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

Effective Motivation Techniques

Donna, This is a great way to engage students. Thank you for sharing this strategy with us. By using all five of these items you are hitting on the motivation factors that student need to learn and grow in the course. I know this information will be of help to others as they do their instructional planning. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Donna, Thank you for these good remarks about passion and enthusiasm. Both are needed by instructors if they are going to be able to engage their students and get them focused on the content of the course. We need to be excited about what we are teaching because we are helping to shape the future of our students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Creating Personal Support Systems

Donna, Support systems are so important in the total education process. The quicker students can identify their support system the quicker they will be able to settle into the course and focus on learning. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Brenda, Humor is a valuable teaching tool as it lets students relax a bit and reset their brains. Sharing a laugh helps to get students settled into the course and feeling a part of the learning process. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Dawn, You have a number of factors integrated into your quiz strategy that encourages students to participate and study the required material. I like the way you have developed it because you are asking for effort in the area of content (previous day's lecture and reading assignment) and being on time. If they are late they will miss the points that can be earned from the quizzes so this is working on their soft skill development. I would continue to use this system while getting feedback from your students to see where you can make improvements in the process if… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Katina, Be glad to help out with some suggestions but I will need some addition information about what the goals are for your course and how it fits into their total program. With this information some strategies can be developed that will increase the engagement factor for students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Gina, Good way to establish a foundation for the course and how it is going to operate. This gives the students a clear understanding of expectations, policies and requirements. From there on in the course it is a growth opportunity for the students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Gina, Your last sentence is critical in getting a course off to a good start. The more a student can see and understand the course expectations the better. A well prepared syllabus is valuable to students as the communication tool for expectations. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Supporting Problem Solving Skills

Teresa, The more real world examples the better. These examples help students to see the value of the content being offered plus they start to realize the relevance and application of what they are learning. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using Graphic Organizers

William, This is a great tool and one we need to bring back into the classroom for the benefit of students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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