Guide To Introductory Courses for STEM Majors

Version 2021.1

Introductory courses for STEM majors may include calculus-based or algebra-based introductory physics course sequences, often with integrated laboratory experiences. These courses are often among the first required physics courses for students majoring in physics, chemistry, engineering, life sciences, and other disciplines. The guidance in this section can be used for physics programs that offer a single course sequence for all of these students, for programs that offer separate algebra-based and calculus-based sequences, and for programs that have specific tracks for students in different majors. See the sections on Introductory Courses for Life Sciences Majors and Courses for Non-STEM Majors for more specific guidance on creating courses for these particular audiences. See the section on Instructional Laboratories and Experimental Skills for more specific guidance on designing laboratory components of your introductory courses. This section provides guidance on developing and improving introductory courses for STEM majors to meet student, department, and institutional needs; and providing support for

Instructional Staff

Faculty, instructors, adjuncts, teaching staff, and others who serve as instructors of record for courses. This term does not include instructional support staff who support the teaching of courses.

and students, including students from

Marginalized Groups

People of color and others with marginalized ethnicities, women and others who experience misogyny, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, and others who have traditionally been marginalized in society and in physics. According to the TEAM-UP Report, marginalized groups are “groups of people defined by a common social identity who lack adequate social power or resources to design, build, or perpetuate social structures or institutions that reflect the centrality … of their identities, proclivities, and points of view. … They need not be underrepresented or numerical minorities, but often are.” We use the term marginalized groups, rather than minorities, underrepresented groups, or other commonly used terms, because people in these groups are not always minorities or underrepresented, and in order to convey that underrepresentation is the result of marginalization rather than a statistical accident. Another common term is minoritized groups. While we use this general term for brevity and readability, it is important to recognize that the many different groups encompassed by this term face different challenges and have different needs that should be addressed individually whenever possible, to learn the terms that people ask to be called, and to recognize that these terms may change over time.

. Because the goals, needs, and resources of physics programs vary widely, the EP3 Guide does not address what content should be covered in a physics program or in particular physics courses. Instead, this section addresses how to engage in a collaborative process to determine

Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes

Statements describing what students should be able to do as a result of completing a particular course. Outcomes emphasize the integration and application of knowledge rather than coverage of material, and are observable, measurable, and demonstrable. They use specific, active verbs (e.g., “solve,” “describe,” and “calculate”) rather than “understand.” Course-level student learning outcomes are often abbreviated as course-level SLOs and are also known as course-level learning goals. Examples include:

  • Solve the Schroedinger equation in one dimension for commonly encountered simple potentials
  • Describe physical situations that correspond to simple potential energy curves
  • Calculate the electric field or potential due to a system of charges using Coulomb’s law

Course-level student learning outcomes are generally specific to the knowledge and skills addressed in individual courses, in contrast to program-level student learning outcomes, which focus on overall program outcomes. For instructional staff, these learning outcomes clarify what the course will deliver and unite course content with course-level assessments. Specifying course-level learning outcomes in individual course syllabi is often a requirement for accreditation of your institution, or of the institution itself. Assessment of course-level student learning outcomes through course assignments or examinations should be aligned with assessment of program-level learning outcomes, when possible. See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for guidance on how to design and assess courses based on program-level and course-level student learning outcomes. For examples, see the PhysPort expert recommendation How do I develop student learning outcomes for physics courses?

and the content that will help you meet those goals. The section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices provides general pedagogical guidance as well as guidance on how to design and assess courses based on course-level student learning outcomes.

Benefits

Introductory courses for STEM majors serve as gateways into physics and other STEM disciplines, and without careful attention, they may become barriers to entry, particularly for students from

Marginalized Groups

People of color and others with marginalized ethnicities, women and others who experience misogyny, LGBTQ+ people, disabled people, and others who have traditionally been marginalized in society and in physics. According to the TEAM-UP Report, marginalized groups are “groups of people defined by a common social identity who lack adequate social power or resources to design, build, or perpetuate social structures or institutions that reflect the centrality … of their identities, proclivities, and points of view. … They need not be underrepresented or numerical minorities, but often are.” We use the term marginalized groups, rather than minorities, underrepresented groups, or other commonly used terms, because people in these groups are not always minorities or underrepresented, and in order to convey that underrepresentation is the result of marginalization rather than a statistical accident. Another common term is minoritized groups. While we use this general term for brevity and readability, it is important to recognize that the many different groups encompassed by this term face different challenges and have different needs that should be addressed individually whenever possible, to learn the terms that people ask to be called, and to recognize that these terms may change over time.

