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

Your Instructional Style

Dominick, These experiences when shared help to reinforce the value of the content to students. They show the relevance and application for students and this increases their ROI for the course. Keep up the sharing! Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Role Models

Diane, Thank you for these comments. They are right on in terms of professional conduct and interaction with colleagues. We must remember we are always being observed, listened to and evaluated as educators and then plan our conduct and actions from there. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Motivators

Daniel, Like your approach. We need to maintain the standards of our respective fields. To do anything less is to cheat our students in terms of their training and preparation. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Student Rapport

Daniel, Earning student respect while returning their respect leads to the development of rapport. With student rapport established you have a foundation for maximum learning to take place and much progress being made toward their stated career goals. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor REFOCUS

Rolonda, They really do feed off of our attitude and mood. We need to always remember this as we step into the classroom or lab. We need to bring our passion for our field and enthusiasm for teaching about it each time we teach. We in essence are sales people for our career field and/or subject. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Increasing Student Retention

Daniel, Your approach brings in the human factor which is an essential part of the teaching/learning process. As a former student you can help them to see that you do understand what they are going through and that you are there to help them be successful if they are willing to put forth the required effort. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Re: Effective Retention Strategies

Katina, You do have a challenge there trying to connect your content with the career choices of your students. It would be interesting to see if you could develop some assignments that have each of the different career areas researching how clothing, games, and designs came about as a result of cultural and physical changes over the years. For example I had my students research why the Coke bottle is shaped like it is verses a Pepsi bottle. Clue: It has everything to do with the human hand and the opposing thumb. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Johndrea, If your students are like mine they have selective memories when it comes to due dates and expectations. You reminding them throughout the semester is a good strategy even though they have already received the information via the syllabus. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Jeff, I commend you for the way your syllabus is laid out because you are giving your students a road map to follow so they will know what they are expected to do and read. You are right about this aiding them in their planning of both time and effort. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Alan, It is what gets everyone on the same page in terms of starting off a course. A well prepared syllabus reduces confusion and answers many of the questions that students have about how the course is going to operate. By having these questions answered via the syllabus it gives more opportunity to focus on the course content and start the learning process. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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