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Introductory Course Reform at Oregon State: promoting sustainable reform

Introductory Course Reform at Oregon State: promoting sustainable reform. Dedra Demaree , Oregon State University Sissi Li, Oregon State University And the OSUPER group Presented at AAPT, July 2009. What we’re doing:. Department-wide, team-based curricular reform at lower-division level

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Introductory Course Reform at Oregon State: promoting sustainable reform

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  1. Introductory Course Reform at Oregon State: promoting sustainable reform Dedra Demaree, Oregon State University Sissi Li, Oregon State University And the OSUPER group Presented at AAPT, July 2009

  2. What we’re doing: • Department-wide, team-based curricular reform at lower-division level • Starting with introductory calculus-based physics (~1000 students per year take the sequence) • Building on expertise and departmental culture established by Paradigms in Physics |P><P| reform • Re-visiting content and specifying course goals • New structure, text, online homework… • New classroom space and remodeled lecture hall • Mixed-methods assessment 2

  3. Specific goals and influences: • Goals: • Conceptual understanding, Problem solving skills, Scaffolding topics known to be difficult for our students, Epistemological development and positive attitudes, Appreciation and curiosity for physics • Influences/resources: • Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE), Matter and Interactions (M&I), Peer Instruction, Knight textbook and MasteringPhysics, SCALE-UP, Innovations such as nano-lab extension to ISLE resistance design-activity 3

  4. How we’re doing it: people • Curriculum development teams including faculty and instructors • 3 teams, each taking on a few-week ‘bite’ of curriculum • 2 members are on all three teams for coherence • Members range from experienced to new faculty that ‘specialize’ in both upper and lower division instruction • One ‘service course’ committee to bind it • Surveying other departments, choosing baseline assessments, choosing textbook change, studying what other universities have accomplished… 4

  5. How we’re doing it: structure • Original: • 3 1-hour lectures per week, 1 3-hour lab, 1 1-hour optional recitation • One instructor/faculty responsible for all lectures and supervising a TA team to do labs/recitation • New structure: • 2 1-hour lectures per week, 1 2-hour SCALE-UP, 1 2-hour lab • Possible ‘7th’ hour for people with extra interest (computational focus), or with extra need (remedial math) • Head instructor (and coordinator) with rotating lecturers, Head TA to help lead SCALE-UP sessions, other TAs and LAs 5

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  7. Sustainability: • Need faculty buy-in for the big picture • Department hired PER-faculty to lead this • Team-based, department-wide involvement • Commitment to and understanding of choices • Bite-size curricular committees for ‘all’ faculty • Choices driven by concrete information (surveys, research at other institutions…) • Need intro courses more ‘approachable’ for faculty • Can lecture a ‘bite-sized’ chunk without the administrative hassle of 500+ students 7

  8. Model driving reform choices: Scaffolding/ Math Conceptual Understanding Contributes to success in Quality choices help improve (new nanolab) Problem Solving Appreciation/ Curiosity Leads back to More productive participation Success contributes to productive Epistemologies/ Attitudes 8

  9. Model driving assessment choices: Scaffolding/ Math Conceptual Understanding Committee choices, teacher implementation, student engagement FCI, CSEM… Student feedback, engagement Problem Solving Productive attitudes enable more participation and engagement in the community of practice Appreciation/ Curiosity ISLE Rubrics CLASS, qualitative studies Epistemologies/ Attitudes 9

  10. Why a communities of practice conceptual framework: • Think about how students take ownership of learning/knowledge (deeper than epistemology) • Classroom norms and practices • How they think about physics, deal with difficulties • Also considers factors from outside the classroom • Participation • Engaging with the classroom activities, with fellow students, and with instructor • Productive participation produces meaningful experiences that build competence (knowledge) and feeds back to enable more productive participation and learning 10

  11. Accomplishments to date: • Site visits conducted at model institutions • Lecture hall remodeled to facilitate active-engagement • Service course committee implemented baseline assessment and new text Au08 • Some new activities/goals tested • Survey given to determine content/goals • FCI normalized gain of 0.4 achieved in 200+ person lecture course Au08 • Qualitative and quantitative research underway 11

  12. Future work: • Committee meetings are ongoing • SCALE-UP room under construction this summer with internal grant funding and private donations • Internal grant awarded to test curriculum with subset of students in the fall • CCLI phase 1 grant submitted, and hopefully will have full support for taking data by winter 2010 • Development for other quarters of the sequence will trail by one term • Full implementation slated for spring 2010 • Grant (fingers crossed) will also support collaboration with local Community Colleges 12

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