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 Your Expectations Clear

Jennifer, This method gives the big picture to students and then they can see how through the different steps and segments they can reach that end goal. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Jodi, This exchange of information really helps to get the class started off with a level of understanding and comfort between the class and yourself. Good way to get the class going. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

GeO-Vanna, This sounds like a good class opener. What are they writing about? Is it related to their lives, the course, their future? Thanks for your input on this. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Maureen, Yes, it can. By combining your personality, expertise, experience and enthusiasm into your delivery you are going to have a winning combination of both style and commitment. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Paul, The 60-90 time frame is a very good idea because by that time the students will have digested what they have learned and will be able to speak objectively about the course. Our college gives course evaluations at the conclusion of the final which is the worst time ever for evaluations due to the taking of the test and uncertainty of how they did. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Jodi, The more variety you can offer your students in terms of acquiring the course content the more engaged they will be. In your instructional planning look for relevancy and application to what you are sharing and this will help the students to "connect the dots" between content and their career development. I wish you much teaching success. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Tenisha, The effort you are putting forth to learn more about your students is so important in understanding and supporting their learning needs. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Justine, This is a very important point in dealing with adult learners. They need to be respected for their life experiences and what they bring to the classroom. If they see they have respect from the instructor they will return respect back to the instructor and this sets the stage for a positive class environment. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Kara, All of these methods are good because they reinforce the content part of the course with applications and illustrations. The guest speakers are real motivators because they represent where the students want to go with their lives. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Melinda, Good way to create a foundation from which to operate. From then on it is a building process for engaging the students. Gary

End of Content