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Upper-Level Physics Curriculum

Guide To Upper-Level Physics Curriculum

Version 2021.1

Description
Benefits
Effective Practices
Assessments
Resources
Evidence

This section describes how to design and assess upper-level courses, curricula, and classroom and departmental environments that support collaboration, articulation of ideas, conceptual understanding, technical skills, mathematical and computational proficiency, and development of advanced physics problem-solving skills. This section provides guidance on developing and improving your upper-level physics curriculum to meet student, department, and institutional needs; providing support for

and students, including students from

; and promoting the creation of student communities. 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 the design and use of

and

, design of course content and pedagogy, and the student learning environment. See Resources below for links to materials for teaching specific upper-level courses. 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. The sections on Instructional Laboratories and Experimental Skills and Computational Skills provide guidance on designing courses that address these skills and integrating these skills throughout the curriculum. The section on How to Create and Sustain Effective Change provides guidance on how to structure and sustain curricular change.

Benefits

A well-designed upper-level curriculum provides opportunities for students to engage deeply with the discipline of physics and its excitement and challenges, develop identities as physicists, and prepare for a diverse range of careers as well as post-graduate study. A coherent curriculum that is consciously designed to support your

ensures that students in each track in your program can achieve those outcomes. A well-designed upper-level curriculum supports the development of diverse skills such as problem-solving, critical-thinking, mathematical, computational, experimental, and communication skills; working in teams; planning and completing long-term projects; and placing physical problems and solutions in larger contexts. A strong upper-level curriculum supports retention of undergraduate physics majors.

The Cycle of Reflection and Action

Where are you and what are you trying to accomplish?

Who should be involved?

What will you do?

How did it go and what comes next?

To be intentional about change, a department must have a clear understanding of its present situation and a vision for what it would like to become. Our cycle of self-reflection questions will help your department start conversations and structure thinking about how to get from where you are to where you want to be.

The Cycle of Reflection and Action will help you put the EP3 Guide to work for your department.

Learn more about the Cycle of Reflection and Action and how it can help your department.

