Angie Myer

About me

Angie Myer has twenty years experience as a teacher and administrator in public schools and higher education. She is currently serving as a Content Accreditation Specialist and Curriculum Consultant for the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). In this position she works with massage and aesthetics schools in the accreditation process, providing guidance, reviewing self study reports, and preparing analyses for the Commission. Prior to holding this position, Angie worked as Director of Operations at the International School of Professional Bodywork and Dean of Education at Mueller College of Holistic Studies where she was integral in their COMTA accreditation.

Angie holds a Masters degree in Curriculum & Instruction and specializes in competency-based curriculum design. She is also a certified Holistic Health Practitioner and has worked as a massage therapist in private practice, clinical, and resort spa settings. Prior to her work in the holistic health industry, Angie was Associate Professor of Teacher Education at the Community College of Denver after teaching elementary school.

Activity

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Student Recruitment

Hi Denise, Thank you for your post. What a wonderful internal study!! Thank you for sharing (and hopefully inspiring others to do the same). I know in this climate, so many are afraid to raise admissions requirements for fear of lower enrollments, but it appears your school is confident that it can market to and recruit the type of student who will most be successful. Do you have any additional tips in how to do so? You mentioned networking with local employers and I'm sure that helps a lot (as well as assisting with graduate placement). Thank you, Angie Myer

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

SSR Challenges & Successes

Hi Denise, Welcome to the course and the accreditation process with COMTA, and thank you for voicing concerns that I'm sure a lot of people have. Though the online process can seem daunting, having done two paper versions of the SSR myself, I can tell you that it is actually a bit liberating. (The labeling, pagination, printing/binding, midnight shipping, and inevitable mistakes when it was all done about did me in.) The biggest hassle for online is scanning in exhibits, but the narratives can be treated like Word documents and then copy/pasted into TaskStream. To that end, you may begin… >>>

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Research Literacy

Christine, Is this a requirement that you have had your students complete in the program? Are the students taught how to research and given experience evaluating the quality of different research available? I have found that these skills are what has been lacking and why the competency is becoming more important in the field. Have you found this to be the case as well? Best, Angie Myer

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Curriculum Organization

Christine, I love that idea and it sounds very similar to COMTA's curriculum map. When I was a curriculum director, I used the COMTA Competency map for the same reason: a tool for instructors to see how the program worked together. For those teaching just a small piece, it helped to see how their course fit in the larger learning schema. Best, Angie Myer

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Faculty Professional Development

Hi Christine, Welcome to the forum and thank you for your post. That is a succinct history of what many of us have experienced and why Title IV has become both a blessing and a "curse" for so many smaller schools. We try to help people be prepared for how will it change everything from admissions to instruction in the classroom, and a great reason why ongoing professional development for faculty is so essential, even with veteran teachers. Thank you for providing that example in this section. Best, Angie Myer

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Research Literacy

Hi Lisa, Welcome to the forum and thank you for contributing. I like that you were able to find a specific area in your curriculum where the Competencies could provide a logical extension of learning. This is the most helpful to new schools going through the process so they don't feel they need to reinvent their programs. Thank you for providing that example. Yours in learning, Angie Myer

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Distance Education Communication

Hi Cliff, Welcome to the forum and thank you providing your perspective! I completely agree; too often people believe online classes are a solitary experience (which some dread and some desire). However, I have also found that distance learning can actually be more participatory because the shy student cannot "hide" and one person cannot dominate an online discussion like one can in the traditional classroom setting. Hopefully the standards and "best practices" being put in place will help ensure the experience you described as schools move forward with more DL. Best, Angie Myer

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Distance Education

Dear Jeff, Thank you for that insight. By "equity" do you mean that DL is being held to a higher (and perhaps) unfair standard than face-to-face? If so, given your background, I wonder if you can share if that is reasonable or not. It is an interesting point that we realized with the concerns over cheating and realizing that many times this was more policed than in regular settings. If this is not what you mean, can you clarify? Your last point is exactly the reason I think we will see more hybrid courses develop, rather than solely online, which… >>>

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Degree Programs

Hi Beverley, Welcome to the forum and thank you for participating. I agree; we cannot discount the importance of these intangible benefits and "resume building"--especially in today's economic climate where I read even a higher percentage of fast food workers have degrees than every before. Like it or not, the associate degree is becoming standard even if not required for a job because of the items you listed. Employers (and clients) want to see that commitment and professionalism. Thank you for the reminder. Best, Angie Myer

Angie Myer

Discussion Comment

Degree Programs

Hi Jeff, I'm curious to know, as someone who is not a massage therapist, do you believe that our field should put greater emphasis on obtaining degrees over certificates? Angie Myer

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