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July 13–17, 2013
Wednesday morning
Ceremonial Session: Melba Newell Phillips Medal, 2013 –
Lillian Christie McDermott
Location: Grand Ballroom I
Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 10-11 a.m.
Presider: Jill Marshall
Lillian C. McDermott
University of Washington
Professor of Physics,
Seattle, WA
DBER
– A View from Physics
Discipline-based education research (DBER) on student learning in undergraduate science and
engineering courses is a relatively new field. The history in physics is longer than in other disci-
plines. The Physics Education Group in the Physics Department at the University of Washington
began conducting research in physics education (PER) in the early 1970s in courses designed to
prepare preservice teachers to teach physics and physical science by inquiry. The scope of our
research soon expanded to include undergraduates in the standard introductory courses and
inservice teachers. We wanted to determine the degree to which all of these populations develop a
functional understanding of physical concepts, interpret their formal representations, distinguish
related concepts from one another, and do the reasoning required for their application. Later, we
extended our investigations to more advanced courses, in which mathematical abstractions play
an increasingly prominent role. Our research has not only been discipline-based but also disci-
pline-specific. Examples will illustrate the nature of our investigations and their application to the
development of our two research-based and research-validated curricula:
Physics by Inquiry
and
Tutorials in Introductory Physics.
Our experience has led to a few ideas about future directions for
PER that we believe can help improve student learning from the elementary grades to the graduate
level.
CKRL09: Crackerbarrel: The State of
the Instructional Lab
Location: Pavilion East
Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories
Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Presider: Timothy Grove
This will be an open discussion where current issues affecting the instruc-
tional lab will be discussed. The floor is open to lab goals, workload issues,
equipment costs vs. funding, etc.
CKRL10: Crackerbarrel: Next Genera-
tion Science Education Standards
Location: Pavilion West
Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories
Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Presider: Cathy Ezrailson
Participate in the discussion of the Next Generation Science Standards.
Discussion includes development of the NGSS, two draft releases in 2012
and the final version to be released in spring of 2014. Participation is espe-
cially encouraged by those aware of efforts to inform teachers, administra-
tors, and students about how students will be tested and teachers evaluated.
CKRL11: Crackerbarrel: For Solo PER
Location: Galleria II
Sponsor: Committee on Professional Concerns
Co-Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education
Date: Wednesday, July 17
Time: 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Presider: Steve Maier
Are you the only professional active in PER within your department? Are
there only one or two colleagues in close proximity you can talk “PER
shop” with? The membership of Solo PER is larger than you may think, and
more diverse than most suspect. Join us for this crackerbarrel to connect
with other Solo PER professionals and learn what is being done to help
our/your endeavors. As in the past, bring questions, ideas, and professional
concerns to share.