Effective Practices

Design and assess a holistic upper-level curriculum around program-level and course-level student learning outcomes
1. Survey your alumni to learn what career or academic paths they took after your program and how your upper-level curriculum did or did not support them in those paths.
  Learn about the backgrounds and interests of students at your institution and consider how your physics program could support common students goals. For example, determine whether focusing your upper-level curriculum on graduate school preparation, diverse career preparation, some combination of the two, or something else would best serve students in your program or those who could be recruited to your program.
  Survey local industry to learn what careers are available to your students and what knowledge and skills are needed for those careers. Talk to local high school physics teachers to learn about opportunities for students who pursue teaching.
  Consider how to make upper-level courses, especially those that are part of a physics minor, appealing to students in other programs, to increase course enrollments and to attract majors and minors. See the section of Recruiting of Undergraduate Physics Majors for details.
2. Create
  that define the competencies students earning a degree in each track in your program should master. See section on Assessment of Student Learning at the Program Level for guidance on developing program-level student learning outcomes.
  Learn from examples of
  developed by other physics programs. (
  agencies generally require program-level outcomes to be posted on program web sites, making it straightforward to gain inspiration from peer and aspirant programs.)
  See the sections on Communication Skills, Computational Skills, Instructional Laboratories and Experimental Skills, and Career Preparation for guidance on creating
  that address each of these areas.
  Define the content knowledge required for each degree track or minor in your program, making sure that the chosen content supports and is consistent with the
  defined for that track.
  See section on Degree Tracks for guidance on creating degree tracks.
3. Develop a
  to identify where each student learning outcome is introduced and developed in the curriculum and ensure that your curriculum adequately addresses each learning outcome.
  Deliberately incorporate collaboration, communication skills, computational skills, experimental skills, and other critical professional and career preparation skills, as an integrated part of the curriculum.
  Consider using research-based instructional materials designed for upper-level physics courses. See Resources below for where to find these materials.
  Consider how the timing and duration of your courses support the kinds of learning experiences you can offer your students. For example, longer class periods (e.g., 1.5 or 2 hours) may allow for more complex active engagement pedagogies, while courses that meet daily may support students' continued engagement with the material and enable them to remember activities from one day to the next.
  Consider non-traditional ways of structuring the curriculum and cross-disciplinary collaboration, e.g., structuring the content around cross-cutting physical principles rather than topics, as in the Paradigms in Physics program at Oregon State University; focusing the curriculum around student-generated projects, as at Hampshire College or Olin College of Engineering; focusing the curriculum around great books as at St. John's College; or making experiential learning an integral component of the curriculum, as at Kettering University.
  See the section on How to Create and Sustain Effective Change for guidance on how to structure and sustain curricular change.
4. Outline the progression students follow through the list of courses for each track or minor based on the knowledge you want them to gain and the skills you want them to develop as they progress.
  Consider thematically grouping several upper-level courses to constitute a minor that can attract students seeking specific skills or knowledge and increase course enrollments.
  Include as much flexibility in the progression as possible to accommodate varying student interests, life circumstances, scheduling constraints, and/or local resource constraints. See the section on Retention of Undergraduate Physics Majors for details on how to offer degree programs that are flexible and relevant for students with a wide variety of backgrounds, interests, and career aspirations.
  Pay particular attention to ensuring that transfer students and late switchers into the major can complete required courses in a timely manner.
  See the section on Advising and Mentoring of Students for guidance on how to ensure that all advisors can support students in successfully navigating their degree paths.
5. Use a consensus process among your faculty to develop
  encompassing subject matter topics and professional skills for each course in the sequence, keeping
  and the overall progression toward the degree in mind.
  Learn from examples of
  developed by other physics programs. For example, the University of Colorado Boulder has developed a set of research-based consensus learning goals for many of their upper-level physics courses. See Resources below.
  Specify prerequisites and corequisites for each course, and use these to place the course at the right place in the degree progression.
  Determine an appropriate and manageable amount of content for each course, ensuring sufficient time to engage with each topic and recognizing that an undergraduate physics degree introduces students to the discipline and does not need to cover all subdisciplines and topics.
  Analyze the coherence of transitions between courses to ensure students can progress through the curriculum smoothly and successfully. Consider necessary content knowledge, mathematical preparation, and course difficulty.
  Design the sequence of courses to scaffold students toward becoming more independent learners, more aware of the broader context of physics, more sophisticated in their problem solving capabilities, more aware of how concepts learned in one course relate to concepts learned in other courses, and more able to synthesize new ideas based on different concepts.
  Ensure there is coherence between courses for students with a variety of trajectories through the major. For example, if courses are offered only every other year, then students may take some upper-level course as a junior or senior, and therefore not always in the same sequence. Transfer students, late switchers into the major, or students studying abroad may also need to take courses in a different order or may have taken required courses in other institutions or departments.
  Communicate
  to students. (Institutional
  typically requires these to be specified in course syllabi.)
  See Evidence and Resources below for guidance on creating and examples of
  .
6. See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for detailed guidance on how to design and assess courses based on course-level student learning outcomes. See the section on How to Assess Student Learning at the Program Level for details on how to use learning assessment to improve your curriculum.
  Conduct regular assessments of the upper-level courses. See Programmatic Assessments below for details. Align assessments with institutional assessment activities (e.g., assessing
