Check out some recommendations given by students, peers, and instructors that I’ve worked with previously, and please leave an evaluation/recommendation in the comments below. Simply scroll to the bottom of this page, and then leave your recommendation in the textbox below.
Daniel P. Weller 
Dan was my tutor for PHY 184 during my spring 2017 semester at MSU. I had previously struggled in the subject of physics, and I had no previous experience with an academic tutor. Dan showed up every week prepared, excited, and enthusiastic about the material. His teaching style inspired a problem solving mentality that I hope to take with me in future subjects. His ability to explain problem objectives in detail is superior to many professors I have had in the past. I have recommended Dan to friends in the past and I will continue to do so in the future!
Dan was my favorite TA for PHY 183 in the Spring 2017 section. He was very enthusiastic about the class and was able to convey hard to grasp concepts in a way that could be understood quite easily. His enthusiasm made me enjoy coming to class and working through the problems for the day, and whenever I worked with him, I knew I would leave with a better understanding of physics even if I had just a slight misconception of the topic.
Dan was a great learning assistant in my phy 183 class. He motivated everyone to get involved and made sure everyone had a firm understanding.
I had Dan as a Learning Assistant for my spring semester 2017 Physics 183 course. He was very helpful and friendly, and encouraged myself and my fellow group members to explore our ideas and collaborate. When our group strayed off course, Dan was able to bring us together and effectively explain to us the key ideas involved with the problem we were solving. I consider myself lucky to have had him as a learning assistant. Dan’s the man.
Dan was a teaching assistant for my group in my physics 183(P-cubed) Spring Semester 2017 course. I believe he worked with us during the last four weeks of class, and he was a great TA. Every class period he came in with an upbeat attitude, and was very eager to help us work through our physics problems. I can say Dan was nothing like the other TA’s, he never wanted to let our group leave early when we finished the problem before the class period ended. It was a pain, but now that I reflect on how the class went, the extra time he spent challenging our knowledge helped tremendously. Dan is not the type of TA to give all the answers, or give a lot of hints; he really challenged us to think outside of the box. He knew that we were all capable of solving the problem without much assistance, so he gave us room to work it out on our own. He only stepped in when we were completely lost, and I am greatly appreciative for that. I believe I received my highest exam score under Dan’s wing. I contribute the score to the fact that I really took time to fully understand the topics. Not only did I understand them, I could apply them to a lot of situations which made the class run a lot smoother. Not only was Dan a great teaching assistant, he was very knowledgeable, and a great motivator. Any student would be great to have him.
I had Dan as a Teaching Assistant in PHY 183, Spring semester 2017. Not only was he always willing to help when we needed it, but didn’t stop until the idea was fully ingrained in our heads. He really cared about all of the students learning the material rather than just passing the class. I would highly recommend Dan in any type of educational job.
Dan was a great TA for my PHY 183 class for the Spring 2017 Semester. He made the material easily understood and knew more than enough about the topics he helped us in. Out of all of the Teaching Assistants I had that semester, in all of my classes, he was the best.
Dan tutored me in PHY 184 for the Spring 2017 Semester. Before starting tutoring with Dan, I was really struggling in this class. I did not understand the material at all and it was showing in my grade for the class. After being tutored by Dan for a few weeks, it completely changed my way of thinking for the class. He explained everything in a way I could understand and helped me actually learn the material. He helped raised my grade by 10% and was extremely nice and easy to work with. He was one of the best tutor I have had.
It was great having Dan as part of the 2016-17 FAST (Future Academic Scholars in Teaching) Fellowship Program at Michigan State University. As part of this year long teaching professional development program doctoral students plan, implement, and evaluate a “teaching-as-research” project. It was exciting to see Dan’s project evolve and get implemented over the course of two semesters. I look forward to hopefully collaborating with Dan on other teaching related initiatives in the future.
in PHY 183 I really enjoyed having Dan Weller as a TA. When we tried to solve problems he did a great job of hinting at answers without telling us. it allowed us to make sure we were going down the right path without him giving us the answer. This method really improved my learning a lot. I also appreciated how he kept us honest by making sure that no one the group got left behind. He made sure that everyone in our group understood what we did when we did our calculations and explanations.
Dan was my PHY 232 tutor for the Spring 2017 semester. I scheduled my first session with him the night before my first exam, and after about 20 minutes he and I both knew that I was doomed. But, he still kept my spirits and motivation high reminding me this is the first exam and that I still have the rest of the semester ahead of me. So the rest of the session he completely changed my view on physics and how to approach and break down problems slowly and precisely. I went from getting less than a 50% on my first exam on to get nothing less than a 95% on the rest of my exams.
