Guide Overview

The EP3 Guide contains a vast quantity of information and advice from across the physics community. No department should attempt to implement everything in it. The Guide is not a set of benchmarks or checklists that define “successful” departments. Instead, the Guide should be regarded as a highly structured resource for physics departments and programs to address challenges and make changes and improvements.

When reading each section of the Guide, leaders of physics programs should reflect on where they are, what they want to accomplish, what resources they have available, and the relevance of the topic of the section to achieving their goals. Learn more about how to use the Guide.

  1. Effective Practices
    1. Students
      1. Success
        1. Recruiting of Undergraduate Physics Majors
        2. Retention of Undergraduate Physics Majors
        3. Advising and Mentoring of Students
      2. Opportunity
        1. Career Preparation
        2. Preparing Students for Graduate School in Physics and Related Fields
        3. Undergraduate Research
        4. Internships
    2. Curriculum And Pedagogy
      1. Assessment
        1. How to Assess Student Learning at the Program Level
      2. Pedagogy
        1. Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices
        2. Capstone Experiences
      3. Course Design
        1. Introductory Courses for STEM Majors
        2. Introductory Courses for Life Sciences Majors
        3. Upper-Level Physics Curriculum
        4. Courses for Non-STEM Majors
        5. Online Education
      4. Skills
        1. Instructional Laboratories and Experimental Skills
        2. Computational Skills
        3. Communication Skills
    3. Programs
      1. Degree Tracks
        1. High School Physics Teacher Preparation
        2. Degree Tracks
        3. Dual-Degree Programs
      2. Student Engagement
        1. Community Engagement and Outreach
        2. Undergraduate Instructional Assistants
    4. Department
      1. Leadership
        1. How to Be an Effective Chair
        2. How to Create and Sustain Effective Change
        3. How to Select and Use Various Assessment Methods in Your Program
        4. How to Create and Use a Strategic Plan
        5. How to Create and Use Foundational Documents
      2. People
        1. Departmental Culture and Climate
        2. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
        3. Ethics
      3. Undergraduate Program Review
        1. How to Undertake an Undergraduate Program Review
        2. How to Serve as an Undergraduate Program Reviewer
      4. Operations
        1. The Physical Environment: Encouraging Collaboration and Learning
  2. Resources
    1. Assessment Instruments
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 1738311, 1747563, and 1821372. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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