  and/or satisfying requirements of external accreditors) and the information your department needs to improve courses. Develop a dashboard or data tracking system for assessment results. Identify who is responsible for conducting assessments and tracking results.
  Document information gathered through assessments and discussions, and use it to revisit, revise, and reinforce agreements about the design of your courses and curriculum,
  ,
  , and the sequence of physics content through multiple courses (see 1.e above).
  Communicate assessment results and planned improvements to departmental stakeholders (e.g., faculty and students in physics and any other programs these courses serve) and your administration.
  Dedicate specific time(s) for the whole department to discuss assessment and improvement of the upper-level curriculum.
7. Include these experiences as components of some upper-level courses and laboratories.
  Offer professional development courses or seminars, e.g., a seminar covering critical professional skills such as working in teams, effective resume writing, and interview skills; a course on computational tools such as CAD or MATLAB; an entrepreneurship course; and/or a science communications course.
  Advocate for a funded summer research program to expand access and opportunities for students beyond those available during the academic year.
  Associate research experiences with a thesis or capstone project.
  See the sections on Internships, Undergraduate Research, and Capstone Experiences for more details.
Design upper-level course structures to meet your department’s goals, students’ needs, and institutional constraints
1. Consider moving some courses to an alternating-year schedule if you have difficulty finding
  or meeting enrollment minimums. Carefully consider prerequisite requirements and alternative paths through major or degree track course sequences.
  Schedule courses to ensure that transfer students, late switchers into the major, and students doing internships or study-abroad can graduate in a timely manner.
  Coordinate with other departments to avoid time conflicts with courses they offer for the physics major, courses commonly taken by double majors, and courses that satisfy general education requirements.
2. Provide a framework for
  in upper-level courses to regularly review and discuss program- and course-level learning outcomes, so that they are aware of the progression of content and concepts covered throughout the curriculum.
  Promote the idea that courses and the curriculum belong to the department, so
  need to agree on the material that students should learn in each course.
  Establish an expectation that upper-level courses will use research-based instructional practices and inclusive pedagogy and provide appropriate support. See 3 below.
  If you employ undergraduate instructional assistants or graduate teaching assistants, establish a process for their selection and training that integrates them into the course teaching team. See the sections on Undergraduate Instructional Assistants and Implementing Research-Based instructional Practices for details.
3. Communicate to students early in the course how their learning will be evaluated, and reinforce this throughout the term.
  Assign grades based on a fixed standard rather than relative to other students’ performance, to encourage collaboration and mutual support and to assure students that their grades are based on their mastery of the material.
  Provide opportunities for students to practice and receive feedback without having their performance impact their final course grades. For example, use worksheets, in-class concept questions, peer grading, or problems in which students use solutions to correct their own work. Grading some activities for participation rather than correctness or not grading them at all helps create a low-risk, low-stress environment and communicates that their purpose is to support student engagement and learning, and to assess student understanding to improve teaching, rather than to assign grades.
  Align the distribution of course credit with the importance of activities for student learning, e.g., give credit for pre-lecture readings and in-class participation.
  Consider grading structures that explicitly incorporate collaboration, such as small-group projects or worksheets with individual and group deliverables or
  .
  Build in features that give students judgment-free flexibility to deal with life’s difficulties. For example, provide multiple paths to earn a course grade by using a grading structure in which students do not need every point available to get a good grade and/or give every student a single no-questions-asked extension.
  Decide how and when to make homework, quiz, and exam solutions available to students. For example, wait to release solutions until students have had an opportunity to correct their work, provide scaffolding for students to create their own solutions, and/or use distribution mechanisms that discourage wide dissemination of solutions beyond the students currently in the course, e.g., an honor system and/or solutions posted inside a course management system in a format that is not easily downloadable.
  See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for guidance on how to align assignments and assessments with course goals and structures.
Use research-based instructional practices and inclusive pedagogy in the upper-level physics curriculum
1. See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for guidance on how to use research-based instructional practices in classes, laboratories, and recitations, including recommendations for facilitating small groups; supporting the diversity of students in your class; and using particular methods, strategies, curricula, and tools for different learning environments and goals.
  Consider using research-based instructional materials designed for upper-level physics courses. See Resources below for where to find these materials.
  Use research-based physics assessment practices as appropriate. See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for guidance on how to regularly assess student learning in your class. See Resources below for where to find assessments.
  Provide students the opportunity to learn concepts and develop skills in both individual and collaborative group problem-solving situations.
  Include metacognitive conversations and activities in your upper-level courses. Ask students to reflect on relevant knowledge gained in other classes and on how the current course content relates to their understanding of other topics in the curriculum.
  Motivate students by using real-life, relevant, and/or cutting-edge contemporary research examples and making frequent connections with what students have learned in other courses. Include topics and examples relevant across demographic groups to improve inclusivity. For example, assuming familiarity with a particular sport may exclude some students.
2. Recognize that a culture in upper-level courses in which students are expected to be on campus and working on homework during all waking hours will not meet the needs of many constituencies of students, e.g., first-generation college students, commuter students, students working full time, students raising children, and/or students from other
  .
  Recognize that students from
