Education research is our focus
Welcome to PER-Central, a resource collection for physics education researchers. Here you may find articles, theses and dissertations, research groups, curricular material, and news and events of interest to the PER Community. Learn more about PER-Central.
PER Literature
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- Basic Research
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By Topic:
Astronomy, Classical Mechanics, Electricity & Magnetism, Fluid Mechanics, General Physics, Mathematical Tools, Modern Physics, Optics, Oscillations & Waves, Other Sciences, Quantum Physics, Relativity, Thermo & Stat Mech
Reviews in PER
Over the past two decades, the PER community has developed a number of effective instructional strategies for calculus-based university physics classes.
This review article helps to bring a set of those results to the instructional community:
Peer Instruction: Engaging Students One-on-One, All At Once
by C. H. Crouch, J. Watkins, A. P. Fagen, and E. Mazur.
Find more articles that help to bridge research and practice in Volume 1 of Reviews in PER.
Community Resources
PER Programs

Browse the different PER groups and their descriptions on the PER Program Map.
For the Classroom

SEI Upper-Division Quantum Mechanics I Transformed Course Materials
This web site provides research-based materials for junior-level quantum mechanics 1 courses. Topics covered include the Schrödinger equation, bound state problems, Hilbert space and operators, the hydrogen atom, and spin. The course archives include documented student difficulties, learning goals, ConcepTests (clicker questions), class activities, homework, tutorials, and a conceptual assessment tool.
Find more PER-based Curricular Materials: Course Packages | Student Activities | Pedagogy Guides
Research Instruments

Energy Concept Assessment
The Energy Concept Assessment, developed by Lin Ding, is designed to evaluate students' conceptual understanding of energy in algebra- or calculus-based introductory physics courses.
PER Events 
Physics Education Research Conference 2025
PERC 2025 will be held August 6-7, 2025 in Washington, DC. The theme will be "A PER lens on the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology."