Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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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Hi Ioana, You make a key point about class work of all kinds. They must be anchored in workplace realities. So many of our students do not have the soft skills needed for career success nor do they see relevancy to what they are studying. You are making that connection for them. Way to go! Gary
Hi Tammy, What a great story! Generally when students are assigned something like this you hear all kinds of grumbling and you get the minimum. To have them expand beyond the requirements and to be excited about the research they did is a compliment to you. Way to inspire your students. Gary

Hi Jim, There have been some interesting studies done on gender and birth order learning. There is merit to your assumption about gender learning. You might want to look at some of them in relation to your son's ability to learn with what normally would be considered distractions. With the situation you are working in with your online instruction you are doing a good job of bringing the different learning styles into play. The key component that you have with your online instruction is the human factor. By being supportive and available you will be balancing all the aspects of… >>>

Hi Margie, Yes, I have studied MI for many years. I have been researching it for the past 25 years and have developed an assessment of MI called Talent Assessment (www.micubed.com). The purpose of my research was to learn all I could about how people process information the same as you. The results have been we have been able to use the assessment and the results in all kinds of settings to facilitate more effective learning and communication. Dr. Herrmann's work is an excellent example of how we have to look all types of cognitive processing possibilities to determine those… >>>

Hi Prof. Elliott, Spoken like a true live long learner. The idea of continual growth within one's professional development should be a goal for all us in education. Two things happen as a result of these efforts, our students are better served and we get to learn just that much more. Having been a professor for over thirty years I can truly say I am still very excited about learning new techniques and strategies to make my classes better. You are to be commended for your attitude and excitement about all that you are doing. I wish you the best… >>>

Hi Prof. Elliott, Thank you for this excellent outline of procedures for starting up a new online course. Each step helps get the students settled in the flow of the course as well as showing them how they fit within the course. Having taught online courses for a number of years I remember stumbling through all of the procedures and techniques that I slowly discovered as being successful. With any newly emerging format without much history there has to be development. With the extensive experience you have the learning curve won't have to be so sharp for other instructors as… >>>

Hi A. Andaz Ahmad, Your approach is what makes it real. The students can see the relevancy and application of what they are studying through the field trips, guest speakers and internships. Well done. Gary
Hi A. Andaz Ahmad, You make a very good point about instructors needing to personalize their courses within the restrictions of their college. It can be done but it takes creativity on the part of the instructors to bring into the classes their personality and instructional delivery to the point they enjoy teaching and the students are receptive to their instruction. Gary
Hi, A. Andaz Ahmad, Thank you for sharing these excellent resources with the participants. Their use is focusing on the different learning styles of students as well as serving as motivators. They also give the instructors the opportunity to facilitate student interaction and rapport. Gary
Hi Gayle, Your excitement comes through very clearly. I know your students sense it as well. This is a major part of teaching that some instructors miss. They become so focused on content they forget the human factor. Gary

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