Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Spring 2017 Joint Meeting of the Texas Section of AAPT, Texas Section of APS, and Zone 13 of the Society of Physics Students
Volume 62, Number 3
Thursday–Saturday, March 9–11, 2017; San Antonio, Texas
Session F1: General Session II |
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Sponsoring Units: AAPT Chair: Tak Gurung, San Antonio College Room: Oppenheimer OC 108 |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 10:00AM - 10:24AM |
F1.00001: Computation as Part of a Balanced Undergraduate Physics Curriculum Invited Speaker: Marie Lopez del Puerto A balanced undergraduate physics curriculum requires that students progressively work on computation, experiment, and communication skills throughout the program. The University of St. Thomas Physics Department has been working toward integrating computation by embedding it in different ways in different courses, starting with an introduction to computational physics in our sophomore-level ``Applications of Modern Physics'' \quad course and laboratory, building on skills through short computational projects in many of our lecture-based courses, and developing a ``Methods of Computational Physics'' course. In this talk I will outline the structure of our program and where it is headed. I will then go into some detail on the homework problems and laboratories that have been developed as part of the ``Applications of Modern Physics'' project, discuss our experience implementing them, and give interested faculty information on how to obtain these materials. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 10:24AM - 10:36AM |
F1.00002: Teaching Arduinos in an Accelerated Semester Andra Petrean This January I taught a hands-on class on Arduino Microcontrollers. The class was advertised as an opportunity to build fun projects. The students had a variety of backgrounds: Computer Science majors who had programming experience, Physics majors who were familiar with electrical circuits, and students with a general interest in Arduinos. They worked in teams that benefited from their various skills and built eight interesting projects involving Arduinos, such as a MIDI controller, a levitating magnet, an LED strip that reacts to music, an infrared touch surface, and a laser cat toy. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 10:36AM - 10:48AM |
F1.00003: A New Assessment Approach that Models Legitimate Practice David Donnelly The author modified his assessment methods in both an upper division Math Methods course and a graduate Electrodynamics course in the fall 2016 semester. The modification was made to better align the assessment methods used in the courses with the practices of professional physicists. Instead of using timed tests, students took one timed test, gave one oral presentation, and submitted one written report. Details of how the process was managed, and student feedback will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 10:48AM - 11:00AM |
F1.00004: Physics Teacher Education at Texas State University Hunter Close, Eleanor Close, David Donnelly, Tracy Cooper, Russell Krummell, Pamela Word The Department of Physics at Texas State University has taken up physics teacher education as one of the core components of its mission. We have been running a Learning Assistant (LA) program in physics since 2012, we began as a comprehensive PhysTEC site in Fall 2015, and we have started a Noyce teacher scholarship program in Fall 2016. We have new degree programs with physics teacher certification and new physics courses for secondary and elementary teachers. The PhysTEC program includes building a community with area high school physics teachers to form bonds between prospective and practicing teachers. Research in our LA program has focused on understanding students’ developing ideas about teaching and learning to better understand how students are drawn into the education enterprise and, in some cases, into the teaching profession. Our program efforts have also revealed just how much difference can be made by forming productive relationships across campus with many different faculty, staff, and administrative offices. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 11:00AM - 11:12AM |
F1.00005: Austin-San Antonio Area Physics Teacher Network Pamela Word, Tracy Cooper, Russell Krummell, Hunter Close, Eleanor Close, David Donnelly Teaching physics can be difficult, whether you are a first-year teacher or a veteran. It helps to have a support network comprised of peers who are or have been in your shoes. As an individual teacher, it can take a long time to build this type of network, and for those just starting out it is nearly impossible. The PhysTEC team at Texas State University in San Marcos aims to build a network of current and pre-service physics teachers in the Austin-San Antonio region by bringing them together on a near monthly basis and providing them with support in the form of discussion, teaching resources, and camaraderie. In this talk, I will describe a typical event, how it is organized, and how the support extends beyond the event itself. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 11:12AM - 11:24AM |
F1.00006: Problem-based learning in the high-school physics classroom Tracy Cooper Problem-based learning is an approach to learning that teaches strategies necessary for success in the twenty-first century. It is very like project-based learning but done on a smaller scale. Problem-based learning is easier to execute in a traditional high school setting, where time is limited. Students work in collaborative groups to identify what they need to solve a problem. The teacher acts as the facilitator of the learning process instead of providing knowledge. Students develop the ability to think critically, work together, and to communicate, all in a small timeframe that keeps the teacher on schedule. In this presentation, I will discuss some ways to implement problem-based learning and give examples of some problems I've used in my classes. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 11:24AM - 11:36AM |
F1.00007: Quantum Physics for High School Teachers Karen Jo Matsler, Evelyn Restivo, Janie Head, Kenric Davies, Thomas O'Kuma Thanks to a grant provided by the American Institute of Physics, workshops targeting quantum concepts were offered in the summer of 2016 at Lee College, Fort Worth Museum of Science, and Austin College. The professional development format of these workshops was unique in that both high school students and teachers attended the workshop. The curriculum and resources developed by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. We will share the strengths and weaknesses of this model as well as the data. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 11:36AM - 11:48AM |
F1.00008: Adventures in Outreach -- Austin Community College Hands-on Science (ACCHaOS) Paul Williams The Physics Department at Austin Community College has been conducting an outreach program -- Austin Community College Hands-on Science (ACCHaOS) - for the past six years. ACCHaOS is a hands-on on the road program. We carry 80 small, simple exhibits to elementary schools as well as other public events. The exhibits are intended to model the scientific method. This presentation will describe the background of the program, several example exhibits and the structure of a typical event. The program has been conducting one to two events per month but future plans are to significantly increase the number of events conducted. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, March 11, 2017 11:48AM - 12:00PM |
F1.00009: Lessons from the IPLWCs Thomas O'Kuma The IPLWCs (Introductory Physics Laboratory Writing Conferences) were part of the ATE Workshops for Physics Faculty Project that operated from 2010 to 2016. These nine 3-day conferences were to develop ``new'' laboratory activities for high school and college/university introductory physics courses. Some of the IPLWCs had a theme or target topical area. In this talk, I will describe the IPLWCs, discuss some of the ``products'' from them, and finally some of the lessons we learned in doing them. [Preview Abstract] |
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