Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2018
Volume 63, Number 4
Saturday–Tuesday, April 14–17, 2018; Columbus, Ohio
Session S03: Effective Practices for Program Review and Improvement: APS Task Force Preliminary ReportInvited
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Sponsoring Units: FED Chair: Monica Plisch, American Physical Society Room: A114-115 |
Monday, April 16, 2018 1:30PM - 2:06PM |
S03.00001: APS Guide to Effective Practices in Undergraduate Physics Programs: What it is and why you should care Invited Speaker: Michael Jackson Physics departments and programs in the United States face numerous challenges. While there is an upward trend in the number of students graduating in physics nationwide, many individual programs struggle to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of students to keep their programs healthy. Although verifiable assessment of student learning continues to grow in importance in the higher education landscape, particularly to regional institutional accreditation bodies, there are few resources to assist departments in developing effective assessment programs. Additionally, research-based pedagogical methods that have demonstrated clear improvement in both learning gains and student retention, especially of underrepresented groups, have not been as widely adopted as they could be. And finally physics remains among the least diverse of all STEM disciplines, in spite of continuing efforts. In light of these challenges, the Council of the American Physical Society voted in 2015 to form a national blue-ribbon task force charged with creating a living guide to effective evidence-based practices for undergraduate physics programs. Working in partnership with AAPT, the guide will assist departments nationwide in all of these areas, and more. In this talk we review the vision of the task force for the guide and progress in its development so far. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2018 2:06PM - 2:42PM |
S03.00002: APS Guide to Effective Practices in Undergraduate Program Review: An example, and how to use it Invited Speaker: Theodore Hodapp Evaluating and assessing programs is an ongoing activity at all levels in higher education. Making this a meaningful and positive experience can improve educational outcomes, help direct resources to achieve goals, and improve the climate within the department. The APS has, for the past several years, been developing a framework for providing effective information to help departments assess their programs, and improve offerings. Now, working with the American Association of Physics Teachers, we have empaneled a national task force, and are compiling effective practices to inform critical aspects of physics programs. Topics include recruiting, curriculum at the introductory and advanced levels, improving diversity, departmental leadership, career preparation, undergraduate research, and establishing supporting programs. We are also developing a comprehensive guide to assessment that supports the use and exploration of these effective practices. In this session, we will describe one such section to give faculty members a flavor of how these will evolve and be used. We welcome input on how to make this guide easily used, and valuable to programs at all levels. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2018 2:42PM - 3:18PM |
S03.00003: Open forum on Guide for Effective Practices and Program Review in Undergraduate Physics Programs Invited Speaker: Monica Plisch |
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