Session I5: Physics Education

A Research-validated Approach to Transforming Upper-division Physics Courses

At most universities, including the University of Colorado, upper-division physics courses are often taught using a traditional lecture approach that does not make use of many of the instructional techniques that have been found to improve student learning at the introductory level. We are transforming several upper-division courses using principles of active engagement and learning theory, guided by the results of observations, interviews, and analysis of student work at CU and elsewhere. In this talk I outline these transformations, including the development of faculty consensus learning goals, clicker questions, tutorials, modified homeworks, and more. We present evidence of the effectiveness of these transformations relative to traditional courses, based on student grades, interviews, attitude surveys, and through research-based assessments of student conceptual mastery. Our results suggest that many of the tools that have been effective in introductory courses are effective for our majors, and that further research is warranted in the upper-division environment. (See www.colorado.edu/sei/departments/physics.htm for materials)   

40 Years of Metrication in the US

In July 1971, Maurice Stans, the Secretary of Commerce, presented the proposal of the National Institute of Standards and Technology for ``A Metric America.'' Envisioned was a ten-year plan which would, with some compulsion, establish SI as the dominant language for commerce, education, and science in the US. The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 was, however, voluntary. Evidently, the machinists' union demanded {\$}1000 per man to replace tools. The rallying cry was ``Two, Four, Six, Eight, We Ain't Going to Metricate -- and we'll come over your head with a 9/16$^{\mathrm{th}}$ if you force us.'' The government obliged with an evolving set of guidelines. Today the U.S. Metric Association is gloomy; the Dozenal Society of America is happy. I will argue that the evolution of Metric in the US is a triumph for democracy, not ignorance.   

Assessing Conceptual Knowledge for the Physics of Semiconductors

Following the trend in science and engineering education generated by the visible impact created by the Force Concept Inventory, the investigator developed a Physics of Semiconductors Concept Inventory (PSCI). PSCI fills the need of standardized concept tests for undergraduate education in photonics and electrical engineering. The structure of the PSCI test followed a concept map reflecting the input from a panel of experts from different universities and from a survey of textbooks currently used in engineering schools in the United States. Based on the statistical analysis of the scores and response patterns, the test was calibrated as an instrument to measure participants' cognitive ability independent of items' difficulty. The models employed were the Rasch Model and the Rasch Partial Credit Model. The estimation procedure employed was Conditional Maximum Likelihood. The analysis was carried on using algorithms written in the open-source language R. The current PSCI BETA test contains eighteen calibrated items covering six concepts of the physics of semiconductors. PSCI BETA may be used for three purposes: individual student diagnostic if applied at the beginning of a physics of semiconductors course; predictor for students' academic performance in the field of semiconductors if applied at the end of instruction; assessment instrument for instructional strategies if applied both for pre- and post-instruction. The PSCI BETA instrument can be applied in any English speaking college setting.