4 upcoming events
June 12, 2023 | 05:15 PM–06:15 PM CST
A session of the ASCN Transforming Institutions Conference 2023
Presented by Chandra Turpen, David Craig, Joel Corbo, Kathryn Svinarich, and Robert Dalka
Abstract: There is abundant evidence of practices that support strong undergraduate programs, such as shared leadership and using data to guide programmatic changes. Yet in many physics and other STEM departments, motivating uptake of these strategies can be difficult due to factors such as time constraints and cultural assumptions of the disciplinary community. The Effective Practices for Physics Programs (EP3) initiative responds to these challenges.
EP3 is led by two professional societies that are trusted among physicists: the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). The EP3 Guide was created by gathering knowledge from both research and practitioners within physics and education. It serves as a resource for stakeholders who wish to transform their programs by bringing together effective practices across a wide range of departmental facets, such as student mentoring, course design, and departmental leadership.
The Departmental Action Leadership Institute (DALI) was created as the initial community engagement arm of the EP3 initiative. DALI is an intensive, year-long professional learning community led by expert facilitators that supports physics faculty in apprenticing into effective change strategies, and adapting practices—including those outlined in the EP3 Guide—to match their local contexts. During this year, DALI participants engage with a local team of departmental stakeholders to work on a change effort that is specific to their program's concerns.
Research on DALI has found that faculty participants value learning skills around facilitating teams and designing purposeful approaches to change. This learning is supported by the consistent, high-touch approach of DALI. This presentation will focus on three primary leadership practices that faculty members brought into their local teams: shared vision for success, purposeful use of data for decision making, and partnerships with students.
Join us to learn about EP3 and discuss ways to enable uptake of effective change practices.
June 12, 2023 | 07:30 PM–09:00 PM EST
A workshop at the 2023 Physics Department Chairs Conference
Presented by Michael Jackson
Abstract: Following a brief overview of the EP3 Guide, participants in this workshop will be provided information (e.g., graduation rates and other student data) on a physics department at a fictitious institution "Stellar University" for which they serve as an external consultant (e.g., external program reviewer). With this information, participants speculate about the issues facing this department, in part by considering their own experiences. Participants will gain experience in using the cycle of reflection and action outlined in the EP3 guide and learn how the EP3 guide could be used to identify potential strategies that may be helpful for this fictitious department to consider (or perhaps their own department). Note: this is a highly abbreviated version of a half-day workshop that is currently under development.
June 21, 2023
A session of the 2023 Canadian Association of Physicists Congress
Presented by Michael Wittmann
Abstract: Following a brief overview of the EP3 Guide, participants in this workshop will be provided information (e.g., graduation rates and other student data) on a physics department at a fictitious institution "Stellar University" for which they serve as an external consultant (e.g., external program reviewer). With this information, participants speculate about the issues facing this department, in part by considering their own experiences. Participants will gain experience in using the cycle of reflection and action outlined in the EP3 guide and learn how the EP3 guide could be used to identify potential strategies that may be helpful for this fictitious department to consider (or perhaps their own department). Note: this is a highly abbreviated version of a half-day workshop that is currently under development.
July 26, 2023 | 07:00 PM
Presented by Kevin Aptowicz, Ph.D., Professor of Physics, West Chester University & Murphy Pyankov, Undergraduate Physics Major, West Chester University and President, Underrepresented Genders in Physics WCU
Abstract:
This webinar is brought to you by SEA Change.
Many physics departments are striving to make gains in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. At West Chester University, a group of faculty, students, and staff were part of the inaugural cohort in a Department Action Leadership Institute (DALI). DALIs support the implementation of robust and meaningful change by providing a framework to view complex issues from multiple points of view and make data-driven decisions. In this webinar, we will discuss how participating in the DALI has impacted our department and highlight the creation of a new student group: Underrepresented Genders in Physics (UGP). A team leader for the DALI and the student president of UGP will cohost the webinar and discuss why this group was needed and the barriers to creating it.
You can register for the webinar here.