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，越来越强调高等教育的问责制，越来越多地要求部门设定和评估学习目标。同时，物理部门面临着几个挑战：物理学是物理和工程职业的门户，但它是所有科学学科中最少的多样化，并且使用了广泛使用的传统教学方法不会产生通常使用较新方法获得的学习。有大量基于研究的教学法证明了学习成就和学生保留的改善 - 尤其是代表性不足的群体，但不幸的是，有些障碍可能使物理部门难以实施这些学习策略。此外，需要物理计划来更好地为各种非研究职业的毕业生做好准备，并教育更精心准备的高中物理教师以满足国家需求。为了解决这些问题，美国物理社会（APS）认识到，几乎每个部门都需要对几乎每个部门的物理计划进行有意义的评估，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领导层已成立并正式指控了全国认可的物理计划评估和振兴领导者的工作组，以创建计划评估，审查和改进的指南，并在使用指南中对部门审阅者和部门主席进行培训。该指南将是一份运营文件，旨在立即对部门主席或教职员工进行程序化评估，审查或改进。通过该奖项资助的讲习班将使APS能够为APS实现国家影响而奠定基础。 2017年5月18日至19日，将在马里兰州大学公园举行一个工作组的初步讲习班，以计划项目阶段，并制定一项全面的计划，以吸引社区领导者采用和塑造指南实践。该研讨会的成果将包括针对项目的每个阶段的具体书面计划，并在指南的基础框架及其实施的基础框架上明确阐明。此外，在2017年秋季的面对面会议之前，APS少数民族将与来自历史悠久的黑人学院和大学（HBCUS）的领导人举行特别研讨会，以探讨APS的潜在行动，以解决对非裔美国人参与本科物理学参与的毁灭性减少。该活动的具体成果将包括对工作队的建议，以及APS，少数民族委员会及其计划的协同努力计划。