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

Motivating Learners

Hi Elizabeth, Great attitude! Your excitement will serve you well in the classroom. Your students are going to get excited about the content as result of your energy and enthusiasm. Go get'em teacher. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructor REFOCUS

Hi Chris, This is so true. We are influenced in so many ways by those around us so we need to seek those that will support us rather than distract or discourage us. Enthusiasm is what will keep students coming to class if they respect the instructor and have confidence in his/her ability to share content. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

Hi Regina, I break my class up into small groups (3-4 students) and assign each group a topic to discuss in their group and then report out. I rotate within the group who reports out. So every person in the group gives a report. After doing this a few times class members start to get comfortable and start to contribute to the general class discussion. When I have students that don't contribute I will call on them for their thoughts and they do a good job of sharing them. I just keep encouraging them every chance I get and as… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Jonathan, A simple act but one that students enjoy participating in even if they are adults. Adults are just kids wearing bigger clothes. Having some fun in class while learning is important to keep students engaged and focused on learning. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Marie, I have my Jeopardy game on my computer so I can load in the questions and then project them. This way the class can see them and my teams ring in with the answers. Students like the graphics plus they enjoy playing the games. You are right about the need to adapt your instructional delivery to meet the needs of your students. Thanks for sharing your strategies with us. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Marie, Good comments about the value of understanding differences between and among learners. By planning for these differences you are going to be more effective in your instructional approach and your students are going to be more engaged and focused. A win win for everyone. Thanks for sharing these thoughts with us. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Carla, Great way to include your students in a variety of different ways. The interaction between them gives them a chance to get to know each other as well as contribute to the course in their own ways. This is what helps to make online courses valuable to students as opposed to just taking a course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Effective Retention Strategies

Hi Christopher, Thank you for the good comments about how to be supportive to your students while increasing their retention in the course. The human factor is so important to the educational process. We, instructors can never forget that as we work with our students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Student Motivation Factors

Hi Karen, These are the same type of students that I have as I teach evening courses as well. I seem to always be struggling with helping them to work through the reasons they are taking the class while coping with personal and family issues. Your connection with them as you have gone through what they are currently going through is valuable because it helps to bring the human element into the setting. As a role model you made it and so can they if they will just hang in there and take it one day and one class at… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Andrea, So do my students. When you bring in speakers where are they coming from? Are they graduates, employers, or someone else from the field? Thanks in advance for your input on this. Gary

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