Collaborative Research: Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs

American Association Of Physics Teachers, College Park MD

Investigators

Abstract

This significant and important project will convene a group of prominent physicists from academia and industry to construct a report detailing what should be taught in undergraduate physics programs. The goal is to ensure that the next generation of undergraduate physics majors are well prepared for diverse careers in physics. When the report is finished it will be disseminated to all physics departments nationally. The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the American Physical Society (APS) will convene the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP) and produce and disseminate the report. These organizations have asked J-TUPP to prepare a report that will engage and inform physicists in answering the question: What skills and knowledge should the next generation of undergraduate physics degree holders possess to be well prepared for a diverse set of careers. The report will provide guidance for physicists considering revising the undergraduate curriculum to improve the education of a diverse student population. The report will include recommendations on content, pedagogy, professional skills, and student engagement and will emphasize the collection of documentable student outcomes. The results of J-TUPP's deliberations will add significantly to the knowledge base of critical core concepts and core physics practices that inform how undergraduate physics programs can best prepare students with wide-ranging career interests. The effort will focus on aspects of physics programs preparing students for immediate employment after receiving their bachelor's degrees. It directly addresses several critical STEM workforce issues including the development of a diverse, globally competitive STEM workforce and increased partnerships between undergraduate physics programs and industry. Particular attention will be paid to the structural features of undergraduate physics programs that promote the recruitment and retention of students from groups historically underrepresented in physics. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Undergraduate Education in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources and the Division of Physics in the Directorate for Mathematical & Physical Sciences.