  may not interpret course practices and structures in the same way that students from dominant groups do, and you may need to modify or reframe these practices and structures to be more inclusive. For example, consider asking students to collaboratively discuss pros and cons of different explanations rather than asking students to “argue for” or “defend” their answer, in order to better support students from cultures that value consensus building over confrontation; consider renaming office hours and tutoring as “free help sessions” or “student hours,” which may make them more inviting to first-generation college students. See v and vi below.
  Help
  realize their goals around inclusivity and student-centered instruction by connecting them with relevant campus resources and support. For example, suggest that instructional staff request feedback on course materials or classroom practices from your institution’s teaching and learning center or an expert colleague (in a context in which that colleague’s help is departmentally recognized as service or mentoring).
  Ensure that all students, particularly those with the least preparation, are provided with resources to support learning and taught how to learn from those resources. See 5 below.
  See the section on Implementing Research-Based Practices for guidance on how to understand and implement practices that support the diversity of students in your classes.
  See the section on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for guidance on how to ensure that your classes are equitable and inclusive.
  See the section on Departmental Culture and Climate for guidance on how to ensure that your classes and curriculum create an inclusive and student-centered environment for all.
Establish and sustain support for instructional staff teaching upper-level courses
1. Create opportunities for regular department-level reflection (e.g., create subcommittees or similar groups of relevant
  ) on the coherence and continuity of upper-level course content and topical coverage (e.g., on mathematical preparation, progression of course difficulty and workload expectations, consistency of nomenclature and notation, and student progress and success).
  Promote effective teaching in upper-level courses, especially but not exclusively among
  new to the upper-level undergraduate curriculum. For example, encourage and provide opportunities for self-evaluation using research-based surveys like the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS) and the Teaching Practices Inventory, teaching seminars, class shadowing, class visits and observations, analysis of class video, conversations and/or peer mentoring around teaching, and external teaching-related professional development opportunities such as workshops and conferences.
  See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for guidance on how to develop, promote, and institutionalize a departmental culture of scholarly and effective teaching and support all instructors in using research-based instructional practices, including providing appropriate professional development.
  Develop a course assignment policy that balances allowing for continuity and innovation with avoiding burnout and providing
  with opportunities to develop perspective on the coherence of the upper-level curriculum.
  Ensure that curriculum development, teaching, and course assessment count in hiring, annual review, tenure, and promotion decisions.
2. Encourage
  to consider the interconnectivity of courses in the degree program sequence, including prerequisite, corequisite, and antecedent course content, with respect to, e.g., mathematics, computational skills, nomenclature, notation, and level of coverage.
  Ensure
  are aware of institutional requirements for syllabi.
  Provide support for
  navigating the institutional course proposal process.
  Consider offering course releases or other incentives that support course development.
3. Establish a department repository of vetted materials (e.g., syllabi, notes, clicker questions, interactive lecture demonstrations, activities, assignments, rubrics, and exam questions) to support the sharing and continued use of materials that work well in your department, minimize preparation time, and promote long-term sustainability. Ensure there is a person or group responsible for curating and maintaining this resource.
  Encourage continuous refinement and improvement of course materials as new
  bring fresh perspectives.
  Promote the use of freely available course materials (e.g., open education resources) to minimize costs for students. See Resources below.
  Recognize that course materials that work well for one
  member may not work well for others. Ensure that individual instructors have the autonomy to be creative and use materials that allow them to express their expertise and identities, to the extent possible, while still maintaining course consistency, meeting
  , supporting
  , and using practices consistent with research in physics education.
  Communicate with physics departments at peer institutions that have successful upper-level courses to learn about ideas for instruction and to discuss student outcomes, e.g., attitudes of students,
  , course progression, and student success.
Establish and sustain support for students enrolled in upper-level courses
1. Set an expectation that all department members express vocal support of all career paths graduates follow (not just graduate study in physics) and communicate to students how topics treated in upper-level courses are relevant to a wide range of career paths.
  Set an expectation that
  are supportive and flexible with class structure, course requirements, and deadlines, recognizing that upper-level courses require an intensity of effort beyond that of introductory courses and that students have external constraints on their time.
  Ensure that
  are familiar with institutional resources for aiding students (e.g., physical and mental health resources, equal opportunity and bias incident offices, offices providing support for housing and food insecurity, child care) and are prepared to share these resources with students.
  Ensure that departmental and/or institutional advising practices consider the whole student and all aspects of the student experience. See the section on Advising and Mentoring of Students for details.
  Set an expectation that
  engage in conversations and/or assignments in which students are asked to reflect on their own experiences and lives outside of the classroom.
  Identify and advertise spaces and/or individual faculty and other
  members (using, e.g., signs on faculty offices indicating safe spaces and other spaces and/or a faculty undergraduate liaison) that are safe for students facing individual challenges.
  See the section on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for guidance specific to supporting students from
  .
2. Consider the varying mathematical, science, and academic backgrounds of students, including transfer students and other student populations entering the curriculum in progress, such as students with AP or IB credit or late switchers into the major who completed non-standard introductory courses.
  Adequately plan and support students’ development of mathematical skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, Computational Skills, Instructional Laboratories and Experimental Skills, physics knowledge base, and study skills necessary to successfully make the transition to, and successfully complete, the upper-level curriculum.
