Sustainably Integrating Computation Throughout the Physics Major Degree

本项目旨在通过研究计算在本科物理专业课程中的整合，为国家利益服务。考虑到计算在学生的知识和技能、学术研究项目以及科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域的职业生涯中发挥的重要作用，该项目启动了一项广泛的努力，将计算整合到本科物理课程的各个层面。认识到在高等教育中广泛努力以促进具有不同才能和经验的学生取得成功的重要性，该项目将这一观点纳入其建立、整合和维持物理计算的方法中。在国家报告的指导下，这项由部门计算实施工作队领导的部门级多年结构化变革工作战略性地选择了两个中级课程进行初步实施。该项目旨在(1)将计算作为解决物理问题的标准工具整合到本科物理课程中；(2)建立一个部门流程，以维持课程和教学实践的变化。为了与整个部门的努力保持一致，该项目被映射到Kotter的制度变革八阶段模型中，特别注重沟通变革愿景，授权广泛的行动，并产生短期成功。重要的是，这项工作有意地整合了证据来指导变化过程。项目投入与建议的活动、可交付成果、预期结果、变革愿景和有针对性的/广泛的传播活动保持一致。收集的有关学生表现和经历的数据包括来自学生记录、课程评估、调查和对一部分学生的半结构化访谈的信息。将这些数据与历史和post前数据进行比较。通过准民族志访谈从教师那里收集的数据将探讨他们对课程修改和变化过程的经验和看法。该小组将对定性数据进行专题分析，并对定量数据进行描述性比较分析，研究结果将分发给内部读者（指导部门变革工作）和外部读者（促进认识和理解将计算作为解决问题的工具纳入物理课程的有效性）。NSF IUSE: EDU项目支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过其机构和社区转型跟踪，该计划支持在高等教育机构和学科社区中转变和改善STEM教育的努力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by investigating the integration of computation throughout the curricula in the undergraduate physics major. Acknowledging the significant role that computation plays in student knowledge and skills, academic programs of study, and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the project initiates a wide-ranging effort to integrate computation into all levels of the undergraduate physics program. Recognizing the importance of broad-based efforts in higher education to foster the success of students with diverse talents and experiences, the project integrates this perspective in its approach to establish, integrate, and sustain computation in physics. Guided by national reports, this department-level multi-year structured change effort - led by a departmental Computation Implementation Task Force - has strategically selected two mid-level courses for initial implementation. The project aims to (1) integrate computation as a standard tool to solve physics problems into the undergraduate physics curriculum and (2) establish a departmental process for sustaining changes to the curriculum and teaching practices. In alignment with the department-wide effort, the project is mapped to Kotter’s Eight Stage Model of Institutional Change with a specific focus on communicating the change vision, empowering broad-based action, and generating short-term successes. Importantly, this effort has intentionally integrated evidence to guide the change process. Project inputs are aligned with proposed activities, deliverables, expected outcomes, vision of change, and targeted/broad dissemination activities. Data collected relating to students’ performance and experiences include information from student records, course assessments, surveys, and semi-structured interviews with a subset of students. These are compared to historical and pre-post data. Data collected from faculty through quasi-ethnographic interviews will probe their experience and perceptions of the curricula modifications and the change process. The team will conduct thematic analyses of qualitative data and descriptive comparative analyses of quantitative data and the findings will be disseminated to internal audiences (to guide department change efforts) and external audiences (to contribute to knowledge and understanding of the effectiveness of establishing computation as a problem-solving tool into the physics curriculum). The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Institutional and Community Transformation track the program supports efforts to transform and improve STEM education across institutions of higher education and disciplinary communities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.