http://www.aapt.org
/Projects/upload/
SPIN-UP-TYC-Booklet.pdf
Community colleges
 Junior colleges
 Technical colleges

Sandwiched between HS and 4YC –
perfect fit to the model of lifelong
learning
AIP Survey, 2001 – TYCs enroll almost half of all undergraduate
students in the US
Returning students – recertification
 Adult education resource
 Local industry ties
 Smaller class sizes
 Faculty readily available
 Good option for non-traditional students,
women, & underrepresented minorities

Four-year
Discipline specific depts.
Major / Minor
Budget autonomy
Separate Lecture & Lab
Teaching + Research
Change is a challenge
Two-year
Related discipline divisions
Programs of study
No budget autonomy
Integrated Lecture w/ Lab
Teaching (larger loads)
Curricular flexibility
Serves academic studies
 Serves technical / vocational education

Advantage of local colleges reaching
the populace & making PHY accessible.
 AIP Survey, 2003 - 25% of students take
intro PHY nationwide at TYCs

Course types:
Conceptual
Alg/Trig-Based
Calculus-Based
Technical
K-12
Reform activities*:
Curricular
Laboratory
Recruitment
Retention
Career information
*AIP Survey, 2003 - ~50% were involved in
curricular or pedagogical changes.
Isolation issues for some TYC PHY faculty
 Professional development source from 4Y
research in current teaching pedagogy

(PER, PEPTYC)



Transfer populations – compatible course offerings
Encourage more students to pursue STEM degrees
Current PHY Research resource at 4Y
(“Neutrinos, Exploding Stars, and the Origin of the Heavy Elements”
at 4:30 pm!)

Collegiality – NCS-AAPT involvement at state
and national levels.

PD opportunities – The Science House,
WebAssign Users Group, Southern Regional SPIN-UP
Workshops

Consultants - New bldg. N. Campus – labs,
storage

Collaborations - Student centered models –
SCALE-UP (Fall, 2001), Peer Instruction, Lecture
Tutorials
Formative Assessment
Summative – Assessing learners for what
they were supposed to learn after
instruction.
Formative - Conducted during instruction
frequently, with the intent to improve
instruction and student learning.
Share teaching methods that work
 Share experiences w/ technology
 Four year professors as guest lecturers in
two-year classrooms – video conference,
online forum, etc.
 Honors sections of PHY – lab demos,
hand-me-down equipment
 SPS Collaboration

Denise M. Wetli
Wake Technical Community College
9101 Fayetteville Road
Raleigh, NC 27603
dmwetli@waketech.edu