September 12, 2024 Issue #33

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

• Research about Physicists with Disabilities September 13, 2024 from 3:00pm - 4:30pm EDT
  Join us for a lively session in which three prominent PER investigators share some of their findings on disabilities in physics. Each facilitator will give a brief presentation on findings related to neurodivergence and identity, disabling barriers experienced by students, and frameworks that shed light on doing physics as a person with one or more disabilities. There will be time for audience discussions and questions. Note that this PER Interest Group journal club event supports an upcoming workshop on Supporting Students with Disabilities. Facilitators: Liam McDermott (University of Connecticut) Erin Scanlon (University of Connecticut) Jacquelyn Chini (Ohio State University)
• Students with Disabilities 2024 Workshop September 21, 2024 from 12:00pm -3:00pm EDT
  Join us in this free, virtual workshop as we explore practical ways to provide better accessibility for students with disabilities in your classes. We will offer tips and tools for accommodations related to mobility, neurodiversity, and auditory and visual impairments. Facilitators: Tony Musumba (Riverside City Community College)Dean Stocker (University of Cincinnati - Blue Ash College)Alex Bohn (Northern Virginia Community College) Shahida Dar (Mohawk Valley Community College)
• Physics Toolbox 2024 Workshop October 5, 2024 from 12:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
  Physics Toolbox Sensor Suite (https://www.vieyrasoftware.net/) is a free Android and iOS mobile app developed for physics teachers and their students to gather data using sensors. Come to this free workshop to learn about more than 25 laboratory experiences you can have your students do with their smartphones. Facilitators:  Rebecca & Chrystian Vieyra (Vieyra Software)
• Teaching Introductory Astronomy October 25, 2024 from 3:00pm - 4:00pm EDT 
  Do you teach introductory astronomy? What are your favorite activities for engaging students and helping them understand astronomical concepts? Join the OPTYCs PER-Interest Group for an interactive sharing session. Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite activities to share. The session will also include a brief overview of some recent Astronomy Education Research (AER).
• js9 Workshop November 2, 2024 from 1:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
  This workshop will introduce js9, a web-based image display environment, with archival satellite data that allows students to perform astronomical analysis remotely using their browser. 
  

 When designing your course, keep an inclusive mindset. In their book  Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom (West Virginia University Press, 2022), Kelly A. Hogan and Viji Sathy suggest that “every pedagogical decision should be countered with two questions: (i) Who might be left behind as a result of my practice? (ii) How can I invite those students in?” Universal design, originally proposed for better physical accessibility, has been applied to educational spaces under the umbrella of universal design for learning (UDL). Within UDL, providing multiple ways of accessing information is not only beneficial for students with disabilities, it generally helps all students. For example, providing only verbal instructions is a common practice. Providing both verbal and written instructions benefits those with hearing issues, those who are not native English speakers, those who are slower at aural processing, and those who are momentarily distracted. What other pedagogical choices might we be making that may disadvantage some students that have nothing to do with the content or skills that we wish to impart?

Highlights

Extensive longitudinal study conducted by AIP Statistical research. 

"Over 70% of students who lost interest in a physics major did so during their first or second year, demonstrating that introductory college physics courses play a key role in retaining physics majors."

• 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.