  Consider how such courses can simultaneously serve multiple student populations without sacrificing their primary function as a transition to the physics major. For example, these courses often serve a dual role as terminal courses for a physics minor and/or attractive science electives for other majors.
3. Ensure that adequate office hours (sometimes called “free help sessions” or “student hours”) are offered and broadly advertised, and that course
  explain to students the function and value of office hours and discuss them in class. Post office hour times and locations on instructional staff office doors, course web sites, and other locations where students are likely to see them. Make office hours more accessible by having the office door open or meeting in neutral and/or larger spaces such as empty classrooms, common spaces, or lobbies in locations students are likely to frequent. Consider hosting some office hours that students can attend remotely.
  Recognize and address barriers that may hinder students from seeking assistance (e.g., stigma, time constraints, lack of awareness of resources) by building a supportive culture and infrastructure. For example, build student confidence in the classroom, normalize asking for help inside and outside of the classroom, and ensure that office hours and other supports are convenient for students to access and attend.
  Provide instructional support outside of class time, e.g., instructor or TA-led sessions, recitations, drop-in clinics, other supplemental instruction, and structures that encourage students to support each other (see 6 below).
  Provide adequate library resources, including physics-specific guides to library resources such as physics journals and references; course-specific resources such as article and book collections and internet resources; and development of library, literature, and internet research skills.
  Provide adequate support for computational skill building. This includes providing accessible computational facilities, support for learning necessary coding skills, and support for mastering standard software packages. See the section on Computational Skills for details.
Promote the creation of communities for students in upper-level courses
1. Promote a communal environment rather than a competitive environment. Set the expectation that students will learn together and support each other, so that no student is left out or left behind.
  Provide a common study and social space for students in upper-level courses. See the section on The Physical Environment: Encourage Collaboration and Learning for guidance on how to provide and manage inclusive and welcoming spaces where students can gather and collaborate.
  See the section on Retention of Undergraduate Physics Majors for guidance on how to encourage and support student clubs and activities.
  Maintain faculty awareness and guidance of the formation and evolution of student communities from year to year with an eye toward student leadership, inclusivity, and integration across class-year cohorts.
2. Have appointed or elected student representatives who participate in departmental decisions. For example, establish a small rotating student advisory group, include student representatives in some department meetings, or include student representatives on your departmental advisory council (see Consider using an advisory council in the section on How to be an Effective Chair).
  Talk to representatives of student clubs and organizations.
  Have an elected faculty liaison for students to contact with questions and concerns.
  Conduct periodic student focus groups and/or exit interviews facilitated by a trusted faculty or staff member (not necessarily a member of the department).
  Create an environment in which students feel comfortable talking with the chair and other faculty about their experiences and viewpoints. For example, have an “open door” policy to communicate that faculty are available to students. See the section on Advising and Mentoring of Students for guidance on how to provide a safe space for students.
Establish and sustain support for the upper-level curriculum in and beyond your institution
1. Ensure that the number and expertise of the
  and
  for these courses are appropriate to the course design and operation.
  Provide all
  teaching upper-level courses with opportunities for professional development around physics teaching and learning. See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for details.
  Evaluate the credentials of your available staff to ensure they are qualified to teach the courses they are assigned, being mindful of national accreditors’ qualification requirements.
  Recognize that successfully using active learning may require additional
  . Find ways to involve undergraduates in assisting in the classroom, e.g., through a model such as
  or a
  . See the section on Undergraduate Instructional Assistants for details.
2. Identify spaces, equipment, and facilities that are available or that are needed, and that are consistent with pedagogical requirements. These may include classroom features (e.g., reconfigurable furniture, whiteboard walls or tables, room to move between groups of students), classroom technology (e.g., projection system(s), wifi, computers, clickers, small white boards), student access to technology outside of class (e.g., appropriate devices and internet bandwidth), lab and demonstration equipment, support facilities (e.g., demonstration equipment storage and preparation, shop facilities), and support personnel (e.g., lab manager, shop staff), as well as the requirements of laboratory courses.
  Consider how the physical space of your classrooms could be improved to create more compelling learning experiences, e.g., by moving from tiered lecture halls to a level classroom with tables and chairs or adding shared computers to your classrooms.
  Acquire and maintain necessary resources for these courses. Frame requests in terms of improvements in student learning outcomes and documented needs. For example, argue that expanding classroom space will accommodate enrollment demand for a room used eight or more hours daily by three departments. Consider partnering with other departments to advocate for and share renovated teaching spaces.
  Advocate to establish budgets or institutional support adequate to sustainably maintain necessary spaces, equipment, and facilities for these courses.
  See the section on The Physical Environment: Encouraging Collaboration and Learning for more details on how to best use existing, modified, and new spaces to support student learning.
  See the section on How to Be an Effective Chair for guidance on how to manage and advocate for resources.
3. Determine how shared courses, shared facilities and equipment, online courses, course transfer agreements, or shared programs could help your program better manage resources and effectively leverage the expertise and resources of different institutions.
  Identify the individual strengths of partner institutions and offer something of value to each partner.
  Familiarize yourself with your institution's policies concerning partnerships and financial arrangements with other institutions.
  Consider establishing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the partner institutions to articulate the terms of the partnership.
  See the section on Dual-Degree Programs for details.

