Undergraduate Physics Program Research Articles

Extending curricular analytics to analyze undergraduate physics programs

Curricular analytics (CA) is a quantitative method that analyzes the sequence of courses (curriculum) that students in an undergraduate academic program must complete to fulfill the requirements of the program. The main hypothesis of CA is that the less complex a curriculum is, the more likely it is that students complete the program. This study compares the curricular complexity of undergraduate physics programs at 60 institutions in the United States. The institutions were divided into three tiers based on national rankings of the physics graduate program, and the means of each tier were compared. No significant difference between the means of each tier was found, indicating that there is not a relationship between program curricular complexity and program ranking. Further analysis focused on the physics, chemistry, and mathematics courses, defined as the core courses of the curriculum. Significant differences in the number of required core courses and the complexity per core course were measured between the tiers; both were measured as large effects. Programs with the highest rankings required fewer core courses while having a higher complexity per core course. These institutions have more strict prerequisite requirements than lower ranking programs. This study also showed complexity was quantitatively related to curricular flexibility operationalized as the number of available eight-semester degree plans. The number of available degree plans exponentially decreased with increasing core complexity per course. Modifications to a curriculum at one institution were analyzed; a similar relationship between the number of available degree plans and increasing complexity per core course was found. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Importance of accounting for student identities and intersectionality for creating equitable and inclusive physics learning environments

This research focuses on the experiences of seven undergraduate women who were majoring in physics in a medium-size physics department at a small liberal arts college. In the semistructured, empathetic interviews we conducted, the women discussed how they decided to major in physics, their interactions with their peers and instructors, and who supported them during their physics trajectory. We used Standpoint Theory and focused on the experiences of undergraduate women to get a holistic perspective of how they became interested in physics, how they have been supported in their physics journey, as well as identify any challenges that they faced in their undergraduate physics program due to their identity. Using the Domains of Power framework, we analyzed how those in the position of power, e.g., instructors, can play important roles in establishing and maintaining safe, equitable, and inclusive environments for students, which is especially important for historically marginalized students such as women and ethnic and racial minority students in physics. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Statistical Analysis on Scale and Regional Distribution of Undergraduate Physics Programs in Korean Universities

Statistical Analysis on Scale and Regional Distribution of Undergraduate Physics Programs in Korean Universities

How Can We Design Instruction to Support Student Reasoning About Physicists’ Ethical Responsibilities in Society?

STEM professionals make decisions that impact society in a wide variety of ways. Making thoughtful decisions often requires them to consider a complex set of real-world implications that can impact multiple stakeholders, and there may not be a single “best” solution to be discovered. These decisions can also be political in nature. In contrast, science is often portrayed as being purely objective and apolitical. Physics instruction often reinforces this portrayal by focusing exclusively on physics content knowledge and skills. Some physics programs have been expanding to include technical skills that are relevant in the workforce, and this expansion likely benefits students in their careers. But undergraduate physics programs, and STEM courses generally, rarely prepare students to grapple with the types of complex, ethical decision-making that they will encounter in STEM.

Programmatic innovations that accord with the retention of women in STEM careers

Gender representation in the physical sciences remains inequitable and continues to lag behind other fields. Even though there exists adequate documentation regarding programmatic postures, difficulties persist within the physics discipline. In this paper, we present innovative, programmatic elements over an 8-year period at an undergraduate, liberal arts, physics program. These elements were added in response to the following two questions: “What practices cultivate an increase of physics major numbers in an undergraduate, liberal arts setting?” and “What practices facilitate a depth of experience for individual physics graduates?” Some of these innovations aligned with published, “best practices” for undergraduate physics programs, while others were novel to the program's context. Within this 8-year period, alterations were separated into curricular and co-curricular elements. Innovations are described, and data are presented in 3-year timeframes before, during, and after their implementation. The number of total majors and graduates increased, including a 200% increase of women degree recipients compared to the previous 10 years. This boosted average graduation rates for women above the national average (30% > 20%). Moreover, women were retained within the undergraduate physics major at a higher percentage during this time period when compared to men in the program. Lastly, these women physics majors maintained careers in science advancement fields at a rate of 80±% after ≤ 5 years post-graduation. While this paper presents a singular case study, the purpose is two-fold: (a) to validate quantitatively the work of national physics organizations within the context of a liberal arts institution, and (b) to suggest that a multi-level approach is most efficacious when considering programmatic innovations.

