Resources - Course Materials

We are believers in an open-source model of educational materials -- use what you need for your students.ÌýPlease credit our work if you share yourÌýmaterialsÌýbeyond your own classes, and do not use our materials for commercial purposes.ÌýIf you modify them (or find bugs), please return the favor by sending us improved materialsÌýso we can keep updating. Contact Steven Pollock.

Many of our materials are Ìýshared at Physport, an AAPT supported website well worth visiting: Ìý Ìý Most of our downloads there include assessments and solutions, so Physport will ask you to register once and verify your status as physics instructor.Ìý

The links below contain "open" resources (no assessments or solutions).
For password protected links, which typically include some exams or homeworks with solutions, open the "CU Materials (password protected, for faculty only)" block below.
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NOTE: ÌýCU is changing servers at the start of 2025. Some links below will be (temporarily) broken. Please contact steven.pollock (at) colorado.edu if you need quicker assistance.Ìý

Some of our introductory materials were inspired from and originated with Eric Mazur'sÌý book, and expanded at CU by Michael Dubson, Steven Pollock,Ìýand many others.Ìý
NOTE: Please seek appropriate permission if you want to use those in any public or commercial forum.

This is our introductory large-lecture course on Classical Mechanics, the first-semester course in introductory physics.Ìý
Ìý You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, homeworks and more).Ìý
Here is a link to Prof. Dubson's typed up course (there are versions for an algebra-based course included as well.)Ìý

This is our introductory large-lecture course on E&M, the second semester course in introductory physics.Ìý
THIS LINK IS TEMPORARILY BROKEN. You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, sound files and more). Ìý
Here is a link to Prof. Dubson'sÌý (there are versions for an algebra-based course included as well.)Ìý

This is a large lecture course for non-science majors.Ìý
You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, and more).(Thanks to at UC San Diego for contributions)
NOTE: This collection is not research-based. It is also very old, caveat emptor.Ìý

This is a large lecture course to introduce the physics of sound to non-science majors.Ìý
. ÌýYou can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, sound files and more).Ìý
NOTE: This collection is not research-based. It is also very old, caveat emptor.Ìý

This is a large lecture course to introduce the physics of optics to non-science majors.Ìý
. You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, lecture notes, syllabus, class activities and more).Ìý NOTE: This collection is (mostly) not research-based.

Reminder: the collections below are open access, thus missing sensitive materials (exams and homework solutions).
Please see "CUÌýMaterials (password protected for faculty)" further down this page if you are a physics faculty member and want access to these additional materials.Ìý

Some collections are research-based, largely developed through the CU-SEIÌý Science Education Initiative page

Here are You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, sound files and more).Ìý
Please also see our for more resources from the original SEI project. Ìý

Note: our Classical Mechanics course is split into 2 semesters with an emphasis on associated mathematical methods interspersed, so the first term covers much less content than many other institutions' 1-term course would.Ìý
The first semester was developed through the SEI project, the second semester is not research-validatedÌý

. You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, sound files and more). ÌýThis course follows Taylor's Classical Mechanics text roughly Ch. 1-7, with additional math methods added in.Ìý

. You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, sound files and more). Note that these materials were not part of any PER research project

Please also see our for more resources.Ìý

Note: Our Quantum course is split into 2 semesters, and follows a "spins-first" approach using McIntyre's text.Ìý
If you teach a "wavefunctions first approach" (e.g. like Griffiths' text, see our Ìý for more resources.

. You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, and more). ÌýThis course follows McIntyre's Quantum text roughly Ch. 1-7.

You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, and more). ÌýThis course follows most of the remainder of McIntyre's Quantum text

Please also see our for for more resources, including some quantum-information (quantum computing) related topics. There are also older SEI pages for a "wave functions first" approach linked there.Ìý

Note: Our E&M course is split into 2 semesters, and largely follows Griffiths textbook.

