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

Sharing Comprehensive and Clear Course Requirements

Hi Tiffany, Good point. They want and need to know what is going to be covered so they can plan for the coming weeks of instruction to make sure they complete all of the requirements. This helps them see the big picture. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivation Through Relevancy and Application

Hi Dwayne, Good point and well made. The two key words you listed say it all. Relevancy and application are the essential components of career success. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Milton, Great way to introduce a subject that causes fear in many students. I like the way you apply the concepts of math in a practical way. Wish I had had you as an instructor when I was taking math. It was a horrible experience because theory was the foundation of our math rather than application, thus I knew how formulas were created but didn't know why I needed math principles. Thanks for sharing this information with us. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Blog

Surviving Course Apathy Disorder (CAD).

In parts of the world that have extended winters with long days of darkness there is mood disorder that can cause major disruptions in daily lives and the ability to function successfully. The condidtion is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Individiuals with SAD manifest characteristics of withdrawal, weight gain, excessive sleep, and difficulty in getting along with others. They often appear depressed and lack the energy to perform many of their daily tasks. Researchers have studied the condition and have created a number of treatments that seem to help the condition with the most effective being the coming of… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Hi Dr. Sansom, What a great way of laying out how a general education course can be of such value to the education of a student. I teach several general education courses that are required for my students to receive their state certification. They moan and groan but somewhere along the course they start to realize they are learning things of value that will help them with their careers. You have expressed it so well with your points. Thanks for sharing them with us because I know they will be of help to other instructors that face the same challenges… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor REFOCUS

Hi Milton, Good point in terms of showing students both application and relevancy to what they are learning. They need someone to at times "connect the dots" for them because they can get caught up in being students and forget they are actually learning sometime of value. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Valuing Student Opinions

Hi Rebekah, Great way to bring all of the students into the learning process while demonstrating to them that you value and respond to their input. This is of great encouragement to them and I know helps them to become even more engaged in the class. Thanks for sharing your strategies with us. They are going to be of help to many other instructors. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Samer, You have a good plan for professional development. The more courses on instructional planning and delivery you can take the more options you will have in your classroom. Also, the more variety you can introduce to your students the more you will be able to keep them engaged and focused on the content. Good start and I wish you much teaching success. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi Dawn, With the approach your schools uses with a standardized syllabus for the courses they and the faculty know what is to be covered. The good news is that you get to personalize the course as you see fit. This helps to make the course your own plus the students get to see how you bring in your own career experiences to help reinforce the content. This makes for a good learning situation for everyone. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Hi Rebekah, What a great story to share with other instructors. The personal contact and rapport is what it is all about. If they know the door is open to them to come back when they are ready they are much more apt to do so. Gary

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