1a. "At graduation, Physics majors should have a thorough knowledge
and comprehension of the core concepts of classical and modern physics, as
assessed by student success in passing the required and elective courses for
their physics majors."
We have started collecting data on physics majors’ performance on the
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and are collecting data on both physics GPA and
overall GPA to look for correlations between local performance and
performance on the nationally standardized GRE. Status: we have data on
approximately 50% of those students who have taken the GRE during the past
decade and we are to evaluate that data.
1d. "At graduation, Physics majors should have a thorough knowledge
and comprehension of the core concepts of classical and modern physics, as
assessed by 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."
This has been completed as part of the semester conversion process. We
intend to monitor our curriculum closely for the next few years to see if
slight corrections are needed. A thorough review is planed every five years.
2a – d "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; b) laboratory
skills; c) computer skills; and d) problem-solving skills."
The Physics Department’s Assessment Committee will analyze student
grades and artifacts of student performance (written assignments, lab
reports, senior presentation, etc) to identify weaknesses in its curriculum.
Insufficient time has elapsed to collect any meaningful data at this point,
thus data collection is still in progress.
3a, b. "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; and 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."
A. The Physics Department has started a systematic attempt to contact all
physics majors who have graduated during the past five years. Initially, we
are asking them for an update on their status (employment, graduate school,
career plans, etc.) and for any knowledge they may have on the status of
fellow physics graduates. We are doing this by two methods: a direct e-mail
contact and by a form on the physics web site. Current status: We have made
contact with several of our recent graduates and are building a current list
of e-mail addresses.
B. We have developed an expanded "exit interview" for all
physics majors/minors. Current status: No physics majors have been through
graduation check off since the last phase of this assessment process (April
2, 1999), thus no data are yet available. It is expected that baseline data
collection will take several years. In the interim, incoming data will be
compared with the department’s existing data on employment and graduate
school successes.
4. "All physics students (majors, minors, support, and Gen Ed
students) should understand the nature of science , as assessed by exams,
questionnaires, interviews, and student focus groups."
Physics faculty member Adam Johnston is carrying out this assessment as
part of his Ph.D. thesis in Physics Education (to be awarded by the
University of Utah). Detailed data is currently being collected on the
students in PHSX 1360 and will be analyzed in Spring, 2000.
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."
The Hestenes test has been downloaded and is being prepared for
administration via ChiTester. Due to scheduling issues a pre-test will not
be possible this semester, however, an initial run is still planned as a
post-test for several of our classes this term.
