Extra-curricular experience: GRE Physics Exam.

c) student acceptance rates for graduate school and/or job placement (in comparison with nationwide results from AIP, AAPT).

Extra-curricular experiences: application for graduate school and/or employment.

d) a comparison of WSU’s physics curriculum with the curricula of 1) physics programs in schools with a comparable student profile, and 2) the best physics programs.

Courses: Phsx 2210, 2210L, 2220, 2220L, 2600, 2740, 3160, 3180, 3190, 3200, 3300, 3410, 3420, 3500, 3510, 3540, 3640, 4610, 4620, 4800, 4830, 4970, 4990.

2) At graduation, physics majors should have a set of fundamental skills that can be applied to a variety of situations. These skills should include the following:

a) Presentation skills. Physics majors should be able to express (orally and in writing) their understanding of core physical principles, the results of experiments, and their analysis of physical problems, as assessed by their success in the Physics capstone presentation required of all majors and in other courses which require a written or oral report.

Courses: Phsx 3190, 3640, 4970, 4990.

b) Laboratory skills. Physics majors should be competent experimentalists. They should be able to design and set up an experiment, collect and analyze data, identify sources of error, and interpret their result and connect it to related areas of physics, as assessed by student performance in physics laboratory courses and faculty-supervised research projects. Students should have a basic understanding of laboratory safety issues, and follow safe practices in their own laboratories.

Courses: Phsx 2210L, 2220L, 2600, 3190, 3410, 3420, 3640, 4800, 4970.

c) Computer skills. Physics majors should be competent users of basic software, such as word processing, spreadsheet, and graphing programs. They should also have an understanding of the fundamental aspects of a programming and/or computer algebra language (Fortran, C++, Mathematica, etc), as assessed by student performance in the computing components of courses in the physics curriculum.

Courses: Phsx 2210L, 2220L, 3300, 3510, 3640, 4610, 4620.

d) Problem-solving skills. Physics majors should be competent problem-solvers. They should be able to identify the essential aspects of a problem and formulate a strategy for solving the problem. They should be able to estimate the solution to a problem, apply appropriate techniques to arrive at a solution, test the correctness of their solution, interpret their result and connect it to related areas of physics, as assessed by student performance in the problem-solving components of courses in the physics curriculum.

Courses: Phsx 2210, 2210L, 2220, 2220L, 2740, 3160, 3180, 3190, 3200, 3300, 3410, 3420, 3500, 3510, 3540, 3640, 4570, 4610, 4620, 4800, 4830, 4970.

3) Physics majors should be adequately trained to apply their physics experience and knowledge to analyze new situations, as assessed by

a) student acceptance rates and success in academic and industrial intern positions.

Extra-curricular experiences: application for graduate school and/or employment.

b) post-graduation student success in graduate school, industry, or teaching --- in physics or otherwise -- as established by questionnaires and interviews of graduates, employers, and graduate faculty. This should include a "long-term" evaluation to obtain feedback from majors of 5 - 10 years ago.

Extra-curricular experiences: opportunities for career advancement and promotion.

4) All physics students (majors, minors, support, and Gen Ed students) should understand the nature of science, as assessed by questionnaires, interviews, and student focus groups.

Courses: Phsx 1010, 1030, 1360, 2010, 2010L, 2020, 2020L, 2210, 2210L, 2220, 2220L, 2740, 3160, 3180, 3190, 3200, 3300, 3410, 3420, 3500, 3510, 3540, 3640, 4610, 4620, 4800, 4830, 4970, 4990; Hnrs 1500

5) General Education students should understand several core concepts of physics, as assessed by nationally reviewed pre- and post-tests (for example, the Hestenes Force Concept Inventory and the Hestenes Mechanics Baseline Test for Newton’s laws) and interviews.

Courses: Phsx 1010, 1030, 1360, 2010, 2010L, 2210, 2210L; Hnrs 1500

6) Physics Teaching majors and Elementary Teaching majors should have an appropriate knowledge of physics and a variety of teaching strategies to accommodate the multiple learning styles of their students, as assessed by

a) a comparison of the WSU Physics Teaching major with the Utah State Core Curriculum.

Courses: Phsx 1010, 1030, 1360, 2210, 2210L, 2220, 2220L, 2600, 2740, 3160, 3180, 3190, 3200, 3300, 3410, 3420, 4570.

b) classroom observation of student teachers.

Extra-curricular experience: student teaching.

c) interviews with physics teachers and pre-teachers.

Extra-curricular experiences: preparation and employment experiences of teachers and pre-teachers.