Report on the SPIN-UP/TYC project for the AAPT Executive Board
To: AAPT Executive Board
From: Mary Beth Monroe; Tom O’Kuma; Warren Hein
Subject: SPIN-UP/TYC Update
Date: September 26, 2002
The Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics at Two-Year Colleges project, SPIN-UP/TYC, is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program through the Division of Undergraduate Education of the National Science Foundation. This project, award DUE-0203862, is funded for 18 months (starting June 1, 2002) for $270,540 and is awarded to the American Association of Physics Teachers. Elizabeth Teles is the Program Officer at NSF. The Principal Investigators are Thomas L. O’Kuma, Lee College; Mary Beth Monroe, Southwest Texas Junior College; and Warren W. Hein, AAPT. Mary Beth Monroe will serve as the Project Director with Tom O’Kuma and Warren Hein as Co-Project Directors. The External Evaluator for the project is Karen Johnston of Momentum Group. AAPT will provide fiscal management of the project. Lee College and Southwest Texas Junior College also provide support for the project.
The SPIN-UP/TYC Project will have an Advisory Committee to provide advice and guidance to the project. Advisory Committee members are:
Alex Dickison | Seminole Community College, advocate of TYC physics, PI of ICP/21 project, and TYC21 Steering Committee member |
Carolyn Haas | Salem Community College, Two Year College Member-at-Large of the AAPT Executive Board |
Jack Hehn | American Institute of Physics, Manager of Education Division of AIP, AIP liaison to NTFUP and PhysTEC Co-PI |
Ruth Howes | Ball State University, SPIN-UP Co-PI and NTFUP member and Co-chair |
Bernard Khoury | American Association of Physics Teachers, Executive Officer of AAPT and AAPT liaison to NTFUP |
James Palmer | Illinois State University, Research Specialists in Community Colleges; TYC21 advisor and editor |
Fred Stein | American Physical Society, Director of Education and Outreach Programs of APS, APS liaison to NTFUP and PhysTEC PI |
David Wilkinson | Princeton University, NTFUP member |
Susan Wood | J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Past President of American Mathematics Association of Two Year Colleges |
The SPIN-UP/TYC project will conduct ten site visits and will survey the physics programs at two year colleges, nation-wide, for the purpose of collecting information that will specifically:
2. Prepare a set of Case Studies of Exemplary Two Year College Physics Programs. Current Status:
3. Selection of the 10 TYC site will occur in early fall with site visits beginning in mid-fall. Approximately 5 site visits will be done during Fall 2002 and 5 site visits will be done during Spring 2003. For the selection of the 10 TYC sites, a document was developed that lists the goals of the SPIN-UP/TYC project, describes a “Successful TYC Physics Program” with ten indicators, and contains the site selection criteria. An additional document was developed that lists the research questions that will be addressed by these site visits. 4. Prior to the 10 site visits, a series of documents has been developed. This set includes: a “letter” to the physics program chair/coordinator or physics faculty member explaining the purpose of the site visit; a “contract” with the site host; and a “Physics Program Questionnaire” that will be completed and shared with the site visit team members prior to the actual site visit. 5. The SPIN-UP/TYC leadership team is developing a web site to be mounted on the AAPT web site with mirror sites at Lee College and Southwest Texas Junior College. 6. A poster presentation of the SPIN-UP/TYC project will be presented at the AAPT Summer Meeting at Boise in August. Materials for the project will be available in the TYC Resource Room during the Summer Meeting. 7. A national TYC Physics Program Survey will be developed with the AIP Statistics Division. We are hoping to have the instrument finished this summer with a target date of early to mid-Fall for the mailing of the survey to all TYCs in the nation. 8. There will be “partial” Advisory Committee meetings at the AAPT 2002 Summer Meeting and the AAPT 2003 Winter AAPT Meeting. A full Advisory Committee meeting will be held in the Spring 2003. 9. The Writing and Planning Conference (WPC) has been tentatively set for June 26-28, 2003, at a site to be determined. Preliminary work on the goals, objectives, and schedule for the WPC has begun. |