Free Software Resources for Teaching AC RC Circuits

The importance of introducing computational approaches early and actively in science education is widely acknowledged among educators and scientists. Many great ideas have been put forward and implemented by advocates and organizations such as Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (https://www.compadre.org/PICUP) and the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College (https://serc.carleton.edu/teaching_computation/index.html). According to “Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st-Century Careers,” a recent report by the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs, physics students benefit from learning how to represent physics concepts in multiple ways: mathematically, experimentally, and computationally. In his best-selling book on career advice, Cal Newport argues that quickly and effectively learning how to wield difficult tools is a valuable skill for success.

Developing the first two years of an undergraduate physics program

Developing the first two years of an undergraduate physics program

Physics Identity of Chinese Students Before and After Gaokao: the Effect of High-Stake Testing

High-stakes testing (HST) is critical in the educational system of East-Asian countries like China, and the ongoing standards-based reform in many Western countries like the USA. HST has been criticized for corrupting an educational system through means like disengaging students from authentic learning. It seems that students’ affective learning would be promoted if HST were abandoned. In this study, we used the mixed-method approach to investigate this hypothetical question by comparing the physics identity of high-school students in an HST-oriented educational context and college students who have transferred from an HST-oriented context to an almost HST-free one in China. We administered a physics identity survey with 108 students from two physics classes in a key high school and 233 undergraduate physics majors in a top-tier university who were separated by Gaokao as the most life-shaping test in China. We also interviewed sample participants about their physics learning. The data show the freshmen in college had a significantly higher average physics identity than the high-school students did. In the undergraduate physics program, the average physics identity had a deteriorating pattern from the freshmen, sophomores, to juniors. From high school to college, the students’ intention of pursuing physics as a major or career was similarly low. Differently, the students’ perception of lecturing changed, so did their self-discipline. Together, the findings suggested that simply discarding HST would not promote students’ affective learning. An alternative was needed to replace the extrinsic pressure from HST, which could be either students’ intrinsic engine of learning or another rewarding or coercive system.

Teaching physics for tomorrow: Equipping students to change the world

Why should engineers have all the fun?

Prevalence and nature of computational instruction in undergraduate physics programs across the United States

A national survey of physics faculty was conducted to investigate the prevalence and nature of computational instruction in physics courses across the United States. 1246 faculty from 357 unique institutions responded to the survey. The results suggest that more faculty have some form of computational teaching experience than a decade ago, but it appears that this experience does not necessarily translate to computational instruction in undergraduate students' formal course work. Further, we find that formal programs in computational physics are absent from most departments. A majority of faculty do report using computation on homework and in projects, but few report using computation with interactive engagement methods in the classroom or on exams. Specific factors that underlie these results are the subject of future work, but we do find that there is a variation on the reported experience with computation and the highest degree that students can earn at the surveyed institutions.

Measurement of the Background Gamma Dose Rates in Houston, Texas: A Descriptive Summary of an Undergraduate Research Mentored Project Performed by Students Underrepresented in the Health Physics Profession.

