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.

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Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Application of New Knowledge

Hi George, Thanks for creating the mental images for us. They give me a real clear picture of how storing new knowledge will works. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructors as Role Models

Hi Carla, Good way to bring life experiences into the classroom. Your experiences as you know help to reinforce the content you are teaching. Students like to hear examples of what goes on in the "real world" that they are preparing to enter. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Ricky, Encouragement is so important and you are right about how early on in the course it is easy to see those students that need it. We need to work hard on earning their respect so when we talk to them about their attendance or assignments they will be responsive to our conversation. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructor Enthusiasm

Hi Richard, As I am wrapping up a series of courses I can really support your comments. The students wear down and let external factors influence their efforts. We have to bring our A game to the class and keep our excitement level up if we are going to get them to see the finish line and strive to reach it. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Developing Clear Goals and Objectives

Hi Richard, Well put. This is the foundation upon which a successful course is going to be built. Without clear communication it is going to be a struggle for everyone for the duration. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Nastassia, Good points because knowing student characteristics is so important. The more you know the more you can target and customize your instruction. Good advice for all instructor. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Sharing Comprehensive and Clear Course Requirements

Hi Ted, Good point. This reduces many questions and much frustration on the part of students. Knowing expectations enables them to plan how they will be successful in the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Amer, I think this is a very important skill you are developing in your students. They need to be able to think critically so the more experiences you can provide along this line the greater their expertise will be upon graduation. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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The Human Factor in Retention

Hi George, You have brought up a very good point about the situation that America's educational system is facing. Everyone talks school reform but many of the approaches are doomed to failure because of the implementation models being used. This is why we face many challenges on the post secondary level with students that do not have sufficient academic skills to perform at the level required. I am a big advocate for Career Academies on the secondary level. We have data to support higher retention and higher student satisfaction when they attend these Academies. It is based upon the facts… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivation Through Relevancy and Application

Hi Jacqueline, Good comments that support the strategies I use to engage my students in my gen ed courses. I use them for the reasons you listed and am enjoying seeing the student grow as a result of the applications they with their newly acquired knowledge. Gary

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