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

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Molly, Good point. Having the materials available where the students can see and touch them helps them to application of the content they are learning. Also, you make a good point about relevancy because you are there to answer any questions they have at any time with this delivery model. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Re: Effective Retention Strategies

Elizabeth, Thank you for this excellent out line on how to increase the retention of students. If the students don't stay in school we can't help them. Instructors are the critical connection in keeping students coming to class and making progress toward their career goals. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Reasons for Enrolling

Kathryn, I agree with this assumption. This is why if we can know about what those career goals are and what is driving them then we can provide targeted support as needed. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Sharing Comprehensive and Clear Course Requirements

Walter, I have found the same thing. You cannot stress the requirements and due dates too much with students. They need to be reminded over and over. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Nina, Such a good point. To have failure based upon miscommunication is unfair to students so we need to make sure our syllabus, handouts, and any other communication is clear and concise. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Maurice, Good point that we need to remember as we are sharing our career experiences with our students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Being Successful in College

Elizabeth, Great advice for students. All aspects of an individual's career development needs to be included. This involves not only content, and skill development but the soft skills such as human relations. Good information for all instructors to consider. Thanks for sharing it with us. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Wendy, So true and so important. Building on a positive first impression is so much easier than digging out of a hole created by a negative one. It really does impact respect and control just as you mention. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Lorelle, So true and we need to remember this as we plan our instructional delivery. They are very concrete in their approach to learning so we need to give them examples that reinforce the course content. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Anna-Marie, This is such valuable information to acquire at the beginning of the course. This can really help you to target your instruction so your students are more fully engaged. Gary

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