. If well designed and taught, these courses can provide some of the best opportunities to recruit students into the physics major, to support student success and retention, and to influence future scientists, medical professionals, and science teachers through excellent instruction and a positive introduction to the discipline. See the section on Recruiting of Undergraduate Physics Majors for guidance on how to connect with students in introductory and, if appropriate, service courses in order to recruit them into a physics major. Introductory courses can help students develop an understanding of fundamental physics concepts and models and of how these concepts and models are used to analyze a multitude of situations. The content knowledge and skills built in these courses can serve as the foundation for the physics major and as valuable support for success in other STEM fields. Research-based instructional practices have been shown to effectively engage students in the introductory courses, promote reasoning, improve success and retention, and provide opportunities for involving students in instructional activities through roles such as learning assistants and teaching assistants. Introductory physics courses also typically provide a critical service to the institution by serving as required support courses for engineering, chemistry, life sciences, and other departments. Serving these external constituencies in a manner that supports, respects and contributes to their efforts can help your department build relationships with other departments and your administration.

The Cycle of Reflection and Action

Effective Practices

Effective Practices

  1. Design and assess introductory courses, starting from program-level and course-level student learning outcomes and student preparation

  2. Design an introductory course structure to meet your department’s goals, students’ needs, and institutional constraints

  3. Use research-based instructional practices and inclusive pedagogy in the introductory courses

  4. Support instructional staff to provide effective classroom instruction in the introductory courses

  5. Support students to maximize their learning

  6. Establish and sustain institutional support for your introductory courses

Programmatic Assessments

Programmatic Assessments

See Resources in the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for resources for teaching introductory physics and beyond.

See Resources in the section on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for resources for using inclusive pedagogy and equitable practices in introductory physics and beyond.

The ComPADRE website includes a variety of resources for implementing research-based practices in physics classes, including:

  • PhysPort: Resources based on physics education research that support teaching. Includes overviews of research-based teaching methods and materials, open-source curricula, expert recommendations, and assessments for introductory physics courses. PhysPort features an expert recommendation on how to develop

    Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes

    Statements describing what students should be able to do as a result of completing a particular course. Outcomes emphasize the integration and application of knowledge rather than coverage of material, and are observable, measurable, and demonstrable. They use specific, active verbs (e.g., “solve,” “describe,” and “calculate”) rather than “understand.” Course-level student learning outcomes are often abbreviated as course-level SLOs and are also known as course-level learning goals. Examples include:

    • Solve the Schroedinger equation in one dimension for commonly encountered simple potentials
    • Describe physical situations that correspond to simple potential energy curves
    • Calculate the electric field or potential due to a system of charges using Coulomb’s law

    Course-level student learning outcomes are generally specific to the knowledge and skills addressed in individual courses, in contrast to program-level student learning outcomes, which focus on overall program outcomes. For instructional staff, these learning outcomes clarify what the course will deliver and unite course content with course-level assessments. Specifying course-level learning outcomes in individual course syllabi is often a requirement for accreditation of your institution, or of the institution itself. Assessment of course-level student learning outcomes through course assignments or examinations should be aligned with assessment of program-level learning outcomes, when possible. See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for guidance on how to design and assess courses based on program-level and course-level student learning outcomes. For examples, see the PhysPort expert recommendation How do I develop student learning outcomes for physics courses?

    with examples from an introductory physics course.
  • The Physics Source: A collection of resources for introductory college-level physics courses. It includes curricula, curricular support materials, reference materials, and pedagogical and physics-education-research-inspired content and their research justifications.

Several books provide overviews of how to implement research-based practices in introductory physics courses:

  • E. F. Redish, Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite, Wiley (2004): A book introducing physics instructional staff to the implications of physics education research, the cognitive basis for research-based teaching, and teaching methods and tools to improve physics instruction. Available as a free pdf.
  • R. D. Knight, Five Easy Lessons: Strategies for Successful Physics Teaching, Pearson Education (2004): A book introducing physics instructional staff to interactive teaching and the implications of physics education research, with examples of lessons, activities, and demonstrations for the physics classroom, and suggestions for teaching specific topics in physics.
  • A. B. Arons, Teaching Introductory Physics, Wiley (1990): A book with a comprehensive exploration of pedagogical issues in student learning of physics. Includes a detailed discussion of student physics learning problems and strategies for addressing these topic by topic, a collection of very challenging open-ended homework problems, and a guide to a nontraditional sequence in physics teaching.
  • J. P. Mestre and J. L. Docktor, The Science of Learning Physics: Cognitive Strategies For Improving Instruction, World Scientific (2020): A book introducing physics instructional staff to research on the teaching and learning of physics.
  • E. Mazur, Peer Instruction: A User’s Manual, Prentice Hall (1997): A book introducing Peer Instruction, a method for integrating discussion of conceptual questions into lecture classes. Includes a large collection of questions for use in introductory physics courses.

See Evidence in the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for evidence of the benefits of active learning in introductory physics and beyond.

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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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