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.

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Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Hi Jessica, This is a great way to start a new class. It gets everyone involved and talking with each other. There is little to no stress as they are writing responses to questions about themselves so they feel confident in their responses. Thanks for sharing this strategy with us. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

Hi Sarah, You make a good point about how instructors need to bring everyone into the class by making them comfortable and included. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivating Learners

Hi Robert, I use learning teams as well. I think they help students to learn to work with one another just as they will when they are out in the work place. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Tim, This type of instructor support is so important for students to know about and be encouraged to take advantage of. This way they know that you care about them and their success and this is so important for retention. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Tanya, Good points! Our students bring to the classroom so many different experiences, challenges and expectations that we need to work hard to try and customize our approach so we can be supportive to and for them. By doing so we are going to increase our retention and student satisfaction rates. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructors as Role Models

Hi Linda, I like your approach a lot. By being strict and enforcing professional standards and conduct you are doing such a great service to your students. They will thank you later when they find that they are being successful as a result of an instructor that cared enough to help make them into the professionals they are. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi Deb, This is so true for so many of us. Taking that step. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Michelle, Great analysis of how students need some time to internalize the new knowledge and skills they are acquiring so they can make it a part of their working skill set. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Catrina, Good point. It is so much easier to continue a positive imagine rather than trying to trying to dig out of a hole that could have been avoided by being prepared, organized and focused on the first class meeting. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructors as Motivators

Hi Donna, Well said. The professor is the gauge for the class. If he/she isn't engaging and focused on sharing course content in a dynamic and way then student motivation is going to slip just as you mention. We need to be prepared, organized and excited about our field each time we teach. Gary

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