United States

Low retention rates in physics Ph.D. programs are an unpleasant reality. There have been many efforts to study and report doctoral attrition and most studies have focused on students’ attributes and mentoring relationships. However, not much work has been focused on examining the interconnection between individual attributes and departmental practices. Last year, using survey data from 19 physics graduate programs, we identified 31 students that were not intending to complete their degree. About half of these students were enrolled in two institutions. In this talk, we use survey and interview data to describe factors related to why these students did not complete their doctoral programs. For example, students who dropped out often described feeling that they did not belong in the department and that they needed to figure things out on their own. We discuss how these results can inform policymakers’ decisions towards improving retention of doctoral students.

AAPT SM 20

Why physics graduate students do not persist? An analysis from 19 departments

graduate education

retention

mixed methods

The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. The program featured plenary speakers, sessions, workshops and many special activities.

For more information please visit the 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting page at: https://www.aapt.org/Conferences/SM2020/index.cfm.


The 2020 AAPT Virtual Summer Meeting brought together physics educators from around the globe to learn about the latest in physics theory, research methodology and education from leaders in their field. 

technical paper

Many speakers’ bureaus exist to provide lists of potential speakers for important events. Scientific bureaus tend to provide lists of speakers with specific expertise in science related topics. The AAPT Speakers Bureau was established early last decade to provide AAPT members and sections with information on available speakers for physics related events. The list can be used for local or national meetings and contain a wide variety topics related to physics and physics education. It is searchable, by geography (sections), topics or speakers names. I will give a small sample of two popular talks that I have given in many locations as an example of what the speakers’ bureau can provide. These are “Physics of Music” and “Physics of Cats”. The AAPT Speakers’ Bureau can be found at: https://aapt.org/Resources/speakers_bureau-landing.cfm.

History and Motivation for the AAPT Speakers Bureau

The curricula of interdisciplinary introductory physics courses for life science programs such as Physics of Sports, Physics of Human Body etc. have a big component of Kinetics in general. Equilibrium is one of the most important chapters with a variety of applications of fundamental physics knowledges including force analysis, Newton’s laws and the conditions of equilibrium for translation and rotation. In order to better engage students to learn statics, we start to develop interactive simulations of equilibrium problems on human body and implement the simulation activities in the course Physics of Human Body, which is mainly for students majoring in Physics Therapy, Health Sciences and Rehabilitation Sciences. A couple of the simulations will be shared in the presentation and later in Living Physics Portal.

Interactive simulations of equilibrium problems on the human body

Interactive video-enhanced tutorials (IVETs) involve web-based activities which lead students through a solution using expert-like problem-solving approaches, such as those needed for solving problems using Newton’s Second Law. The IVETs, which are based in part on the tutorials created at the University of Pittsburgh, are designed using multimedia principles of learning and research on human learning and memory. The tutorials are adaptive and provide different levels of scaffolding depending on students’ needs. They are also affect-adaptive, such that additional guidance is provided to students who indicate they are confused, frustrated, or bored while completing the IVET. This presentation will showcase one of the IVETs and its various design features.

Interactive Video-Enhanced Tutorials: Design to support effective problem-solving strategies

Instructional pragmatism is essential for successfully adopting and adapting evidence-based active engagement (EBAE) approaches in that instructors should view improving teaching and learning as a process and not get disheartened if a particular EBAE approach does not produce the desired outcome. Instructional pragmatism entails keeping a variety of EBAE methods in one’s instructional toolbox and using them flexibly as needed to improve student learning and continuously refining and tweaking one’s implementation of the EBAE approaches to make them effective. Here we illustrate an example of instructional pragmatism in which a quantum mechanics instructor did not give up when an EBAE method involving implementation of a sequence of clicker questions on addition of angular momentum did not yield expected learning outcomes even though it was found effective earlier. Instead, the instructor remained optimistic, viewing improving teaching and learning as a process, and pulled out another EBAE method from his tool box that did not require him to spend more time on this topic in class. In particular, the instructor created an opportunity for students to productively struggle with the same problems they had not performed well on by incentivizing them to correct their mistakes out of class. Student performance on one of the addition of angular momentum problems posed on the final exam suggests that students who corrected their mistakes benefited from the task and learned about addition of angular momentum better than those who did not correct their mistakes. Encouraging and supporting physics instructors to embrace instructional pragmatism can go a long way in helping students learn physics because it is likely to increase their persistence in using various EBAE approaches flexibly as they refine and tweak their implementation for their students. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

Instructional Pragmatism: Using a Variety of Evidence-Based Approaches Flexibly to Improve Student Learning

IPLS students and students in algebra-based physics often see math as a as a calculational tool rather than a way of reasoning about the physical world. But, in physics, math-in-science plays a critical role both in our physical ontology ("What is an E-field, really?") and epistemology ("I derived this result from a true equation so it must be true.") as well as for reasoning and organizing our conceptual knowledge. The critical conceptual blending* of physical concepts with mathematical symbology is rarely taught in math and is often taken for granted in physics. I identify a series of tools (epistemic games**) that can help students learn to connect math to the physical world. These tools include readings and activities that can be used throughout a class and that can be downloaded from the Living Physics Portal*** and integrated into existing classes.

