Workshop: Creating a Guide for Programmatic Assessment, Review, and Improvement in Undergraduate Physics Programs

在美国，高等教育越来越强调问责制，越来越多的部门被要求设定和评估学习目标。与此同时，物理系面临着一些挑战：物理学作为通往物理和工程职业的门户，但它是所有科学学科中多样性最少的学科之一，广泛使用的传统教学方法并没有获得通常用新方法获得的学习增长。有大量的基于研究的教学方法已经证明了在学习收益和学生保留率方面的改善-特别是在代表性不足的群体中，但不幸的是，存在一些障碍，可能使物理系难以实施这些学习策略。此外，有必要开设物理课程，使毕业生更好地为各种非研究性职业做好准备，并培养更多有充分准备的高中物理教师，以满足国家的需求。为了解决这些问题，美国物理学会（APS）认识到，这是一个独特的机会，可以对几乎每个部门都需要的物理课程进行有意义的评估，同时实现他们通过实施已知的最佳实践来改善学生教育的愿望。APS领导已经成立并正式授权了一个由物理项目评估和振兴领导组成的国家认可的工作组，以创建一个项目评估、审查和改进的指南，并承担部门审稿人和系主任使用指南的培训。该指南将是一份可操作的文件，旨在对从事项目评估、审查或改进的系主任或教员立即有用。通过该奖项资助的讲习班将使APS能够奠定基础，以确保APS能够实现国家影响。工作组将于2017年5月18日至19日在马里兰州的College Park举行首次亲自会面的研讨会，以规划项目阶段，并构建一个全面的计划，让社区领导人参与采用和形成指导实践。本次研讨会的成果将包括项目每个阶段的具体书面计划，以及对指南的基本框架及其实施的明确立场。此外，在2017年秋季面对面会议之前，美国物理学会少数族裔委员会将与亚特兰大历史上的黑人学院和大学（HBCUs）的领导人举行一次特别研讨会，探讨美国物理学会可能采取的行动，以解决非裔美国人参与本科物理学的严重减少问题。这次活动的具体成果将包括向特别工作组提出的建议，以及APS、少数民族委员会及其项目协同努力的计划。

In the United States there is a growing emphasis on accountability in higher education, and departments are increasingly asked to set and assess learning goals. At the same time, physics departments face several challenges: Physics acts as a gateway for physics and engineering careers, yet it is among the least diverse of all science disciplines and widely used traditional teaching methods do not yield learning increases commonly obtained with newer methods. There is an abundance of research-based pedagogies that have demonstrated improvement in learning gains and student retention - especially of underrepresented groups, but unfortunately there are obstacles that can make it difficult for physics departments to implement these learning strategies. Furthermore, there is a need for physics programs to better prepare graduates for a diverse range of non-research careers, and to educate more well-prepared high school physics teachers to meet national demand. To address these concerns, the American Physical Society (APS) recognizes that there is a unique opportunity to develop meaningful assessments of physics programs required of nearly every department, while fulfilling their desire to improve the education of their students by implementing known best practices. APS leadership has formed and formally charged a nationally recognized task force of leaders in physics program evaluation and revitalization to create a guide for programmatic assessment, review, and improvement, and to undertake the training of departmental reviewers and department chairs in using the guide. The guide will be an operational document designed to be immediately useful to a department chair or faculty member engaging in programmatic assessment, review, or improvement. The workshops funded through this award will allow the APS to lay the groundwork to ensure that APS can achieve national impact. An initial workshop for the task force to meet in person will be held May 18-19, 2017 in College Park, MD to plan project phases, and to construct a comprehensive plan for engaging community leaders in adopting and shaping guide practices. Outcomes of this workshop will include specific written plans for each phase of the project, and clearly articulated positions on the underlying framework of the guide and its implementation. In addition, the APS Committee on Minorities will hold a special workshop with leaders from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Atlanta, prior to their fall 2017 in-person meeting to explore potential actions by the APS to address the devastating reduction of African American participation in undergraduate physics. Specific outcomes of this event will include recommendations to the task force, and plans for synergistic efforts by the APS, the Committee on Minorities, and their programs.