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Session:
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Reforming the Introductory Physics Course for Life Science Majors
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Paper Type:
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Con/Poster
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Title:
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Evolving Reform of an IPLS course serving a significant Underprepared Student Population
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Meeting:
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2009 Summer Meeting: Ann Arbor, Michigan |
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Location:
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CC Little 1528 |
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Date:
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Time:
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2:50PM - 3:30PM
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Author:
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Nancy Beverly, Mercy College
212-580-8188, nbeverly@mercy.edu
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Co-Author(s):
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None
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Abstract:
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Introductory Physics solely for Life and Health Science students has been taught by this presenter since 1996 at an institution whose mission is to help those who have been underserved and underrepresented. The two main reforming challenges that have evolved are: 1) to make the course more motivationally meaningful and relevant for these students and 2) to get the students’ foundational physics understanding to the point where they can effectively transfer it to the variety of real life and health scenarios they will face in their future fields.
Materials developed and adapted to meet the first challenge will be summarized. Typically, all the normal physics topics are covered within a human body or biological functioning context. Open up any Human Physiology text and the physics is all there. Recent work extends into contexts of molecular and cellular processes.
The trying experiences towards meeting the second challenge, for student long-term integration and effective transfer of the fundamentals, may shed light on what is needed in appropriate curricular approaches now being considered by the wider IPLS community.
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Footnotes:
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None
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