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

Instructor Enthusiasm

James, Thank you for these good comments about enthusiasm. Enthusiasm as you know is catching so the more we bring it the more our students will catch it and realize that learning can be fun. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Dave, We instructors need to have passion for our field and enthusiasm for teaching about it. With these two elements we are going to moving our students forward in their learning and helping them to see the value of what is being taught. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Reasons for Enrolling

James, Good point about knowing why students are enrolled. Having this information gives you an idea of how to approach and support a student. For the students that are there because their parents made them I try to convince them that their future is up to them. They need help in capturing a vision of their future and what success they want in that future. Many of them get it and really dig in and others just whine through the course or drop out. Makes me sad because they have missed a great opportunity that many individuals never get to… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Being Successful in College

James, Adults coming back to school are taking a big risk because they are not sure they can be successful in the classroom. The more confidence you can help them build the better. It is amazing how a little success can generate big returns for these students and they start to see that in fact they can be successful and that they are making progress in their career training. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Being Successful in College

Dave, I think this is a key role for an adult educator to play. The more of a mentor or coach that you can be the more value they will associate with the course and how you are helping them move closer to their career goals. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Offering Varied Instructional Delivery

Mariann, This is a challenge for some types of courses and it requires some effort to get the students into the material and seeing value from what is being taught. You are doing a good job of this via your use of hand outs and other instructional materials. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Todd, You have used a key word when it comes to having a well prepared syllabus. Students become very frustrated when they can't follow the syllabus and the instructor is not following what has been listed in the syllabus. You are right on with the fact that a well prepared syllabus is needed if the students are going to see value in how and what is being taught. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Cynthia, These are fun strategies to use and they do wake the students up. I like to use things like this for the engagement factor and to keep the students focused on the class. I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I need to have a lot of action to keep them in a learning mode for this length of time. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Role Models

Laquenta, Like your style a lot This is how it should be for instructors since they are role models for their field. We do need to reflect our professionalism both in and out of the classroom or lab. Someone is always observing how we conduct ourselves and we do not want to disappoint our students nor reflect badly on our field. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Todd, You make a good point about the need to balance the examples given and stories shared between the instructor and the students. This way student input is increased and the students start to respect each other more as a result of hearing about the life experiences that others have had in relation to the course content. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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