Community College Physics Faculty Development Project

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9353998 Hieggelke This two-year national program, based on a successful pilot project, will provide eight workshops (four each year) designed for experienced community college physics teachers at several geographically-dispersed community college campuses. One set of workshops acquaints participants with (1) the use of microcomputer-based laboratories; (2) the construction of physics simulations; or (3) the development of conceptual exercises and overview case studies. Another workshop provides an update and an opportunity for more advanced experiences with microcomputer-based lab technology for previous workshop participants. Each three-day workshop is being led by two community college physics professors and two university/college physics professor who play a major role in these areas. These workshops acquaint participants with the contemporary use of the recent developments and findings of cognitive physics research and participants are provided with extensive materials based on these findings. As a result of these intensive workshops, participants are able to evaluate these developments and they are able to return to their campus to start implementing the workshop findings. Thus, these workshops facilitate the rapid incorporation of this knowledge and technology at community colleges. The impact of the workshop is being reinforced by the establishment of a networking system employing a telecommunications bulletin board system and a newsletter. The ultimate goal of this project is to help community college students develop a stronger understanding of classical and contemporary physics. The task of updating physics programs at community colleges is difficult but essential for the nation and for science because of the large number of students, particularly women and minorities, attending community colleges. ***