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

Instructors as Motivators

Katherine, This is a great exercise! So many students do not have a vision for themselves. They just sign up for courses and worry about what grade they can get. They don't see how they are building career components for themselves that will result in their success upon graduation. Keep up this effort, it is so valuable to the students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Rene, If they are comfortable with you and have confidence in your ability to help them be successful they will become engaged in the learning process. When this happens there is much satisfaction that can come from being an instructor. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Student Feedback

Rene, This is a critical part of the instructional improvement process. I use 3X5 cards at different times in the course to get feedback on assignments and assessments. This type of feedback is much more helpful than the end of the course evaluations because it is real time and I can make adjustments right then and there if they are needed. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Rene, Sounds like you have good rapport with your students. I tell my student something similar in that I tell them I want them to graduate and be successful so they can pay my Social Security when I retire. So I tell them their success is personal because I don't want Social Security to run out and I don't want to eat dog food when I retire. This always gets them going. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Rich, You make a good point because it is reflective of where education is at today. Students want us to offer edutainment. So we find we are doing a lot of things to engage the students and delivery technical content in interesting and alternative ways. This can be a challenge because in many technical fields (I was trained in one) it involves a lot of self discipline and effort to acquire all of the needed knowledge as well as the skill sets. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Anne, You have listed two of the key words in learning. Instructors need to have passion about their field and enthusiasm for teaching it. Without either the students are going to disengage from the learning process. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Charles, Good point and well said. What do you do on the first day to make a good impression on your students? Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Michael, This relaxed and informal efforts help to set the stage for the course and this is important as the students get settled into the new class. Also this gives you insight into the composition of the class so you can plan your instructional delivery to meet their needs. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Christina, Students love hear stories from their instructors about what they did in the field. Also these stories make the course content come alive because they hear how it can be applied. So keep telling the stories and having fun relating your career experiences. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Regina, Knowing the learning preferences of your students helps to keep them engaged and focused on the topic being covered. This is so important if you are going to see the learning take place that you desire. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

End of Content