Programmatic Assessments

Evaluate which of the above Effective Practices you are implementing and track the results of implementing them.
Conduct an analysis of your students' career pathways and evaluate the content and skill preparation needed for these pathways, e.g., engineering, graduate studies in physics, high school physics teaching, IT, and data science careers.
Review or create
and
for conceptual and mathematical understanding of undergraduate physics and laboratory, experimental, and data analysis skills that align with the departmental mission and the career pathways of your students. Analyze your current curriculum to determine how well it aligns with your program-level and course-level student learning outcomes and with the content and skills identified in your analysis of your students' career pathways.
Use surveys, focus groups, or exit interviews with current students and alumni to assess students’ perceptions of the relevance, coherence, and effectiveness of your upper-level curriculum and pedagogy; how well upper-level courses met particular
; difficulties students had in these courses; and support students received from
and peers.
Survey faculty about their perceptions of the effectiveness of your upper-level curriculum and pedagogy.
Implement a robust plan for evidence-based assessment of
. Use the methods and tools described in the section on How to Assess Student Learning at the Program Level to evaluate the effectiveness of the upper-level curriculum in meeting your program's goals and determine whether student mastery of learning outcomes progresses through the curriculum as designed.
Use multiple measures to assess your
, including pre- and post-tests, in-class conceptual questions, designated homework and exam questions chosen for their relevance to particular outcomes, presentations, and projects. Where appropriate, use rubrics tailored to each outcome. Course grades and
are also beneficial in evaluating how students progress through your curriculum. See Resources below.
Assess gains in student conceptual understanding by giving research-based conceptual assessments at the beginning and end of the term. See the PhysPort Assessments database for an extensive collection of such assessments, including the Quantum Mechanics Survey (QMS), the Quantum Mechanics Concept Assessment (QMCA), the Colorado Upper Division Electrostatics Diagnostic - Coupled Multiple Response (CUE-CMR), the Colorado UppeR-division ElectrodyNamics Test (CURrENT), and the Colorado Classical Mechanics/Math Methods Instrument (CCMI).
Use multiple measures to evaluate teaching quality, including peer observations, research-based observation protocols such as the Classroom Observation Protocol for Undergraduate STEM (COPUS),
self-evaluation or reflection on their teaching, measures of student learning (see above), and student evaluations. See the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for guidance on how to recognize the limitations of student evaluations of teaching, work to improve these evaluations, and use other measures to evaluate teaching.
Have students complete self-assessments of their learning and development as a physics major at milestones throughout the degree program, e.g., after completing the required mathematical methods course or at the end of their advanced lab course.
Track enrollment and passing rates throughout the upper-level curriculum over time to determine whether all courses are successful and are being offered at the appropriate frequency to meet student needs.
Track rates of successful completion of a physics major, and determine whether there are courses that are causing students to leave the major.
Disaggregate all data by demographics to determine whether these courses are serving all groups, whether there are patterns of inequity in enrollment and success in each course and persistence in the physics major, and whether any of these courses cause some groups of students to leave the major at higher rates than others.
See the section on Retention of Undergraduate Physics Majors for further assessments of how your upper-level curriculum may be impacting retention.
See the sections on Career Preparation, High School Physics Teacher Preparation, and Preparing Students for Graduate School in Physics and Related Fields for further assessments of how well your program, including your upper-level curriculum, is preparing your students for diverse careers, including high school teaching and graduate studies.