On top of that, Dan always found a way to make room in his schedule for his students and was always on time for the sessions. I will, without a doubt, be recommending Dan to my fellow peers if need be.
I had Dan as my tutor for both Chem 142 and Phy 231. He was an awesome tutor and the best one that I have found so far. He was very knowledgeable with the information that we were dealing with and made sure that I was understanding the material before he moved on to a new topic. He actually helped me understand and learn the material rather than just memorize it. I was able to apply what I knew to different problems. I really enjoyed working with Dan and I would recommend him to everyone!
Dan was a key member of the Future Academic Scholars in Teaching 2016-2017 cohort. As the graduate leader for the program, I had the pleasure of interacting with Dan during weekly meetings, where he always came prepared and engaged for the task at hand. He not only showed great commitment to his own project investigating the effects of high-tech classroom environments on student interaction in engineering courses but also was actively engaged in the research projects conducted by other fellows in the program. Dan always asked insightful questions to inform his own understanding, involved others in the conversation as an effective communicator, and consistently served as a reminder of the rewards of working with students through his own actions. Dan was a very fast learner in this new field and still continues his engagement with teaching and learning through other programs on campus.
I had Dan as a Learning Assistant for my PHY 183 class in the Spring 2017 semester, and I have nothing but great comments for Dan. This was my first physics class since sophomore year of high school and Dan was a great help in understanding the material. I had missed the first week of class, but Dan did a fantastic job helping me integrate with my group as well as with the material we were studying at the time. Overall, you can tell Dan knows his thing when it comes to physics and as well as being a helpful hand. There were times I was put on the spot with questions that challenged my learning, but in the end, they helped with my understanding of the topics at hand. Overall, Dan was a great aid in the physics classroom and any student would be lucky to have such a helpful tool to aid in their learning experience at Michigan State University.
Dan was a great tutor for my PHY 193H class. I came into this class at a very low test average, but with Dan’s help I was able to bring my grade up to a 3.5. He also helped me organize my problem solving process so that I could have a proper method to approaching physics problems.
Dan tutored me for PHY 183 and 184 at MSU. I had no pervious physics knowledge and was really struggling to understand the material. He is friendly and patient, and extremely knowledgeable. Dan’s teaching style is far superior to any other tutor I have had because he makes sure that you understand every part of the problem, from start to finish. Dan helped me develop strategies for understanding and solving technical problems that I will use for the rest of my college career.
I hired Dan as a tutor for my ISP 209 and 209L classes at Michigan State in the Spring semester, 2018. Dan is a great teacher and explained difficult physics concepts in a way that I could understand. I earned a 4.0 in both classes and I could not have received these grades without Dan’s tutoring. I highly recommend Dan as a tutor.
Dan tutored me in PHY 183 and was incredibly helpful. He was able to identify what steps I was missing and help me bridge those gaps to successfully solve problems. Before I started working with Dan, I was really struggling in the class. With his help I was able to confidently solve problems and significantly improved my grade in the course. His teaching style, patience and availability helped me finetune skills that not only helped me in this specific course but will help me in future courses and endeavors as well.
I had Dan as a tutor for both Physics 231 and 232 at Michigan State. He was extremely helpful throughout both semesters for me. Instead of just telling me the answer to things he always prompted me to try to work them out for myself first – this allowed me to work through physics concepts that I knew, and things that I still didn’t quite understand. This then allowed me to focus in on what I was struggling with. With Dan’s help I was able to do very well in both semesters of Physics, which I did not think was possible when I first started these classes. He is a wonderful help to have.
Dan worked with me spring and fall semester of 2019 for physics 1 and 2. He was an excellent tutor and very patient with my questions. Dan was available via text for any homework questions I had, which went above and beyond what I could have asked for from a tutor. His notes were easy to follow and he has a knack for taking complex topics and breaking them down into less daunting explanations. Dan even took the time to review math concepts with me that I couldn’t remember/never really understood in the first place. I would 100% recommend Dan for your next tutor and will always be grateful to him for helping me pass classes that I would not have passed otherwise.
