CCD: Assessing and Disseminating a New Model for Undergraduate Physics Education at Large Research Universities

该项目的目标是(1)评估伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校(UIUC)正在开发的新的大学物理序列的教学内容和教学方法的有效性，(2)将其标准化，并以模块组件的形式提供辅助材料，以及(3)制作示范课程模块，并将其传播给其他有兴趣进行物理教育改革的大型研究型大学。该项目直接解决了当代物理教育中广泛记录的问题，例如它被认为未能传授概念理解与死记硬背，公式计算，以及缺乏对多样化学习方式的支持。该项目还认识到大型研究型大学在提供本科物理服务课程方面的特殊需要--需要每学期向数百名学生提供有效的指导，需要促进协作学习、团队合作和沟通技能，需要激励研究人员采用新的教学方法，并培训研究生助教成为有效的教师，以及需要通过标准化有效的教学方法使成功的学习独立于教师的努力。为实现这些目标而开展的活动包括：(1)对新修订的UIUC大学物理序列的课程内容进行专业评估；(2)编制单元课程内容，如讲座、作业集、实验室、考试和教学助理培训材料，并提供适当的文件；(3)向希望修订大学物理课程的同行机构分发项目材料。

The objectives of the project are to (1) assess the effectiveness of the pedagogical content and instructional methods of the new University physics sequence under development at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), (2) to standardize it and supporting materials in modular components, and (3) to produce and disseminate the model curriculum modules to other large research universities interested in undertaking physics educational reform. The project directly addresses widely documented problems in contemporary physics education, such as its perceived failure to impart conceptual understanding vs. rote learning and formulae crunching and its lack of support for diverse learning styles. The project also recognizes the special needs of large research universities in delivering undergraduate physics service courses--the need to provide effective instruction to hundreds of students per semester, the need to promote collaborative learning and teamwork and communication skills, the need to motivate research faculty to employ new instructional methods and to train graduate teaching assistants to be effective teachers, and the need to make successful learning independent of the efforts of one inspired .teacher by standardizing effective pedagogy. Activities to be undertaken to accomplish the objectives include (1) professional assessment of the curricular content of the newly revised UIUC University physics sequence, (2) production of modular course components, such as lectures, homework sets, laboratories, examinations, and teaching assistant training materials, with appropriate documentation, and (3) dissemination of the project materials to peer institutions wishing to undertake their own University physics course revision.