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

Student Feedback

Jennifer, So true. Student feedback should be collected throughout the course so you as the instructor can make any needed adjustments to keep the students on target in terms of goals and objectives. Also, through feedback as you know you can learn what activities really work well with the students and those that need some improvement. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Jennifer, Passion for one's field and enthusiasm for teaching about it are the two elements that help to create the learning environment for the class. Excitement for learning is catching so the more we can spread it to our students the more engaged the students will be. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Reasons for Enrolling

Jennifer, I think this is very valuable to know as you mention. With this information you can customize your instructional approach to get them engage and focused on the course from the beginning. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Gary, Like this approach because it helps you to get a read on your students and move them from passive to active learners. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Gary, Well put. This is how you maintain an orderly learning environment and impart the needed information about the desired behavior that is is expected. This helps the students to stay focused on the content while developing their soft skills. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Daniel, I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can relate to your comments. It takes a lot planning and a host of activities to keep students engaged and focused on what is being taught. It is always a compliment when they say the evening flew by, which means they have been a part of the learning process and have not paid attention to the time. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Increasing Student Retention

Daniel, Thanks you for these good comments on how to move students from being passive to active learners. Your strategies are right on for getting them involved and your caution is one that we need to remember as we engage them in class interaction. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Discipline in Critical Thinking

Wayne, A very important point. We need secure enough background information and consider enough alternative approaches in order to select an option that will help us to solve the problem that is being presented. This is where students need to put forth some personal effort and acquire self discipline if they are to be successful problem solvers. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Critical Thinker Characteristics

Wayne, Well said about the worse thing being that they experience the effect themselves. Over the years I have had such experiences and am here to tell you it is so much easier and a lot less painful to plan, think and then do. The more they can see the value of critical thinking the more they will see application of what is being taught. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Brian, Students really like hearing these stories and examples. They help the students to see the relevance and application of the content being covered and increases their investment in the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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