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

Engaging Learners in Discussion

One of the greatest challenges I have found in facilitating discussions is that many learners simply post the minimum requirements and once they have met the expectations of the discussion, they disengage and don't bother to come back into the discussion to extend the dialog on the topic. What will be your role in discussions? How will you encourage substantive participation? What strategies will you use to extend learnerâ€™s thinking and keep the discussion focused on the intended outcomes?

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Will Online Learning Replace the Traditional Classroom?

Online learning will eventually replace traditional classroom delivery of instruction? Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Presence

Instructor interaction in an online learning environment is very different from the traditional learning environment. Traditionally, the major interaction that an instructor has with learners is through the transmission of content via lecture. In an online learning environment, the delivery of course content is not the instructor's primary activity, so you will need to be able to transition from being the "sage on the stage" to the "guide on the side." What do you feel will be your biggest challenge in transitioning to a "guide on the side"?

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Optimal Online Student-Instructor Ratio

What is an optimal online student-instructor ratio? Justify your answer.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Faculty Expectations

An issue that I have found in teaching online is learners who have different expectations for the online course and instructor. To keep learners from becoming frustrated with their expectations not being met, we have created a faculty expectation statement that all faculty post at the beginning of the ocurse to ensure that learners understand what they can expect from the course and the instructor. What do you feel are important elements of a faculty expectations statement that can help set the appropriate expectations for learners in your online course?

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Joe, Two good ideas for expanding your knowledge of how to be a more effective and efficient instructor. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Responsibilities of Teaching Online

Jerry, Good reminder for all teachers no matter the format they teach within. We need our teaching to always be student centered. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Responsibilities of Teaching Online

Tamara, Good explanation of how different approaches are used in working with and supporting students online and onsite. Each are unique and require that we adapt our approach to work within the venue we are interacting with students through. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Managing Learner Behaviors - 2

Tamara, Thank you for sharing this strategy with us. I know it will be of help to other online instructors that are faced with a similar issue. The more strategies we are aware of the more ways we have to help keep our students in our classes and be successful. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Managing Learner Behaviors

Tamara, Good points about helping students to see value in gen ed courses. I teach such a course that is required for students to pass before they can get their state certification. Many enter the course with negative attitudes and it is my challenge to win them over to the point that in fact I teach a course that can be of value to them in both their personal and professional lives. That is a such a great feeling when I am able to do such. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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