I first met Dan when he was the teaching assistant for my introductory physics course as an undergrad at Michigan State. When I began as an undergraduate research assistant, Dan (a postdoctoral research associate at the time) became my mentor. Over the past few years, Dan and I have collaborated on numerous research endeavors, including various research presentations (2019 American Association of Physics Teachers and Physics Education Research Conference (AAPT/PERC) in Provo, Utah, 2019 Michigan AAPT, and virtual 2020 AAPT) and scientific manuscripts (2019 PERC paper and full-length manuscript soon to be submitted). Dan and I have read and analyzed more than 30 different research papers for these tasks. Additionally, we worked together in facilitating a professional development workshop in 2019. Throughout all of these experiences, Dan has helped me grow as a researcher in many ways. He has guided my development as a scientific writer, presenter of research, data analyst, and public speaker. I will begin my PhD studies at Michigan State in this coming Fall semester, and I will carry these skills into the next chapter of my life. From the moment we started working together, Dan emphasized hard work and communication. He has always been very respectful of my ideas and concerned about my development as a researcher, and that made him an excellent mentor. I have no doubt that Dan could continue to positively impact students/researchers like me wherever he may go.
I had Dr. Weller for PHYS 111 in the Spring 2021 semester and the PHYS 112 Summer 2021 semester at SVSU. I was so nervous about having a professor that I didn’t know anything about, but Dr. Weller was the best professor I have ever had in my four years at this university. He continued to excel above and beyond with feedback to our questions, and he would even go home and find answers to our questions if he didn’t know them off the top of his head. He allowed me to grow and excel as a student and as a writer as I count down my days to taking the MCAT exam. I continue to tell my friends to take his classes if possible, as I recommend him to all.
Dr. Weller was my professor for the PHYS 112 Summer 2021 semester at SVSU. It was clear from the beginning that he had a great passion for the subject and for teaching in general. He was able to make a challenging subject fun and interesting to learn about through a wide variety of technical applications. He allowed us to investigate the material on our own and offered his help whenever needed. I had a wonderful experience overall and would love to have him as a teacher again in the future.
In my eyes, the three characteristics of an excellent professor are the care they show for their students, their demonstrated passion for their subject, and their dedication to ensuring the success of their class. I had the pleasure of having Dr. Weller for Phys 111&112 during the spring and summer of 2021 at SVSU, and without a doubt, Dr. Weller is an excellent professor. At all times Dr. Weller was approachable and understanding of any student’s concerns, questions, or circumstances. Dr. Weller had an infectious passion for physics, I consistently found myself considering how the content discussed aligned with my own personal interests – I cared about physics because Dr. Weller made it exciting. Finally, Dr. Weller wants to see every student succeed. He programs his own simulations to help us visualize the content, reaches out to students, and provides constructive feedback on all assessments. In my eyes, Dr. Weller is an excellent professor.
Dr. Weller was my lab professor for PHYS 107 at Saginaw Valley State University. Dr. Weller’s is a passionate professor who comes to class with high energy on a daily basis. His high energy and passion for physics was contagious. I would recommend Professor Weller’s in a heartbeat, I really enjoyed the classroom environment he created.
I had Dr. Weller for my physics for health majors class! It was my first time ever learning physics and he was always able to explain the concepts to me in a different way, or work with me in office hours until it clicked! His demonstrations in class made physics actually interesting to me and held my interest every day, even at 8:30 in the morning on a Monday!
I had Dr. Weller for my health physics class. He was a great professor. He gave a survey halfway through the course to see what he needed to improve on and get feedback. Until then, I had never had professors who cared enough to hear students out. It showed he wanted to be a better professor. He was always nice and easy to reach out to for help. He even brought in examples that were always fun and gave the classroom a better understanding of the concepts.
Dr. Weller was my professor for General Physics I with Lab at the University of New England during the Fall 2022 semester. I enjoyed having Dr. Weller as my instructor for this course. Physics is challenging, as it requires a combination of conceptual and mathematical thinking. Dr. Weller’s course was well organized, as our due dates were explicitly given in the syllabus and we had weekly reminder emails about upcoming deliverables. I was pleased with how content built upon itself in a manner that was logical. I did not seek much outside assistance, but when I had questions or concerns, Dr. Weller was always able to find a time to hear me out. Dr. Weller is reasonable, compassionate, and animated. He clearly has a great understanding and excitement about physics and physical sciences, and this excitement makes his students more willing to learn. Dr. Weller has a great sense of humor and reminds his students that professors are also human and capable of mistakes. He is sincere and I feel truly cared about in his class. I am taking Dr. Weller’s section for General Physics II next semester and I look forward to deepening my understanding of physics under Dr. Weller’s guidance and expertise.