Developing the First Two Years of an Undergraduate Physics Program - A Ten-Year Study

Oxford College (OC) is an undergraduate division of Emory University focused on the liberal arts education of 950 first- and second-year students. After their second year, the students move to Emory College (EC) to complete the remainder of their undergraduate education. Between 2008-2010, OC contributed only 5 physics majors to the graduating classes at EC. To expand student interest in first- and second-year physics courses and increase its contribution to the number of physics majors OC applied many strategies, including those recommended by the National Task Force of the American Association of Physics Teachers [1]. The strategies focused on creating a rigorous curriculum and an environment and evaluation process to meet the students’ individual needs. Among the outcomes were that between 2010-2019 the physics faculty grew from one to three, the enrollment of women in a sophomore-level course increased from 17% to 38%-50%, and OC’s contributions to the total number of EC’s physics majors increased to 19 in years 2017-2019. An additional 13 students are estimated to graduate in 2020 alone. This presentation will provide an overview of the applied strategies and their outcomes.

[1] R. C. Hilborn, R. H. Howes, and K. S. Krane, The American Association of Physics Teachers (2003).