Physics Education Research
Overview
The Physics Education Research group in the Department of Physics engages in both theoretical and experimental work to understand student learning in physics and the conditions which support (and inhibit) student learning. While we focus largely at the university undergraduate level, we have research projects that span the K-Grad and teacher professional development
Physics Education Research @ Colorado
(PER@C) group is one of the newest and largest research programs in PER in the nation. The PER@C research group develops and studies: uses of technology in physics education, assessments (conceptual, epistemological, and belief oriented), curricular and classroom materials at the middle- and upper-division levels, theoretical models of students learning physics, social and contextual foundations of student learning, examination of successful educational reforms and replication studies of such reforms, and student problem-solving in physics. The research group includes faculty, staff, and students from both the Department of Physics and the School of Education. PER@C sponsors a number of educational reforms in physics, which range from pre-college to post-doctoral.
Related Projects and Activities
- : A collection of over 100 simulations for teaching and learning science.
- CLASS: An assessment instrument for measuring students perceptions about physics and learning physics (or chemistry, or biology).
- : A model of teacher recruitment and preparation which simultaneously supports research-based pedagogy in our science classes.
- : A signature program establishing CU as a national hub for science, technology, engineering, and math education and teacher preparation.
- : A program designed to incorporate the findings and practices of education research in the sciences to improve undergraduate science education at CU.
- : Ongoing collection of free course materials and clicker questions from our physics faculty.