Building Undergraduate Physics Programs for the 21st Century
PKAL 2002 Summer Institute - Cluster II
June 2 - June 5, 2002

Workshop Abstract

Why do some physics departments have thriving undergraduate programs, while other departments are struggling? Why, in spite of several decades of curricular developments and physics education research, do many students find physics courses painful at best, with little or no connection to their careers or their daily lives? The National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics, sponsored by the American Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society, and the American Association of Physics Teachers, with further support from the ExxonMobil Foundation, is studying these issues with site visits to thriving undergraduate physics programs and a survey of all physics departments in the U. S.

This workshop, intended for teams of two or three faculty members from physics departments that would like to strengthen their undergraduate programs, will be based on the findings of those site visits and survey. The focus will be on a global view of a department's undergraduate program.

Workshop sessions include:

• The Department's Mission
• Courses for Both Majors and Non-Majors, What Works for Which Audience
• Flexible Requirements (Tracks) for Physics Majors
• The Role of Undergraduate Research
• Preparing Future K-12 Teachers
• The Importance of Strong and Sustained Leadership

The workshop will emphasize the interactions among the components of a strong undergraduate program and how such a program is developed and sustained. Case study presentations from several thriving undergraduate physics programs will complement general talks about the current status of undergraduate physics, overviews of what works, and the role of physics education research. The workshop will have planning and advising sessions for each departmental team, who are expected to develop an agenda for action for the 2002-2003 academic year.

Workshop Planners

Robert C. Hilborn, Workshop Leader, Amherst College
C. Clifton Chancey, Northern Iowa University
Andrew Gavrin, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis
Ruth Howes, Ball State University
Kenneth Krane, Oregon State University
Elizabeth McCormack, Bryn Mawr College
Laura McNeil, University of North Carolina
Mats Selen, University of Illinois
Gubbi R. Sudhakaran, University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse

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