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

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi Joe, Good for you and the fact you had a person early in your career help you understand the importance of the syllabus in informing students about the course. Thank you for sharing this with us because I know it will be of help to new instructors just starting out. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Increasing Student Retention

Hi Erica, I have the same request of my students and it really helps me to stay on top of where my students are and what is happening with their attendance. It also lends an air of accountability when they send me an email telling me they will be missing class. I think it encourages them to attend if at all possible. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Gwen, Good definition and one that instructors need to always keep in mind when teaching. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructor Enthusiasm

Hi Kamille, This is a very good point. The students need to be informed about the knowledge and skill sets their instructor is bringing into the classroom. This way they will become more engaged and focused on the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Developing Clear Goals and Objectives

Hi M. Clinger, Right you are and the more clear you can make your goals and expectations they easier it will be for the students to understand what they need to do to be successful. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Ann, In these situations I bring in case studies or problem situations for the students to work through. This way they have to use the content they have received to complete the assignments. I give a significant point value to these efforts so they will put forth the effort to complete them and they see they can't pass the course without doing this type of work in addition to passing the test. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Ann, I think it is a good idea as well. This way you know how to support and encourage students as various issues arise with their attendance throughout the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi Jonathan, Well said and so true. A well prepared syllabus as you already know can reduce student anxiety and frustration. You lay out course expectations, polices and requirements and then build from there. When these elements are missing the students have a hard time grasping just what is going to be required of them. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Terry, In the beginning you can just assume a normal distribution of learning preferences in your class. As your expertise expands you will start to see more accurately where the learning preferences are within each course. I have had them bunch up with 90% being tactile learners and 10% being auditory learners. By knowing this I was able to reformat my planned delivery and focus on the current group of students. This is why customizing instruction is so important and constantly changing. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Connie, So true. Excitement does not just spring up out of students they need to have an instructor that helps them with their motivation and enthusiasm and one way to do that is show them how you the instructor is about having the opportunity to teach the course. Gary

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