PERC 2024 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Does it stick? A longitudinal study of introductory physics for life sciences at a small college |
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| Abstract Type: | Plenary |
| Abstract: | Two primary goals of Introductory Physics for Life Sciences (IPLS) curricula are (1) to prepare students to effectively use physical models and quantitative reasoning in biological and biomedical contexts, and (2) for students to come to view physics as relevant to the life sciences. To evaluate whether these goals are achieved, we conducted a longitudinal interdisciplinary study assessing students' abilities to use what they learned in IPLS in later biology and chemistry courses, as well as students' long-term attitudes toward physics. We found that IPLS students were more likely than non-IPLS students to reason quantitatively and mechanistically about particular biophysical phenomena, even up to two years after leaving the IPLS course, and were significantly more successful at building a physical model that combined ideas in a manner novel to them. We also found that positive changes in IPLS students' attitudes about the relevance of physics to the life sciences persisted for at least two years after the course ended. In addition to the results of the study, this talk will describe its methodological challenges and successes. We will highlight how the close coordination between students and faculty characteristic of our small, undergraduate-only institution made possible identifying and tracking particular student trajectories over time and across disciplines. This allowed us to identify student reasoning and attitudes that were specifically associated with prior or concurrent enrollment in IPLS. Finally, we will discuss how our IPLS curriculum leverages the rich network of interdepartmental faculty relationships at small institutions to support students to recognize the connections between physics and their other science classes. |
| Session Time: | Plenary Session 2 |
| Room: | Harbor II - III |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Ben Geller and Catherine Crouch Swarthmore College |
Invited Presentation | |
| Invited Presentation: | Download the Invited Presentation |
