The AAPT Undergraduate Curriculum Task Force

Ernie Behringer

AAPT RepresentativeEastern Michigan University

SUPC Next Steps Session: 6:15 PM Saturday, June 7, 2014

Genesis, Work, and Next Steps

AAPT UCTF: Genesis

• Paradigms! (2001)

• SPIN-UP (2003)

• Guidelines for Self-Study…UG (2005)

• Graduate Education Report (2006)

But still no UG curriculum recommendations from the community!

AAPT UCTF: Genesis

• 2007: Proposal to AAPT CPUE: No

• 2007/8: Computation

• 2009: Vision&Change

• 2011: CPUE: Yes

• 2012: Established– 18 members– APS & AIP reps– Many Area Committees

Don’t touch the third rail!

AAPT UCTF: Work

• 2012/2013– Identified data essential for reasonably

classifying/comparing programs and departments (preliminary, for data pull)

– Began looking at cross-cutting areas• Lab (AAPT Committee on Laboratories)

– UCTF Members Kozminski and Dietz; Zwickl

• Undergraduate Research– CUR

2013 NRC Report: Adapting to a Changing World

AAPT UCTF: Work

• 2013/2014– Continued looking at cross-cutting areas

• Lab (AAPT Committee on Laboratories)• Undergraduate Research (APS 2014)• Computation

– Feedback on preliminary draft recommendations received from PICUP (Caballero et al.) and the UCTF

AAPT UCTF: Next Steps

• Remainder of 2014– Revise computation recommendations by

Summer Meeting– Inform and support the Joint Task Force on

Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP)• Co-Chair: Paula Heron

AAPT UCTF: Next Steps

• Remainder of 2014– Revise computation recommendations by

Summer Meeting– Inform and support the Joint Task Force on

Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP)• Co-Chair: Paula Heron