THE NSF IUSE PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY PORTFOLIO. Kevin M. Lee Program Officer Division of Undergraduate Education National Science Foundation

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1 THE NSF IUSE PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY PORTFOLIO Kevin M. Lee Program Officer Division of Undergraduate Education National Science Foundation

2 OUTLINE General Characteristics of IUSE The Evolution of IUSE Current Awards (17 + small things) A few carefully selected examples Proposal Pressure & the IUSE Budget Proposal Submission Recommendations Future Outreach Efforts Workshops on IUSE Proposal Submission

3 AN INTRODUCTION TO IUSE IUSE == Improving Undergraduate STEM Education NSF Division of Undergraduate Education s (DUE) largest program ~1100 proposals were submitted during the 2014 fiscal year ~1300 proposals were submitted during the 2015 fiscal year A Very Flexible Program Increase student retention in STEM, Broaden participation Prepare students to participate in science for tomorrow Improve students' STEM learning outcomes Generate knowledge on how students learn and on effective practice in undergraduate classrooms Training Faculty to use research-based pedagogies Improve STEM Education knowledge

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5 J-TUPP (DUE ) The AAPT/APS Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs A guidance committee addressing Charge Preparing a report answering What skills and knowledge should the next generation of undergraduate physics degree holders possess to be well prepared for a diverse set of careers? PIs Bob Hilborn (AAPT) & Ted Hodapp (APS) Background Concern by departments about the future of physics programs Pressure from senior administrators to know best practices for teaching physics and impact on student outcomes and careers Need to change curriculum to meet needs of today s students Not all go to graduate school Curriculum has been the same for 60 years

6 J-TUPP Members Paula Heron, co-chair, University of Washington Laurie McNeil, co-chair, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Douglas Arion, Carthage College Walter Buell, Aerospace Corporation S. James Gates, University of Maryland Sandeep Giri, Google Elizabeth McCormack, Bryn Mawr College Helen Quinn, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Quinton L. Williams, Howard University Lawrence Woolf, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

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8 Engaging Non-Major Intro Astronomy Students in Authentic Research with Zooniverse Citizen Science Laura Trouille (Zooniverse), Tommy Nelson (UMN), Dave Meyer (NU), Lucy Fortson (UMN), Julie Feldt (Z), Sarah Allen (Z), Fred Finley (UMN), Cody Dirks (NU) Stage 1: Intro to data, tools, and crowd-sourced research Stage 2: Data analysis & discussion in research groups Stage 3: Communicating results via Video Examine impact of authentic research experience on attitudes and understanding of the nature of science IUSE grant Contact:

9 Understanding Students' Epistemology and Expectations of Experimental Physics Validated Assessment tool for use with all levels of University Labs DUE Students personal attitudes and beliefs 2. Students view of experts Core Statement: ( e.g., Whenever I use a new measurement tool, I try to understand its performance limitations.) 3. Does this practice help to earn a good grade? Use it in your own courses: free administration and analysis of the results. PI: Heather Lewandowski (lewandoh@colorado.edu)

10 C 3 PO: Customizable computer coaches for physics online PIs: Leon Hsu and Ken Heller (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities) Collaborators: Tom Carter (College of DuPage), Andrew Heckler (The Ohio State University), Koblar Alan Jackson (Central Michigan University), Susan Kasahara (Normandale Community College), Andy Pawl (University of Wisconsin, Platteville) Decisions Build solution Navigation C 3 PO student interface Goal: Allow students on-demand coaching for introductory physics problems by developing web-based software that emphasizes the metacognitive nature of problem solving. C 3 PO focuses students on the decision-making processes necessary for problem solving to combat the idea that problem solving is the formulaic application of specific recipes. C 3 PO allows instructors to customize the coaching to fit their needs and preferences, without specific knowledge of the underlying software. Contact: Leon Hsu, lhsu@umn.edu Supported in part by NSF DUE

11 Problem Physics lags behind other scientific fields in the development of cost-effective, researchvalidated hands-on labs for distance education. Solution Develop mechanics labs combining proven pedagogy of RealTime Physics with the IOLab, a versatile and inexpensive lab tool. Validation Use the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) for Experimental Physics Erik Jensen, Chemeketa Community College erik.jensen@chemeketa.edu Erik Bodegom, Portland State University d4eb@pdx.edu David Sokoloff, University of Oregon sokoloff@uoregon.edu

12 Proposal Pressure IUSE Funding is allocated by discipline Physics & Astronomy are viewed collectively as one discipline The funding allocated to each discipline is the percentage of the total budget equal to its percentage of the submitted proposals. This is small in physics/astronomy!

13 FY 2014 EHR/DUE IUSE Awards

14 Proposal Submission Recommendations Project must benefit undergraduate students Project must be knowledge-generating Disseminate lessons learned to the broader STEM community Having both an applied focus (that can be disseminated) and a research piece surrounding it is viewed as optimal Budget should be modest Choose between

15 Outreach Efforts Upcoming Offerings of Workshop Submitting Successful Proposals to the NSF IUSE Program A 4-hr workshop covering all aspects of IUSE submission Morning of December 5 Morgantown, WV Contact Gay Stewart gbstewart@mail.wvu.edu to register Afternoon of January 4 Orlando, FL Register through the AAS Morning of January 9 New Orleans, LA Register through the AAPT Upcoming IUSE Sessions Summer AAPT (Sacramento) 2-hour Invited session on Successful IUSE projects

16 Questions?