You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, and more). ÌýThis course follows Griffiths text roughly Ch 1-7

Here are Ìýmaterials from S. Pollock for semester 2. (electrodynamics) You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, and more). ÌýThis course follows the rest of Griffiths text through relativistic dynamics.Ìý

Please also see our for for more resources, (including a compressed one-semester version designed by our former postdoc C. Baily.)

Note: Our thermo course is one semester, and largely follows Schroeder's textbook.

. You can browse at this link, or find the "download" tab near the top to get a zipped download of all the materials. (Contains sub-folders with concept tests, class activities, pre/post tests, and more). ÌýNote that these materials were not part of a PER research project Ìý

Teaching and Learning PhysicsÌýmaterials. THIS LINK IS TEMPORARILY BROKEN. This is a joint graduate/undergraduate course to introduce students to te research field of PER> Materials developed by Noah Finkelstein, with some supplements from Steven Pollock and updates from B. Wilcox. The folder contains many references and materials from other authors. (Contact Noah.Finkelstein (at) Colorado.edu for more)Ìý
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Our secure materials (with assessments/solutions) are shared through Physport, an AAPT supported website well worth visiting. ÌýOur page there is: ÌýÌý ÌýÌý
Downloads require registering with Physport (once) to verify your status as physics instructor.Ìý Ìý

For more background on the materials, you can also visit our CU Science Education Initiative pages.Ìý

Please contact steven.pollock (at) colorado.edu for questions/comments/suggestions.

(Coming. For now, please see the "open" links above on this page, almost everything is there except exams)

Note: All tabs below will link you to our . ÌýÌýÌý
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Please also see our for links. There are two downloads there: the older (original) SEI course, and an updated version from N. Finkelstein in Fall 2022

Downloads include concept tests, lecture notes, homeworks, in-class activities, assessments, and more.Ìý

Notes: Our Classical Mechanics course follows Taylor's texbook. It is split into 2 semesters with an emphasis on associated mathematical methods interspersed, so the first term covers much less content than many other institutions' 1-term course would.Ìý
The first semester materials were developed through the SEI project, the second semester is not research-validatedÌý

Please also see our for links.

There are several downloads there under the :Ìý
The older (original) SEI course, andÌý
an updated set of materials building on these, from S. Pollock, E. Neil, and M. Dubson in 2023.
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There is also a separate collection for back in 2016, these are not associated with any PER research at all.Ìý

Downloads include concept tests, lecture notes, homeworks, in-class activities, assessments, and more.Ìý

Note: Our Quantum course is split into 2 semesters, and follows a "spins-first" approach using McIntyre's text.Ìý

Please see our Ìý for links to materials (and, to other useful Physport Quantum pages)Ìý

There are several downloads available there:Ìý
the older (original) which was following a "wavefunctions first approach" (using Griffiths' text).Ìý
We also have links for following the "spins first approach") (using McIntyre's text) from S. Pollock, B. Wilcox, and othersÌý

Downloads include concept tests, lecture notes, homeworks, in-class activities, assessments, and more.Ìý

Note: Our E&M course is split into 2 semesters, and largely follows Griffiths textbook.

Please also see our for links to all materials.Ìý

There are multiple downloads available there:
(first half of Griffiths)
(2nd half of Griffiths)Ìý
There is also a designed by our former postdoc C. Baily.

All downloads include concept tests, lecture notes, homeworks, in-class activities, assessments, and more.Ìý

Note: Our thermo course is one semester, and largely follows Schroeder's textbook.

Please see our (look towards the bottom of the page for the "Thermal Physics" section)Ìý

Download includes concept tests, lecture notes, homeworks, in-class activities, assessments, and more.Ìý

CU Science Education Initiative front page (from here, you can access resources for several of our middle and upper-division courses)Ìý

ÌýPart of the Carl Wieman Science Education Initiatives effortÌýto provide resources (written guides and short videos to helpÌýinstructors startÌýusing Clickers and Peer Instruction)

is an excellent AAPT site with many research based assessments.
Physport has curricular materials:Ìý .Ìý
Physport has CU materials for a , and some materials to include Ìý inÌýQuantum classes.Ìý

For intro level, see also Eric Mazur'sÌý book

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