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

研讨会：为本科物理课程的程序评估、审查和改进创建指南

• 批准号: 1738311
• 负责人: Theodore Hodapp
• 金额: $ 4.76万
• 依托单位: American Physical Society
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-05-01 至 2018-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1738311&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Workshop; Creating; Guide; Programmatic; Assessment

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.

在美国，高等教育越来越重视问责制，越来越多的部门被要求制定和评估学习目标。与此同时，物理系面临着几个挑战：物理是通往物理和工程职业的门户，但它是所有科学学科中最不多样化的学科之一，广泛使用的传统教学方法无法带来通常用新方法获得的学习增长。有大量以研究为基础的教学方法表明，在学习成果和学生留存方面--特别是在代表性不足的群体--方面有所改善，但不幸的是，存在一些障碍，可能会使物理系难以实施这些学习策略。此外，物理课程需要更好地为毕业生从事各种非研究性职业做好准备，并培养更多准备充分的高中物理教师，以满足国家需求。为了解决这些问题，美国物理学会(APS)认识到，有一个独特的机会来对几乎每个部门所要求的物理项目进行有意义的评估，同时满足他们通过实施已知的最佳实践来改善学生教育的愿望。APS领导层已经成立并正式委托了一个国家认可的物理项目评估和振兴领导人工作组，以创建一份计划性评估、审查和改进指南，并承担对部门审查员和部门主任使用该指南的培训。该指南将是一份可操作的文件，旨在立即对参与计划评估、审查或改进的系主任或教职员工有用。通过这一奖励资助的讲习班将使APS能够为确保APS能够在全国范围内产生影响奠定基础。工作组将于2017年5月18-19日在马里兰州的College Park举行首次研讨会，亲自会面，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制定指南实践。研讨会的成果将包括项目每个阶段的具体书面计划，以及关于指南的基本框架及其实施的明确立场。此外，APS少数群体委员会将在2017年秋季面对面会议之前，与亚特兰大历史上一直是黑人的学院和大学(HBCU)的领导人举行一次特别研讨会，探讨APS可能采取的行动，以解决非洲裔美国人参与本科生物理的毁灭性减少问题。这次活动的具体成果将包括向特别工作组提出建议，以及APS、少数群体委员会及其方案协同努力的计划。