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Physics Education Research Group

Physics Education Research Group. Presentation for the External Review of the Department of Physics March 4, 2005. PER?. Physics Education Research (PER) is an interdisciplinary research field bringing together physics and education

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Physics Education Research Group

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  1. Physics Education Research Group Presentation for theExternal Review of the Department of PhysicsMarch 4, 2005

  2. PER? • Physics Education Research (PER) is • an interdisciplinary research field bringing together physics and education • PER “puts the scientists back in science education research” • Started ~1980. • There are currently ~50 physics departments with PER specialists. • ~25-30 give graduate degrees • Strong recent growth • APS statement of support (1999) • New publication venues • PER Section of Am. J. Phys. (since 1999) • New on-line section of Phys. Rev. (begins 2005) • UMd started a PER group in 1993. PERG

  3. Some Leading PER Groups (alpha order) • Arizona State (2) • University of Arizona (2) • University of Colorado (2*) • Harvard University (1*) • University of Illinois (1) • Kansas State University (2) • University of Maine (2) • University of Maryland (1.5) • University of Massachusetts (2) • North Carolina State University (2) • Ohio State (1) • University of Washington (3) (N=# of tenure line faculty in physics doing PER) * Indicates part time PER PERG

  4. PERG Staff • Faculty • Joe Redish – Prof. (Physics — since 1970, PER since 1993) • David Hammer – Assoc. Prof. (Physics, C&I — since 1998) • Emily van Zee — Assoc. Prof. (C&I — since 1995)* • Research Faculty • Andy Elby – Research Assistant Professor (Physics) • Rachel Scherr – Assistant Research Professor (Physics) • Visiting Faculty • Saalih Allie (Physics, University of Capetown) * Leaving at the end of this term and will not be replaced PERG

  5. Graduate Students Physics Tim McCaskey  Paul Gresser Ray Hodges Rosemary Russ  * Tom Bing  Renee-Michelle Goertzen  C&I Paul Hutchinson* Matty Lau PERG * = work in both departments  = awarded grad fellowships = won award as best first year student PERG

  6. Postdocs David May (‘02-’04) U. of Maryland, System (PD VIP-K16) Laura Lising (‘01-’03) Asst. Prof., Towson U. Rachel Scherr (‘01-’04) U. of Maryland Beth Hufnagel (‘00-’02) Asst. Prof., Anne Arundel CC Apriel Hodari (‘00-’02) CNA Corp. Andy Elby (‘98-’03) U. of Maryland Richard Steinberg (‘’95-’98) Assoc. Prof., CCNY Grad Students (Physics PhDs) Leslie Atkins (‘04) Postdoc, Psych & Brain Sciences, Dartmouth Jonathan Tuminaro (‘04) Law Firm Rebecca Lippmann (‘03) Asst. Prof., Uppsala U., Sweden Lei Bao (‘99) Asst. Prof., Ohio State U. Mel Sabella (‘99) Asst. Prof., Chicago State U. Michael Wittmann (‘98) Asst. Prof., U. of Maine Jeff Saul (‘98) Asst. Prof., U. of Central Fl. UMd PERG Alumni:Where are they now? PERG

  7. PERG • Main Funding • NSF/RTL Student Expectations ($405K, ‘94 -’98) • NSF/RTL Quantum for Engineers ($305K, ‘97 -’00) • FIPSE Practical QM ($230K, ‘97-’00) • NSF/ROLE Learning to Learn Science ($1044K, ‘00 -’05) • NSF/ESI Case Studies in Inquiry ($1023K, ‘00 -’04) • NSF/CCLI Epistemological Tutorials ($400K, ‘04 -’06) • NSF/ROLE New Conceptualization ($800K, ‘05 -’08) • Other Grants • NSF Conference Funding ($140K, ‘96, ‘03) • NSF, NASA Miscellaneous ($730K, ’95 -’07)Spencer • Total funding: • ~$5.1M over 15 years • $175K / tenure fac / year (projecting to ‘08). PERG

  8. PERG • Awards and Recognition • Redish • APS Fellow, 1983 • AAAS Fellow, 1991 • Robert A. Millikan Award – AAPT, 1998 • Faculty of the Year Award, Panhellenic and Greek Societies, University of Maryland, 2001 • Guy and Rebecca Forman Award, Vanderbilt U., 1996 • Glover Medal Award, Dickinson College, 1991 • (other before 1990) • Hammer • NAE Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow, 1992-94 PERG

  9. PERG • National Committees and Advisory Boards • Redish • Committee on Education, APS (Chair) • Committee on Education, AIP • NSF Committee of Visitors, Physics • NSF Committee of Visitors, Research on Learning • Executive Committee, Forum on Education, APS • Bonner Prize Committee, APS (Chair) • Nuclear Science Advisory Committee • Few-Body Topical Group, APS (Chair) • Hammer • Committee on Research, AAPT • AERA Program Co-Chair • National Research Council, panelist and consultant PERG

  10. Contributions to Community • Conference Organization • ICUPE ‘96 • Fermi School ‘03 • Publication Venues • AJP PER Section (creator and editor) • New on-line review article series (in progress) • Materials Development • Activity-Based Physics Tutorials (Wiley) • Quantum Tutorials (Wiley, to be published) • Case Studies Guide to Inquiry for Teachers (in progress) • Epistemological Tutorials (in progress) • “Spreading the Word” • >100 invited talks and colloquia in past 5 years • “Teaching Physics” — published by Wiley, available on web PERG

  11. Contributions to Department • TA training • Run 1.5 days of training for incoming TAs • Run weekly fall term TA training session for new TAs • Mentoring of new faculty • Materials • “Thinking Problems” available on web • “Peer Instruction Problems” available on web • Implementing New Research-Based Tutorials and Labs in Algebra-Based Physics • Teaching interviews for faculty candidates PERG

  12. Main Areas of Research and Contributions • Student Expectations and Epistemologies • “The answer is not the only thing the student can get wrong.” • Identified roles in student success and difficulties • Developed Maryland Physics Expectations Survey (MPEX) • Documented deleterious effects of traditional instruction • UMd leads in small-N and large-N research • Student Conceptual Learning • Identified, categorized, and documented student difficulties with physics of mechanical waves • Randomized quantitative study of student conceptual gains from traditional and reform instruction • Development of New Instructional Strategies • Large-lecture methods for addressing student epistemologies • Intuition refinement methods • Theoretical Developments • “Resource” based model of student epistemologies • General research on resource-based models of cognition • Research and development on instructional diagnoses PERG

  13. Constraints, Limitations, and Needs • Redish is 63. • Need to hire and mentor a replacement • full time in physics — Hammer is 51% • Research Space • PER grad students share space with TAs • No permanent space available for interviews or videotaping of student groupwork. • Quality of existing space is poor. • Clerical Support • NSF discourages hiring clerical staff • Department provides good support structures, but faculty level personnel still spend considerable time on administrivia. PERG

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