Teaching IPLS students to use math in science

Imagine if every public high school science department had thousands of dollars’ worth of high-tech equipment available to educate their students…with Alabama Science in Motion they have access to that and more! 33 classroom teachers (specialists in Physics, Biology or Chemistry) at 11 universities across the state deliver over $11 million work of labs, demos, equipment and more direct to science classrooms. Through workshops, co-teaching, and online methods ASIM works with teachers. This "share the wealth" model can be adopted in all states. Look at our website: www.cws.auburn.edu/asim to see the lessons using learning cycles, white boarding, PER, formative assessment, teacher sharing and more. Many additions to the physics program came from the MSP APEX Grant at Alabama A&M, in partnership with AAPT. ASIM enables physics teachers to acquire a deeper knowledge of physics content and employ more effective pedagogical strategies based on physics education research, enabling students to achieve higher gains.

Lab Equipment for EVERYONE in Alabama!

Science educators usually face a lot of challenges in designing and implementing inquiry-based activities. Common challenges include limited apparatus and time constraints. In this study, students were engaged in scientific inquiry using Physics Education Technology (PHET) simulations via semester-long group projects. The instructor and students used the Scientific Abilities Assessment Rubrics (SAAR) to evaluate project presentations and papers (formative assessment). The overall research project was evaluated using lab assessment scale (pre and post) as well as the post reflection survey. The Science Process Skills Inventory (SPSI) was used to analyze students’ responses to the reflection survey. Quantitative analysis of the lab self-assessment scale showed a larger effect size for both introductory and general physics students. Qualitative analysis of the reflection surveys supported this apparent huge gain in lab skills and revealed students’ experiences of the PHET simulations.

Using PHET Simulations to Improve Scientific Abilities in Students

Many physics graduate students face the unique challenge of being both students and teachers concurrently. To succeed in these roles, they must develop both physics content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Our research has involved improving both the content knowledge and PCK of first-year graduate students. To improve their content knowledge, we have focused on improving their conceptual understanding of materials covered in upper-level undergraduate courses since our earlier investigations suggest that many graduate students struggle with developing a conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics. Learning tools, such as the Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials (QuILTs), have been successful, e.g., in helping graduate students improve their understanding of Dirac notation and single photon behavior in the context of a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer. In addition, we have been enhancing our semester long course focusing on the professional development of the teaching assistants (TAs) by including research-based activities. Implications of these interventions for the preparation of graduate students will be discussed.

Improving the Content and Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Physics Graduate Students Using Physics Education Research

First-time graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are usually nervous about their first teaching assignment. They worry about knowing the material well enough to teach it, they worry about public speaking and getting respect from their students, and they worry about potentially malfunctioning lab equipment, among many other concerns. Since "practice makes perfect," it makes sense to provide GTAs with the opportunity to practice before their teaching duties begin. In this talk, I describe two such activities that are part of the GTA Preparation class in the School of Physics at Georgia Tech. These activities allow the GTAs to take turns performing as teacher/facilitator and as students, providing them with an idea of what to expect in their classrooms. Course assessments over the past several years have shown that GTAs consider these activities to be very useful in preparing them and increasing their teaching self-efficacy.

Roleplaying in GTA Preparation: Microteaching and Lab Simulation

Since the passing of the National Quantum Initiative Act in December 2018, there has been great interest from business, academia, and the general public in the quantum industry. Faculty at higher-education institutes, mainly in physics, engineering, and computer science departments have been struggling with the question of how to adapt their courses to meet the demands of students interested in this exciting new field, ensuring that the content delivered would be relevant to possible future careers, whilst also maintaining academic relevance. Results from an interview study of 21 companies in the quantum industry will be presented, illustrating the skills and knowledge present in the workforce of the quantum industry; how those skills and knowledge relate to existing courses and training; and where there are opportunities for new and innovative course development.

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Why physics graduate students do not persist? An analysis from 19 departments

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