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

Instructors as Role Models

Gene, Key point for instructors to remember. Good listeners are going to enjoy a lot of success with students. Good listening really enhances the development of rapport and respect with students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Khalda, Good point about how to attract and hold the attention of the students. This way you are getting their buy in in terms of the course and the assignments they have to complete. The more you can do that the greater their performance is going to be. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Motivators

Maksuda, Stories from your own work experience are extremely valuable to students because they show the students what they are heading for upon graduation. You are giving them a taste of the real world and they need to have that throughout their course work. Also, the videos and guest speakers increase their motivation levels. I use both a lot in my courses for the reasons you state. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Student Feedback

Maksuda, I use student feedback to help me improve my courses on a regular basis. I have my students fill out a 3X5 card after they have completed an assignment. I ask them what they got out of the assignment and what value they attach to their effort. This way I know how to adjust my requirements to make sure I am assigning work that is valued by the students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Maksuda, Adult students that have been out of the classroom for a number of years especially need to see the human factor early in a course. By demonstrating that you care about them and their success you send a powerful message that says you are their learning leader and you will be there for them. Many of us have gone through what they are going through and they need to know this. We really do understand the challenges they are facing and as a result we will be there for them. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Jennifer, I agree with you about the need for mini-lectures and variety in your delivery especially for longer duration courses. I teach from 4 until 10 pm so my students are tired from working all day and need a lot of stimulation to stay engaged. At times it seems like a circus but I still have their attention at the end of the evening. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Maria, Like the way you spread out your instructional delivery options. This way you will be hitting on the different learning preferences of your students and their engagement in the course will increase greatly. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Sharon, You have listed some great ways to get students connected to the content and see the reasons for why they are in the course. The more they can personalize a course the better. It truly is WIIFM in each case. When they see that then they will see the ROI in terms of their career development. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Jennifer, These students need to see that they can fit into the classroom and that they will have support from their learning leader. If they see that from the very beginning their attitude about the class and confidence will start moving in the right direction. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Maria, So true about the bad attitude. We need to bring passion for our field and enthusiasm for our teaching each time we meet our students. If we don't it won't be long before negative feelings start to surface. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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