Thrips:
0.5-14 mm long; Asknature.org
The National Conversation About
Introductory Physics for Life Science
Students:
Themes, Ideas, & Questions
Dawn Meredith
University of New Hampshire
Before we begin..
• This talk is posted on
ipls.unh.edu so you can get
resources later
• Shorthand notations:
– IPLS = introductory physics for life
science students
– Biologists = microbiology majors,
nutrition majors, pre-medical
professionals of all kinds
(veterinarian , physical therapist,
dentist, doctor,..)
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT
http://photography.nationalgeogr
aphic.com/photography/photos/
pod-leap-day.html
Sources for this talk
• IPLS meeting March 2014,
Arlington, VA (supported by
AAPT and NSF)
Source: ugglug.com
1/5/2014
– 161 attendees
– Breakout sessions
– Invited talks
– [Talks and other resources
available at
http://www.compadre.org/ipls/]
Winter 2015 AAPT
Overview
• Calls for reform from
biology
• Themes, Ideas & Questions
– Important differences
between IPLS courses
– Course goals
– Pedagogical approaches
– Cultural differences between
physics and biology
– Departmental and
institutional constraints
– Resources needed
• Tying it altogether: course
reform process
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Initials Calls for Reform
• National policy documents from
biologists
– Bio2010 http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10497/bio2010transforming-undergraduate-education-for-future-researchbiologists
– AAMC/HHMI Scientific Foundations for
Future Physicians
https://www.aamc.org/download/271072/data/scientificfoundationsforfut
urephysicians.pdf
– Vision and Change http://visionandchange.org/
• Education of future biologists needs
to be
–
–
–
–
More interdisciplinary
More active
More mathematical
Principle based (not fact-centered)
• Physics is only a part of that reform
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Themes, Ideas & Questions
• Important differences
between IPLS courses
• Course goals and
competencies
• Pedagogical approaches
• Cultural differences between
physics and biology
• Departmental and
institutional constraints
• Resources needed
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT
Differences between IPLS courses:
why one size course does not fit all
• Student majors: biologists,
architects, liberal arts students
• Mathematics: algebra or calculus
• Course format and size constrains
pedagogy
• Prerequisites: intro chemistry,
intro biology, algebra
• Articulation with other
institutions
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Themes, Ideas & Questions
• Important differences
between IPLS courses
• Course goals and
competencies
• Pedagogical approaches
• Cultural differences between
physics and biology
• Departmental and
institutional constraints
• Resources needed
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT
Why should biology students take
physics?
• Physics POV
– Physics is a beautiful,
elegant, powerful
subject that develops,
tests, and uses simple
quantitative models to
describe nature
– Physics is worthy of
study in its own right
and not in service of
another discipline
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Why should biologists take physics?
• Biology POV
– Physics constrains and
facilitates what
organisms can do
– Physics uses reasoning
from a few quantitative
models/principles
– Physics (in its simplicity)
more clearly shows the
interplay of experiment
and theory than biology
does
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http://plantphys.info/cell/cel
l.html
How to deal with tension between
views from biology and physics
• This course belongs to the
physics department
– But we can engage biology
faculty to learn how
physics is used by
biologists
• Physics needs to dictate
the coherent story line
(e.g. Newton’s laws and
conservation laws)
– But biology applications
can drive some topic
choices
http://ausudmediaproject.wordpre
ss.com/page/2/
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Mathematical goals
• Use scaling arguments and
connect to biology
• Use proportional reasoning
• Perform dimensional analysis
• Perform order of magnitude
calculations
• Be able to differentiate
between a quantity and its
rate of change
• Solve a system of linear
equations
• Draw inferences from graphs
• Understand exponential and
logarithmic functions
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http://dreamatico.com/mouse.html;
http://www.earthtimes.org/environment/dinosaurs/
Process goals
• Problem Solving
– Students should learn
some authentic problem
solving skills.
• Modeling
– The ability to identify a
basic physical principle
in a complex physical
system
– What physics matters
here?
http://periodictableofelements.wikia.com/wiki/
File:Stylised_Lithium_Atom.png
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Aside on Mathematical Rigor
• The mathematics level
may be lower (usually
no calculus)
– But this can still be a
rigorous course, and
most students want it
that way
– This is not a watered
down version of the
course for engineers
http://mattersindia.com/girlsoutshine-boys-in-cbse-class-xiiexams/
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Epistemological goals
(beliefs about learning and knowledge)
• Memorization is not
learning
• Physics is connected to
reality and biology
• A formula tells a story in
addition to giving a
number
http://libguides.ivytech.edu/content.php?pid=180869&sid=1521286
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Competencies not Coverage
• Move from “we will
cover…” to “students will
be able to…”
• Examples from SFFP
– E1: Use dimensional
analysis and unit
conversions to compare
results expressed in
different systems of units
– E3: Explain the mechanical
basis for molecular and
cellular separation
technologies (i.e.,
centrifugation and
chromatography)
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Challenges: many goals
• How to combine
– Core physics
competencies
– Core mathematical
competencies
– Connections to biology
– Development of
sophisticated beliefs:
• Physics applies to the real
world
• Equations tell important
stories
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Winter 2015 AAPT
http://networkinginanutshell.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/goalgoal-what-are-your-networking-goals-paul-m-johnstone/
Example:
Hagen-Poiseuille Equation
• Pressure gradient
needed to move
through a pipe of length
L and radius r at rate Q
(volume/time) with
viscosity h (stickiness)
• DP=8hQL/p r4
Source: Knight College Physics
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Example:
Hagen-Poiseuille Equation
• What should students
know? “To keep
something moving the
way it’s moving you
can’t have unbalanced
forces.”
