A practical metric for first-time faculty teaching introductory physics to non-physics majors: an observational quantitative case study

Starting a faculty position can be highly challenging, especially for those with a research-heavy background and limited teaching experience. Designing assignments for an initial course often presents difficulties in accurately gauging time requirements and question difficulty levels, which can lead to negative learning experiences for students. As a new faculty myself, starting Fall 2024, I have been teaching an introductory undergraduate physics course primarily for non-physics majors, with approximately 90 students from nine distinct majors, ranging from freshmen to seniors across two colleges. To address the challenges of engaging such a diverse cohort with varying prerequisite knowledge, I have tentatively developed a feedback-based approach with quantitative metrics. I encourage students to voluntarily report their time spent on each homework question and rate each question on a "Freak-Out Index"—a system designed to capture question's perceived difficulty. Analysis of the feedback has revealed an unexpected but persistent correlation between the objective time metrics and subjective difficulty ratings, providing myself useful references for dynamically adjusting assignment design and enhancing student engagement and performance. As a condensed matter physicist with no prior research in physics education, I submit this abstract to share my observations, being curious and open to gather feedback to further refine my teaching strategies for introductory physics courses at non-physics majors.