March 28, 2024 Issue #26

SPOTLIGHT is the OPTYCs bi-weekly newsletter. It brings you OPTYCs activity updates, highlights from recent publications related to physics education, and news & resources for Two-Year colleges.

Upcoming events

• AI in the Classroom Workshop April 6, 2024 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
  In this short workshop, Dean Stocker and Ruth Benandre will discuss what educators are facing in the classroom, policies that have worked so far, and strategies being employed in introductory physics classes to incorporate AI in a positive way. There will be plenty of time for participant interaction, discussion and questions.

• Parallel Pedagogy 2024 Workshop April 27, 2024 from 12:00pm- 2:00pm EDT
  Parallel Pedagogy is a curriculum that introduces core concepts simultaneously, helping students apply physics to different scenarios. This workshop is intended for anyone interested in curricular changes that guide students away from approaching problem-solving as plug-and-chug problems and towards improved applications of physics concepts. Facilitators:  Dean Stocker (University of Cincinnati - Blue Ash College) Pete Schwartz (California Polytechnic State University) Jennifer Klay (California Polytechnic State University)
• Physics Education Research (PER) outside the R1 Institution May 3, 2024 from 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
  In this session, we will engage in a community dialogue around how DBER can be conducted and used at institutions such as Two Year Colleges (TYCs) and comprehensive regional universities. In addition, we will discuss our individual, institution, and community goals for work in DBER and how the community can support these goals. Facilitators: Andrew Morrison (Joliet Junior College) and  

  Mel Sabella (Chicago State University).

Beyond awareness of the learning process and intense preparation, effective teachers need to be reflective, as Jessamyn Neuhaus describes in her book Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to Be Effective Teachers. As she quotes, “Reflection is a complex and intentional intellectual activity that generates learning from experience.” Dannelle D. Stevens (p.109) What she elucidates in this section of her book is effectively the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) - applying your academic acumen to your teaching. Investigate how you do ‘teaching’ as you would a scientific curiosity. Ask questions, form hypotheses, conduct experiments, analyze your results, and repeat. Keep a teaching journal by adding notes to a copy of your syllabus for assignments or assessments or activities that went well and those that did not (and what specifically seemed problematic). Start your own teaching portfolio by maintaining copies of assignments and assessments and noting how they evolve with time. Read your student evaluations with a trusted educator to provide perspective. And consider gratitude as actions towards opportunities.

The Science of Solar Eclipses and How to Watch With NASA

Empowering educators: the key to achieving gender parity in STEM fields

This article showcases Parité sciences’ game-changing strategy to fostering inclusivity and diversity in STEM fields. The authors are from the Department of Physics at the Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada. 


Undergraduate Physics Students' Experiences: Exploring the Impact of Underrepresented Identities
Katrina Piatek-Jimenez (Central Michigan University) 

Computation in a General Education Physics of Music Course (PICUP Webinar): Brian Lane (University of North Florida) describes the development and implementation of a computationally integrated Physics of Music course and presents samples of student work and an assessment of students' motivation in the course. 

• The American Association of Physics Teachers 
• Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges (AAPT area committee)
• Join the TYC Google group: Send an email to tycphysics@googlegroups.com
• PhysPort Recommendations about teaching methods, assessment, and results from PER
• PER Central A resource collection for physics education researchers 
• Physics Review Physics Education Research Fully open access journal for PER 
• arXiv Physics education The arXiv repository for physics education papers
• AIP Statistical Research Center Data on education, careers, and diversity in physics, astronomy and other physical sciences

optycs.aapt.org

The work of OPTYCs is supported by NSF-DUE-2212807.