A Professional Development Program for Emerging Physics Education Researchers

Many physicists start researching physics teaching and learning after earning PhDs, completing postdocs, and becoming faculty. Because they start doing this research after completing their formal training as physicists, there are limited opportunities for professional development in education research. Their options depend on the particulars of their home institution, departmental priorities, and their career stage. In this talk, we discuss a professional development program for emerging education researchers, PEER, designed to help faculty at any institution jumpstart their transition into discipline-based education research. PEER participants develop high-quality research projects, engage in targeted experiential work to develop their projects and skills, and join a long-term support community of peers, mentors, and collaborators. Drawing on evidence from physics participants, we demonstrate the impact of different workshop activities on their professional skills, identity, and self-efficacy. Our goal is to help foster the next generation of physics education researchers, whatever their current career stage.