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

Leann, How to you share the class rules with your students? Do you list them, discuss them, are they in the syllabus? Thanks for your input on this. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Sharif , I agree. I am currently teaching two sections of the same course back to back and each one has a unique personality. I have to customize my approach to meet the needs of each class if I am going to keep them engaged and focused on what I am sharing with them. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Dan, Good examples of how to make a negative first impression. You are right about students seizing up an instructor from the minute that individual enters the room. We need to get it right from the very beginning. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Arlene, Well said. It is so much easier to build on a positive first impression rather than having to dig out of a negative hole throughout the course phase. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Michael, So true. This is a great way for everyone to get off to a good start. A positive first impression says a lot about how the course will be conducted and sets the tone for the learning that is going to come. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Killarney , I like your style. You sound like you have control of the class in a way that supports your personality and is of value to the learning efforts of your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Defining Instructional Professionalism

Killarney , Well said and I am sure you are going to be successful with your first course on your own. I wish you much teaching success as you have much to offer your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Blog

Fear of Failure

Students, no matter their backgrounds, age or experiences are nervous the first time the class meets and for many of them they have a fear of failure. When they enter a new class they want to know what it takes to be successful in the class. This is where a well prepared syllabus and organized instructor comes into play. In addition, there is the generational fear of failure.

For younger students, especially those just out of high school the fear of social failure is very high. They wonder what their peers will think if they are not successful. They want… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Increasing Student Retention

Cynthia, Congratulations for such a high retention rate. You are doing a lot of things right to have this high of percentage. Keep up the great work! Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Clear Goals and Objectives

Geoffrey, This is a good way to bring accountability into your instruction and content. You know you can measure the outcomes since you have quantifiable objectives and competency points. Gary

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