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.

Activity

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Offering Varied Instructional Delivery

Helena, This is one of the challenges of being an instructor as well as one of the enjoyable parts of our job. We get to work with diverse student groups and use our creativity to reach their different learning needs. Makes for exciting times at school. Can't say our job is boring. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Helena, I use this method as well and I really like the results I get. My students can concentrate more on taking the content in and decoding it for their own use since they have the guided notes from the PP print outs. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Juan, Good point about them assuming responsibility. It is up to them to put forth the effort needed to be successful in the course. As the instructor you can support them but the course is theirs to pass. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Innocent, Good points about the need for positive first impressions in new classes. Positive first impressions set a tone for the course that will be carried for the entire session. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Lydia, Good point and one we instructors need to keep in mind. If they are not comfortable we are going to have challenges in relation to keeping their interest. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

lENNOX, Very true. We need to always be open to learning opportunities for ourselves and our students. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Defining Instructional Professionalism

Brad, This is the way to do it. After all these students are preparing to enter the "real world" so the more that they can be exposed to how the real world is going to be for them in their field the easier their transition to it is going to be. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Student Rapport

Caryn, These connections are so important. The more they can connect with their instructor in terms of knowing they have support the greater their investment will be in the course. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Students as Class Members

Caryn, Good for you. The more you can bring in their life experiences the more engaged they are going to be. In addition, they grow in confidence because they feel they have something to contribute to the course. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Caryn, The majority of students are more tactile in their learning so the more "hands on" you can use the higher the interest level. This holds true for both lab and general content courses. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

End of Content