This is not an exhaustive list of resources related to teaching physics at two-year colleges. If you regularly use a resource and wish to share, please let us know: OPTYCs @ AAPT.org.
Get the latest on OPTYCs events! Spotlight also features some teaching tips, helpful publications, and data about the TYC physics community.
Repository for physics and astronomy education resources.
Particularly helpful are various peer-reviewed studies that support recommendations, and instructor checklists which provide summaries of different aspects of good teaching.
A flexible curriculum designed to help students critically examine scientific fields and take action for equity, inclusion and justice.
Includes a collection of instructor resources (plus a handy section on Student Resources), evidence-based instruments to assess teaching, learning, and student attitudes.
To support undergraduate (mostly four-year) physics programs, from APS and in collaboration with AAPT, from student retention, improving department climate, and skill-building.
Provides resources to implement the framework for universal design with the goal of developing expert learners.
Here are some resources you can provide to your students.
Dimensional Analysis
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Interactive Video-Enhanced Tutorials (IVETs)
IVETs are a freely available, web-based product that guide students through interactive video clips towards expert-like approaches in solving physics problems. IVETs involve branching multiple-choice questions to keep students engaged, and feedback and hints are provided for each incorrect and correct response, much like one would provide during office hours. Over 30 tutorials are currently available, covering most chapters taught within a two semester introductory physics course, and all can be distributed to students using web links or embedding them directly into your LMS.
Click here to access these tutorials.
We share resources that provide guidance on effective pedagogy.
The Science of Learning Physics, by Jose P. Mestre and Jennifer L. Docktor, describes specific strategies you can use in your classes to support student learning. They provide examples as well as references to the research that underpins their recommendations.
From the jacket: “This book offers a collection of practical, research-based strategies for designing and teaching courses as well as assessing students’ learning”. This was published in 2016 by Richard M. Felder , professor emeritus of chemical engineering at North Carolina State University, and Rebecca Brent, president of Education Designs, Inc. a North Carolina consulting firm. The book was reviewed in Education in Chemistry and in Physics Today.
Here are some resources we have found to help support students in terms of course structure or extracurricular activities.
This report surveys a broad range of literature on models of undergraduate research opportunities offered to students in STEM disciplines. It also makes a series of recommendations to improve the current state of affairs. The book can be read online or downloaded for free here. Ebook versions can also be purchased.
“They Helped Me to Get Through”: Investigating Institutional Sources of Support at Two-Year Colleges that Facilitate the Transfer and Persistence of Black Engineering Students Findings include evidence of important connections with faculty at 2-year colleges, such as positive engagement with them inside the classroom, as well as during office hours and general advising. NB: The article may be accessed through institutional subscriptions.
Designing STEM Courses for Today’s Students Video recording of a forum hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education (2022-Feb-22).
Resources about mentoring, being mentored, and mutual mentoring.
In this section, we provide some information that is relevant to two-year or community colleges in general, such as data on national trends, and comparisons with other types of institutions.
Breaking the Stigma around Community College: an astro[sound] bite
Two astrophysicists,, Kiersten Boley, NSF Graduate Research Fellow and Ph.D. candidate at The Ohio State University, and Sabrina Berger, Ph.D. student at the University of Melbourne, share their experiences starting their college education in a community college. Kiersten Boley attended Georgia Highlands College and Sabrina Berger attended Diablo Valley College.
Click here to listen to Part 1 and Part 2.
Community College Transfers To Four-Year Colleges Tumbled Almost 8% Last Fall
This Forbes Magazine article reviews data included in the Transfer and Progress: Fall 2022 Report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC).
