PERC 2019 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | A Critical Assessment of General Physics |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | At Pomona College, General Physics is not a pathway into the major but rather teaches calculus-based physics to non-physics, science students, often for major, graduate school, or career requirements. The course aspires for effective, interdisciplinary physics instruction. Our study investigates what constitutes effective instruction, and what interdisciplinary physics entails for our context. We explore the alignment between the goals and perspectives of different stakeholders – students, the physics department, and the other invested departments – and course outcomes. Qualitative interviews were used to solicit this feedback. Surveys, including the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) and Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning (CTSR), were also deployed, but with a low yield (<50%) provided mostly insignificant data. Interviews with professors focused on the role of General Physics: how to cultivate stronger interdisciplinary ties; interviews with students focused on the experience of General Physics: what does, what doesn't, and what could work well. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Session Time: | Poster Session I |
| Poster Number: | A41 |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Ian Descamps Pomona College |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Dr. Benjamin Pollard (University of Colorado, Boulder) Professor Thomas Moore (Pomona College) |