Natural background radiations include cosmic, terrestrial, and medical sources. Cosmic radiation is mostly shielded by the magnetic field of the Earth; however, those that penetrate can produce nuclear interactions within the Earth's atmosphere yielding cosmic ray showers. Terrestrial and medical sources of radioactivity are typically identified through radionuclide-specific decay signatures. Medical sources of radiation mainly result from diagnostic x rays, which attenuate into the environment. These x rays also contribute slightly to background radiation. The purpose of this study was to have students involved with the Texas Southern University (TSU) health physics program measure and report background gamma dose rates in Houston, Texas, using the Canberra InSpector 1000 Digital Hand-Held Multichannel Analyzer. The results were compared with the average gamma dose rate on Earth. Of note, TSU is one of the largest historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the nation and currently boasts the only undergraduate health physics program in Houston. Targeted locations were selected within the I-610 loop of Houston covering an area of approximately 100 km. Measurements were performed at nine locations and verified by GPS latitude and longitude coordinates. The dose rate was measured over a 100 m area at each location, while spectral analysis was simultaneously performed for natural gamma-emitters. Our results suggest the dose rate averaged over all geographical locations in this study was 0.114 ± 0.001 μSv h and thus, consistent with most literature. The only radionuclide identified in the spectra in all measurements was K due to the limited energy resolution of the InSpector 1000.

Implementing Investigative Labs and Writing Intensive Reports in Large University Physics Courses

Undergraduate physics programs are increasingly facing pressure from university and college administration, industry, and funding agencies to improve training of our undergraduates. Increasingly, tertiary institutions have redefined their graduate profiles and mission statements to encompass more than just content knowledge, including skills that will help students succeed in today’s fast-paced world. Many physics departments have started to incorporate the results of physics education research and cognitive science, by adopting more active pedagogies. Student Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP) is one such educational innovation that has spread widely around the United States and abroad. While initially developed for large-enrollment university physics courses, the approach is being used in a variety of disciplines and class sizes so the acronym has evolved to reflect this. SCALE-UP integrates the lab, “lecture,” and tutorial sections of the course in a reformed classroom to allow large-enrollment university courses to benefit from interactive instruction. This article explains how the University of Auckland developed more open-ended, resourceful lab activities to be completed by large classes that enhance understanding of physics while developing transferable writing-related and critical thinking skills.

Measurement of the Background Gamma Dose Rates in Houston, Texas: A Descriptive Summary of an Undergraduate Research Mentored Project Performed by Students Underrepresented in the Health Physics Profession: Erratum.

Natural background radiations include cosmic, terrestrial, and medical sources. Cosmic radiation is mostly shielded by the magnetic field of the Earth; however, those that penetrate can produce nuclear interactions within the Earth's atmosphere yielding cosmic ray showers. Terrestrial and medical sources of radioactivity are typically identified through radionuclide-specific decay signatures. Medical sources of radiation mainly result from diagnostic x rays, which attenuate into the environment. These x rays also contribute slightly to background radiation. The purpose of this study was to have students involved with the Texas Southern University (TSU) health physics program measure and report background gamma dose rates in Houston, Texas, using the Canberra InSpector 1000 Digital Hand-Held Multichannel Analyzer. The results were compared with the average gamma dose rate on Earth. Of note, TSU is one of the largest historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the nation and currently boasts the only undergraduate health physics program in Houston. Targeted locations were selected within the I-610 loop of Houston covering an area of approximately 100 km. Measurements were performed at nine locations and verified by GPS latitude and longitude coordinates. The dose rate was measured over a 100 m area at each location, while spectral analysis was simultaneously performed for natural gamma-emitters. Our results suggest the dose rate averaged over all geographical locations in this study was 0.114 ± 0.001 μSv h and thus, consistent with most literature. The only radionuclide identified in the spectra in all measurements was K due to the limited energy resolution of the InSpector 1000.

Hidden factors that influence success in the optics workforce

Successful employees in the optics industry have characteristics that are not frequently emphasized in undergraduate physics programs.

