Demystifying Organizational Change for Educators Seeking to Bring Research-based Approaches to the Physics Classroom

There is a gap between the development of research-based instructional practices and the implementation of these practices in physics classrooms. One reason for this gap is the lack of administrative and organizational support in educational institutions. In this presentation we review literature on organizational change and analyze a case study of the transformation of the physics department at Rutgers-Newark. A physics instructor with a newly minted PhD in Science Education initiated this transformation using her knowledge, passion, intuition and the Physics Education Research (PER) community. Battles were fought, coalitions made, and collaborators hired. Now, all introductory physics courses led by 20 instructors and serving 300 students/semester are taught using the constructivist approach Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE), and active learning permeates the full undergraduate program. This case is noteworthy as it was started by the lowest level of full time faculty (an instructor). Findings help pave the way and offer tools for educators seeking to implement research based approaches in their classrooms and beyond.