The Physics Education Group in the Physics Department at the University  of Washington conducts a coordinated program of research, curriculum development, and instruction to improve student learning in physics (K-20). The work of the group is guided by ongoing discipline-based research. For more than 30 years, we have been deeply involved in the preparation of prospective and practicing teachers to teach physics and physical science by inquiry.  In undergraduate physics, we have been engaged in a major effort to improve the effectiveness of instruction at the introductory level and in more advanced courses.  These projects provide a context in which we work toward promoting the professional development of teaching assistants and new faculty.

As the director of the Physics Education Group, Professor Lillian C. McDermott shares leadership responsibilities with Paula R.L. Heron (Professor) and Peter S. Shaffer (Professor).  The group includes visiting faculty, research associates, graduate students, and a small administrative staff.  Graduate students in the group earn a Ph.D. in physics for research on the learning and teaching of physics.  Through in-depth investigations of student understanding, the group seeks to identify and analyze specific difficulties that students encounter in studying physics.  The findings are used to guide the development of two sets of instructional materials.  Ongoing assessment, which is an integral part of this iterative process, takes place at the University of Washington and at pilot sites.

In addition to publication of the two curricula, results from research are disseminated through talks presented at national and international meetings and through papers published in refereed journals, magazines, and conference proceedings.  The work of the group, which is supported in part by the National Science Foundation, has contributed significantly to the formal recognition of physics education research as an important field for scholarly inquiry in physics departments.
 

Research

Graduate students in the Physics Education Group earn the Ph.D. by conducting research on the learning and teaching of physics. Through in-depth studies of student understanding, the group seeks to identify and analyze common conceptual and reasoning difficulties that students encounter in studying physics. Although the primary emphasis is on basic concepts and formal representations used in introductory physics, the scope of the research ranges from the introductory to the graduate level. Among the topics included are engineering physics, thermal and statistical physics, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. A major emphasis in the research is on the ability of students to do the reasoning necessary to apply the concepts and representations of physics to the interpretation of simple phenomena and to the solution of both qualitative and quantitative problems. The group is actively involved in assessing the effectiveness of various instructional aids, such as demonstrations and computer software. The results from research are used to guide the design of curriculum to address specific difficulties.
 
 

Curriculum Development

Two kinds of research-based instructional materials are currently being produced, Physics by Inquiry and Tutorials in Introductory Physics.

Physics by Inquiry is a self-contained curriculum primarily designed for the preparation of elementary, middle, and high school teachers but also suitable for liberal arts students and for students who aspire to science-related careers but who are underprepared in science and mathematics.  The curriculum consists of a set of laboratory-based modules, all of which require active participation by the learner.  Experiments and observations provide the basis on which students construct physical concepts and develop analytical reasoning skills.  The topics have been chosen to provide teachers with the background needed for teaching K-12 science competently and confidently.  Depth is stressed rather than breadth of coverage.  Volumes I and II were published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., in 1996.

Tutorials in Introductory Physics is being developed to supplement the lectures and textbooks through which physics is traditionally taught.  The tutorials are suitable for both calculus-based and algebra-based courses in which there is an opportunity for students to work together in small groups.  Carefully sequenced experiments, exercises, and questions engage students in the type of active intellectual involvement that is necessary for developing a functional understanding of physics.  Prentice Hall published a Preliminary Edition in 1998, a First Edition in 2002, and an Instructor’s Guide in 2003.

Tutorials in Teaching Introductory Physics, a weekly Teaching Seminar for graduate students and junior faculty, is an essential component of the tutorial system. The seminar forms the core of a program to prepare graduate students and junior faculty for their role as instructors. The group is identifying elements that need to be considered in faculty development and is developing a model that can be used at other colleges and universities.
 

Instruction

Graduate students of the group participate actively in the Department's instructional program at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. In particular, they help conduct the Graduate Teaching Seminar, assume increasing levels of teaching responsibility for the large-enrollment introductory courses, and participate in the teaching of special laboratory-based courses for prospective and practicing teachers (K-12).
 

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The work of the Physics Education Group is supported by the Physics Department and by grants from the National Science Foundation.

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Please select a topic of interest from the list below.

Publications reporting on findings of research and the group's activities
 

Recent invited and contributed talks given by group members at American
Association of Physics Teachers and other professional meetings
 

The Physics Education Group Ph.D. program
 

Faculty, staff, and students of the Physics Education Group
 

How to contact the Physics Education Group
 

The Department of Physics home page
 

The University of Washington home page

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