Improving undergraduate labs

Toni Feder’s news story “Undergraduate labs lag in science and technology” (Physics Today, April 2017, page 26) is a welcome analysis of the challenges facing advanced undergraduate physics laboratories and current efforts to provide effective solutions for undergraduate physics programs at US colleges and universities.The Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA) sponsors a laboratory immersion program in which physics faculty receive three days of dedicated instruction and hands-on experience with modern advanced undergraduate physics experiments. The goal is to provide enough training so that participants can implement the experiments at their own institutions.Since the inception of the program, I have participated in nine immersions. Each was excellent, and I have implemented at least one experiment—and in one case, five—from each immersion I attended. The topics have been fascinating, and they included single-photon tests of quantum mechanics, external-cavity diode lasers, laser-induced fluorescence, Compton scattering, precision laser interferometry, Fourier methods, and saturated absorption spectroscopy.At my small undergraduate institution—10 physics majors per year on average—the primary obstacle I faced in implementing those experiments was locating funds to purchase the equipment. Fortunately, the Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation started the ALPhA immersions equipment grant program, which has been a godsend to me and my students. Its support has allowed me to acquire a Leybold x-ray diffraction apparatus, a TeachSpin diode laser spectroscopy instrument, a Stanford Research lock-in amplifier, and a TeachSpin Fourier Methods system.As a direct result of the efforts of ALPhA and the Reichert Foundation, I have implemented 13 advanced undergraduate physics experiments at my institution. Additionally, I proposed a new course, Advanced Laboratory in Physics, which was offered for the first time in the fall of 2017.Some friends and colleagues suggest that after 30 years of professorial experience I should be thinking about retiring. I disagree. I am more excited now than ever, because I see my students’ enthusiasm as they perform the new experiments. I look forward to many more years in the best job on the planet. Section:ChooseTop of page <<© 2018 American Institute of Physics.

Is it time to change the undergraduate curriculum?

My two oldest nieces, Miriam and Sarah, are both 16. Later this year, they will start their respective searches for a place at college in earnest. Their experiences will be different, not just because Miriam is interested in science and Sarah is interested in teaching. Miriam lives in Conwy, an ancient town of 15 000 people in North Wales. Sarah lives in Olney, a Maryland suburb of 34 000 outside Washington, DC.When it comes to undergraduates, the university systems of the UK and the US are significantly different. In the UK, students typically study just one subject for three years—physics, in my case. In the US, students spend less time studying a major; more on other subjects.The UK system has advantages and disadvantages. In three years, a UK physics student will be taught more physics than a US physics major will in four. That’s a plus. On the other hand, prospective students in the UK have to be sure of their chosen subject. And if their high schools don’t teach, say, economics or sociology—two subjects that were not offered at my school—they could fail to embark on a fulfilling vocation.The US system of majors, minors, and general education is more forgiving and flexible, yet I have little enthusiasm for it. That view might seem heretical, given the current crop of books on the virtues of a liberal education. But tuition rates at US universities have become so high that we should question whether students are getting value for the money borrowed and spent, even if we conclude that undergraduate curriculums don’t need to change.One purported benefit of a liberal education is that it exposes students to a rich range of learning. It prepares them to be knowledgeable participants in society and can give them the intellectual flexibility to adapt to a changing economy. The general education requirements that I looked at for this editorial do indeed proclaim those praiseworthy aims.But I’ve found little love among my US-educated friends for the general education courses they were forced to take. For example, my wife majored in geography, a subject she loves. She wanted to take more geography courses, but couldn’t. From a gen-ed course on the 18th-century British novel, she acquired the pleasureless skill of reading books as quickly as possible. The “eat-your-vegetables” approach to gen-ed also presents professors with the challenge of trying to engage students who would rather be studying something else. A friend of mine who’s a professor at Boston University told me he felt he had to entertain his gen-ed students as much as teach them.Then there’s the complexity of the US system. Scheduling classes with a view to meeting all the requirements for graduation is evidently so challenging that at least one company, Hobson’s, makes money selling software that navigates class timetables, prerequisites, previously earned credits, and so on. One friend of mine picked up his bachelor’s diploma only to discover, decades later, that he had failed to take one required course. Neither he nor his adviser had noticed the deficit.What is to be done? I see three promising ways to improve the US undergraduate curriculum. The first is to emulate the reforms enacted in Hong Kong in 2012. (See Physics Today, December 2012, page 23.) At the turn of the 21st century, the territory’s government concluded that the education system it inherited from the British was unsuited for preparing students for the modern economy. The system Hong Kong adopted is qualitatively similar to the US system, but with a crucial difference. Gen-ed requirements are less burdensome. There’s also less choice, so the system is simpler.The second promising route is to give students more freedom to pursue their interests. That’s the approach adopted by project-based universities, such as Quest and Olin. (See Physics Today, June 2017, page 28.) Students learn, say, writing and communication as part of carrying out projects, not because they have to take English 101.Lastly, there’s the approach recommended on page 38 of this issue. There you’ll find a feature article by Laurie McNeil and Paula Heron that summarizes J-TUPP, the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs. Recognizing that only 5% of US physics majors land in academic jobs, J-TUPP recommends that they be taught the skills they’ll need in nonacademic jobs, such as communication, facility with widely used software, and teamwork.Adding courses to a physics curriculum risks taking time away from physics courses—but not if that time is taken from gen-ed. Section:ChooseTop of page <<CITING ARTICLES© 2017 American Institute of Physics.

