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

The Human Factor in Retention

Wendy, This is the human factor in teaching. Knowing that your instructor cares about you as an individual is important for students especially those that may be struggling with life challenges that could cause them to drop out. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Being Successful in College

Kent, All of these elements can be good motivators for students as you start off a new course. You are helping them to see they did make a good decision to go on to school and create a future for themselves. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Being Successful in College

Wendy, Like the way you open a new course because you are increasing the value of the course to them via the explanation of how their efforts will enhance their success in their careers. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Implementing Relevant Course Content

Kent, I commend you for your effort to connect the life experiences of your students to the course content. This way your students can see the value of the content in relation to what they know based upon the career area, in this case the military. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Robert, Can you explain how you do this with your students? Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Kent, Good point and well explained. This is the value of a good start with a new course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Teresa, Using these types of activities are both fun for students and informative for you. I use several ice breakers to start a new class off so we all can become familiar with each other and get settled into the course. Once that is done then I am ready to start them off with the details of the course and the sharing of the syllabus. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Kale, This is going to be a good experience for you and beneficial for your students. You will get the opportunity to be clear and concise in your syllabus content and this will help to reduce student frustration and misunderstandings. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Teresa, I think collecting their signature is important because as you mention it puts accountability and responsibility on them. As you know students frequently say they were not told or didn't know. The signature says that at the beginning of the course they were given the syllabus that contains critical information about the course and they need to refer to the syllabus throughout the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Kent, Thank you for sharing your effort to create a clear and concise syllabus. This is what needs to be done by instructors as they prepare a syllabus that will inform and guide students throughout the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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