Introductory Course Reform at Oregon State: promoting

sustainable reformDedra Demaree, Oregon State UniversitySissi Li, Oregon State UniversityAnd the OSUPER group

Presented at AAPT, July 2009

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

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

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

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

6

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

Conceptual Understanding

ProblemSolving

Epistemologies/Attitudes

Scaffolding/Math

Appreciation/Curiosity

Contributes to success in

Leads back toMore productiveparticipation

Quality choices help improve (new nanolab)

Success contributes to productive

8

Model driving reform choices:

Conceptual Understanding

ProblemSolving

Epistemologies/Attitudes

Scaffolding/Math

Appreciation/Curiosity

FCI, CSEM…

Productive attitudes enable more participation and engagement in the community of practice

Student feedback, engagement

CLASS, qualitative studies

9

Model driving assessment choices:

ISLE Rubrics

Committee choices, teacher implementation, student engagement

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

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

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