tunnel". Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Application of New Knowledge

Hi Vince, Application is critical for retention of content. In your classes what are some strategies you use to get your students to make the connection between content and application, such as their understanding of how many calories they need, etc. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Evan, Your method is how instructional improvement continues. Reflection is a key element in this process and by looking at student performance you can see how effective you have been. In going over the student responses is there a common theme that emerges or is it different each time you teach the course? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Tamara, This is a great way to set the stage for the course. By setting your goal of effort at 110% you have sent a very clear message that you are going to expect a high level of effort from each and every student. I like to set the standards high from the very beginning so my students have something to work toward. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Role Models

Hi Lauren, You are right about the need for students to be able to work together on common problems or goals. The Gen Y students are socially connected but often times lacking in the ability to interact and cooperate with each other since their social contacts are often technical in nature rather than personal. The older students have the personal skills of interacting and get frustrated with the younger students in getting them to interact with each other. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Marion, Good point about instructor movement. I wonder how those students that were playing the games will do on the next test as a result of your being in their "area" during class. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Marion, Your approach is a good way to help your students see relevancy and application. Your discussion of the various alternatives that are proposed really expands the options that students learn about in class and can use later in their careers. These types of discussions also give you an idea of how well the class is going from the instructional side of things. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi Thomas, This is a good approach because it gives you an idea of how other instructors approach the classroom. As you say you might not have that person's flair but you can get ideas from watching them. Then you can take those ideas and translate them into your own instructional delivery. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Kim, What are some ways that you demonstrate your enthusiasm for your subject matter? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi Gene, This method really keeps the students informed. I like the way you lay it out for them. This should reduce many of the questions that students have about deadlines because they have it in front of them along with the review of the deadline sheet each time the class meets. Gary

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