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

Making a Positive First Impression

Kerry, Very true. This sets the tone for the class to come. This is the foundation for the development of respect from the students. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Vicki, Thank you for the comments and sharing your own inspirational story. This is what being a role model is all about. Many students as you know think their instructors do not exist outside of the classroom. With your story they learn that yes, instructors have challenges as well and they got to be instructors by hard work, self motivation and dedication to learning. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Student Rapport

Vicki, I wish you success with this group of students when you have them again. Something happen to build that wall and hopefully with the new course you can break through the wall and earn their respect and trust. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Re: Effective Retention Strategies

Adam, Good point for us to remember. We don't think we are intimidating them but sometimes we do and they withdraw even farther. So we need to work on earning their respect and developing rapport with them as the course progresses. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Billy, Well said about the demise of Socrates. We instructors need to keep that in mind as we craft our questions. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Billy, I really like your approach to the classroom and especially a course like English. English is often viewed as a necessary pain it get through to graduate when in fact as you know it can be a powerful part of the career success track. Effective communication both written and oral helps individuals illustrate their expertise. With your methods they are gaining knowledge about how they can develop those skills. Keep up the good work. Also, glad to hear about the rubrics that you are using. They save me a lot of time and help me to more effectively zero… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Reasons for Enrolling

Chad, How do you help them share their goals with you? Do you have them write them down or is it through a general class discussion? Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Being Successful in College

Billy, Thank you for these comments about what it takes for a student to be successful in the college setting. Your experience shows that success can be theirs if they will set up a support system for themselves. It is critical to their success but they often don't take the time to make it a reality. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Kathleen, Thank you for the example of how an instructor can miss the mark and alienate students just as what happened to you. This is something that all instructors need to keep in mind as develop their instructional plans. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Mark, Immediate use of newly acquired knowledge is an effective learning tool. Your approach is using this strategy in a way that there will be a higher retention of content by the students. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

End of Content