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

Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Margaret, Wow! What a load you have. There is so much I could share with you but in the forum format I'm not sure the information would be as effective as it should be for your use. As a new teacher with a lot of planning to do, I would suggest that you try and get copies of the outlines, syllabi and any handouts that were used in the courses you are going to teach. Do a inventory of your personality and how you see it working for you as you teach, meaning are you more casual, formal, easy going,… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Margaret, I like your enthusiasm. Maintain your excitement, be creative and always listen to your students and you are going to continue to expand your instructional expertise. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Carl, Instructional development never stops and the more input we can get about our teaching the better we can become. You are right about the need for reviewing course evaluations and listening to student feedback on an ongoing basis. This is how we continue to get better. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Carl, Real life experiences makes the course content come alive. The more relevance and application you can make the greater the engagement is going to be. Thanks for these good points. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Valorie, The fear factor for students that have been out of school for a period of time is very real. You make a number of good points about how to work with these individuals to help them get settled into the learning environment while being successful. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Mike, Who are some of the people you observe and learn from? Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Sondra, Good approach. Many students come to us with an "entitlement" mentality. Post secondary schooling is optional, cost money and requires their best effort. No one can learn for them so their success is up to them so they have to put forth the effort. The blame game will not work in this setting. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Asha, I like this strategy. Things like this make a real difference for the students and shows them the value of what is being taught. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Sondra, Sharing real life experiences and making application of the course content shows the students the value of what is being taught. They need to see an ROI on what is being invested in terms of time and money. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Heather, Yes, it is. You can get a lot of insight into how to develop your own instructional style by observing other instructors and reflecting on previous instructors you have had in your educational career. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

End of Content