Resources

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

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

See the Resources in the section on Career Preparation for resources on integrating career preparation skills into your curriculum.

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 upper-level 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 upper-level physics courses.
Science Education Initiative (SEI): A program at the University of Colorado Boulder that provides many free research-based curricular materials, assessments, and suggested
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?
(referred to there as “course learning goals”) for a variety of upper-division physics courses, including classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and quantum mechanics. There are also many other resources for course transformation on the SEI’s resources page, as well as the resources page for the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative at the University of British Columbia.
Paradigms in Physics: A program at Oregon State University (OSU) that provides free curricular materials for upper-level physics including kinesthetic activities, computer simulations, integrated whiteboarding, and other small-group activities. These materials can be incorporated into a standard course, or used as part of a restructuring of the upper-level curriculum around cross-cutting physical principles rather than topics, as the OSU physics department has done.
Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials (QuILTs): A set of free research-based curricular materials for teaching quantum mechanics, developed at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Quantum Mechanics Visualization Project (QuVis): A collection of free research-based interactive simulations for learning quantum mechanics, developed at the University of St. Andrews.

Evidence

See the Evidence in the section on Implementing Research-Based Instructional Practices for evidence on the benefits of active learning in upper-level physics and beyond. See the Evidence in the section on Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion for evidence on the benefits of inclusive pedagogy. There is an extensive peer-reviewed literature in physics education in upper-level courses, much of which is highlighted in a focused collection of Physical Review Physics Education Research (Reference 1). References 2 and 3 include survey data about what is offered in upper-level physics curricula. References 4 and 5 include upper-level physics program recommendations based on interviews with recent physics bachelor’s degree recipients and employers. Reference 6 provides an overview of research on student growth in upper-level physics. Reference 7 provides recommendations on effective practices for managing curricular change.

M. Loverude and B. Ambrose (editors), PER in Upper-Division Physics Courses Focused Collection, Physical Review Physics Education Research 11, 020002 (2015).
R. C. Hilborn, R. H. Howes, and K. S. Krane (editors), “Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics: Project Report” (SPIN-UP report), American Association of Physics Teachers (2003).
R. Czujko, J. Dollison, and S. White, “Results from the 2014 SPIN-UP Survey of Physics Departments” (SPIN-UP Follow-Up Survey Report), American Institute of Physics Statistical Research Center (2014).
P. Heron, L. McNeil, et al. (editors), “Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st-Century Careers,” American Physical Society (2016), Chapters 3–5.
L. Woolf and D. Arion, “Phys21 Supplement: Summary of Background Reports on Careers and Professional Skills,” American Physical Society (2016), Chapter 4.
P. Irving and E. Sayre, “Developing physics identities,” Physics Today 69(5), 46 (2016).
S. V. Chasteen and W. J. Code, “The Science Education Initiative Handbook” (2018).

Benefits

Effective Practices

Design and assess a holistic upper-level curriculum around program-level and course-level student learning outcomes

Design upper-level course structures to meet your department’s goals, students’ needs, and institutional constraints

Use research-based instructional practices and inclusive pedagogy in the upper-level physics curriculum

Establish and sustain support for instructional staff teaching upper-level courses

Establish and sustain support for students enrolled in upper-level courses

Promote the creation of communities for students in upper-level courses

Establish and sustain support for the upper-level curriculum in and beyond your institution

Programmatic Assessments