Changes at the NSF and Computing in the Physics Curriculum

Associate editor-in-chief Steven Gottlieb describes a recent experience with the Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (PICUP) program.

Transforming the Learning Environment of Undergraduate Physics Laboratories to Enhance Physics Inquiry Processes

Concerns persist regarding the lack of promotion of students’ scientific inquiry processes in undergraduate physics laboratories. The consensus in the literature is that, especially in the early years of undergraduate physics programs, students’ laboratory work is characterized by recipe type, step-by-step instructions for activities where the aim is often confirmation of an already well-established physics principle or concept. In response to evidence reflecting these concerns at their university, the authors successfully secured funding for this study. A mixed-method design was employed. In the 2011/2012 academic year baseline data were collected. A quantitative survey, the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Learning Environment Scale (UPLLES) was developed, validated, and used to explore students’ perceptions of their physics laboratory environments. Analysis of data from the UPLLES and from interviews confirmed the concerns evident in the literature and in a previous evaluation of laboratories undertaken in 2002. To address these concerns the activities that students were to perform in the laboratory section of the course/s were re/designed to engage students in more inquiry oriented thinking and activity. In Fall 2012, the newly developed laboratory activities and tutorials, were implemented for the first time in PHYS124; a first year course. These changes were accompanied by structured training of teaching assistants and changes to the structure of the evaluation of students’ laboratory performance. At the end of that term the UPLLES was administered (n = 266) and interviews with students conducted (n = 16) to explore their perceptions of their laboratory environments. Statistically significant differences (p&lt;.001) between the students in the PHYS 124 classes of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 across all dimensions were found. Effect sizes of 0.82 to 1.3, between the views of students in the first semester physics classes of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, were also calculated suggesting positive changes in the laboratory inquiry orientation. In their interviews, students confirmed and detailed these positive changes while still noting areas for future improvement.

APS-AAPT Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP) report released

<i>APS-AAPT Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP) report released</i>

Implementing Project-based Learning in making a weight meter

Project-based learning (PjBL) is an activity, which can be done individually or in groups, that goes on over a period of time and its objective can be a product, presentation, or performance. It can make students develop their skills and become more engaged in learning because they can solve problems that are met in real life through a project. The project was a weight meter using a d.c. deflection-type bridge circuit and a VU meter, which was realized by a group of three students (the first three authors). We were of the 2nd year of undergraduate physics program that are taking the Measurement and Data Processing Techniques course in the period of January to April 2015. We worked together with our lecturer and tutor as our advisers. In making the weight meter, we have done the following roles in PjBL: 1. Planning the project and setting a timeline, 2. Doing research, 3. Creating first draft, 4. Rewriting the project report, and 5. Submitting the project. Under the guidance of timeline, the project has been completed timely. A force sensing resistor (FSR) sensor was employed to convert a body mass to resistance of the bridge circuit and the VU meter was modified to be a display of the weight meter. The weight meter could be used to measure a body mass up to 5 kg.