• HP gives the pressure
gradient needed to
balance the viscous
force and give constant
velocity
Source: Knight College Physics
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Example:
Hagen-Poiseuille Equation
• What should students
know? How to draw
conclusions based on
proportional reasoning.
• From HP: a 30% blockage,
DP increases by 4 fold
• From Todd Cooke (UMD)
his intro bio students
cited this as evidence that
physics is important to
biology
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Topic Coverage: The challenge
• Some topics required for
coherent story line
• Every topic in physics of use to
some biologist
• Within biology, there are very
different needs:
– Those working at cellular
level care about diffusion,
viscosity, energy, entropy,
enthalpy, …
– Those working at the
organismal level care about
torque, pressure drag, sound,
sight, diffusion, energy,…
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http://learnthat.com/career-guide-for-physical-therapists/
Winter 2015 AAPT
Topic Coverage:
UNH partial list
Keep in
Delete or reduce
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Newton’s Laws
Conservation Laws
Kinematics
Static torque
Energy
Stress/Strain/Fracture
Fluids
Heat Transfer
Kinetic Theory of gases
Entropy
Diffusion, convection, conduction
Waves (sound, optics)
Electricity
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Projectile motion
Relative motion
Rotational Motion
Statics
Collisions
Newton’s Law of Gravitation
Heat engines
Magnetism
Induction
Relativity
Winter 2015 AAPT
Resources on topic coverage?
• Cannot have “one size fits
all” list of topics
• Call to provide several
model courses that
– Describes what topics are
covered
– Details competencies for
these topics
– Details rationale for
choices of topics and
competencies
– Provide biology
applications
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Winter 2015 AAPT
http://tonycooke.org/free_resourc
es/articles_pastors_leaders/onesize-fits-all.html
Resources that discuss topic choices
• IPLS 2009 conference
wikihttp://ipls.wiki.daymuse.com/w/Conference_o
n_Physics_in_Undergraduate_Quantitative_Life_Science
_Education
• C. Crouch and K. Heller,
Am. J. Phys 82, 378
(2014)
• D. C. Meredith, J. A.
Bolker, Am. J. Phys. 80,
913 (2012)
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Themes, Ideas & Questions
• Important differences
between IPLS courses
• Course goals and
competencies
• Pedagogical approaches
• Cultural differences between
physics and biology
• Departmental and
institutional constraints
• Resources needed
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT
Pedagogy
• We know a lot about
how people learn
• Essential to think about
this carefully for IPLS as
well, but issues not
unique to this course
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT
Themes, Ideas & Questions
• Important differences
between IPLS courses
• Course goals and
competencies
• Pedagogical approaches
• Cultural differences between
physics and biology
• Departmental and
institutional constraints
• Resources needed
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT
Lessons
Learned:
Zeroth-order
approximation
to
Important
Differences
a biologist (many
are very
mathematical)
Biologists
Physicists
Qualitative
Study systems
with often
Irreducible
Complexity
Constrained by
evolutionary
history
Quantitative
Study simple
models
Constrained by
principles
Redish and Cooke;
Meredith and Bolker
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Biologists want/need to keep
complexity
• Pressure drag cannot be
ignored in projectile
motion
Vogel: Ruellia
seeds – best
launch angle =
35 o
http://www.stuartxchange.or
g/Ruellia.html
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Biology Text
Equations/page
Anatomy and
Physiology
.02
Evolution
0
Biochemistry (for
advanced grad
students)
.5
Molecular Biology
0
Nutrition
0
Genetics of
populations (upper
level ug text)
1.3
Genetics
0
Molecular Biology
of the Cell
0
Microbiology
0
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Measure of
difference in
quantitative
reasoning:
Equation Density
Physics topic
Equations/page
Kinematics
2.2
Dynamics
3.2
Knight Jones Field
Winter 2015 AAPT
Mathematics plays a different role
• Far fewer derivations
and calculations
• More unpacking of
equations – “what does
this imply?”
• Do we want students
working hard to get
exact numbers from a
simple/unrealistic
model with imprecise
inputs?
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Aside: roles for biology colleagues
• Participants in discussions
about course goals
• Source of biology
expertise
– Have biology TA’s or
undergraduate assistants
(PLTL) who are biology
students be part of the
course
• Reinforce value of physics
in biology courses
• Require physics before
senior year
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Winter 2015 AAPT
http://www.careerealism.com/career-pathmarine-biologist/
Books from biologists
• Steve Vogel
– Comparative
Biomechanics
– Vital Circuits
• Mark Denny
– Air and Water
• Roland Enos
– Solid Mechanics
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Books from physicists
• Amadore Kane
– Physics in Modern
Medicine
• Nelson
– Biological Physics
• Hobbie and Roth
– Intermediate Physics for
Medicine and Biology
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT
Themes, Ideas & Questions
• Important differences
between IPLS courses
• Course goals and
competencies
• Pedagogical approaches
• