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

Becoming aware of retention strategies...

Hi Richard, You make a very good point about retention. Everyone comes to school for a personal reason. By reflecting on that personal reason at different times throughout their course work when times are tough they can retain and/or refresh the vision they had for coming to school in the first place. For some students with outside influences that could lead them to quit the refreshing needs to happen often. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Becoming aware of retention strategies...

Hi Eric, This has been my experience as well. Plus I have found that having students select their own projects they are required to think about the total project rather than just what the course requirement is. Some students want to have every detail spelled out so they can make sure they don't miss a point on the final scoring. I give them clear directions and details about the structure of the project but they have to come up with it on their own. I let them know that once they graduate no one is going to be there spelling… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Becoming aware of retention strategies...

Hi Robert, This is a great approach because I have found the same situation as you in terms of students giving me feedback based upon the last thing they did rather than the big picture. Instructional improvement and growth is based upon global input build upon a time frame of several weeks or months. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Pamela, You raise a very good point that should not happen in a class. As a graduate student you should not be asking "What does he/she want in terms of my writing?" but instead "What kind of writing is needed to reflect the standards of the field?". This is the kind of feedback that you should be receiving as well. This is a good example of how you can better serve the needs of your students since you yourself is living this situation. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Karen, Good approach to helping your students to be successful. Something I try and impress on my students is that I am not trying to be critical of their work because I enjoy doing so it is because I want to see them grow and develop in their expertise. I explain to them that if they will work hard on their projects, I as an expert in the field will give them the benefit of my experience and expertise to help them get better. Once they graduate I will not longer be available to them as a resource so… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi Olatunji, Welcome to the profession of teaching. I hope your last five weeks have been enjoyable. Don't worry about being able to answer all of the questions presented by students. Just answer those you can and let the students know you will find the answers and bring them in the next class. Another approach is to thank the student that asked the question and then turn the question to the class and see if anyone knows the answer. If they don't then assign them the task of finding the answer by the next class meeting. Students generally enjoy doing… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivation techniques...

Hi Dorothy, This is so important. They do forget what brought them there in the first place. A reminder can get them to thinking once again about their career goal and how this class will help them move toward their career goals. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivation techniques...

Hi Robert, I think this is a great way of providing student support and feedback. Your willingness to include their work no matter the viewpoint shows that you are interested in them developing communication skills of the highest order. They should really respect your efforts in this area. This will pay off for them throughout their careers. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivation techniques...

Hi Lynn, This is what relevancy is all about. That student made the course come alive for your students. She was someone that had been where they are and now is where they want to be. She gave them a vision that they could use to shape their own future. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

REFOCUS...

Hi All, What are some methods you all use in REFOCUSING yourselves? I many instructors are looking for examples of ways this can be done. Gary

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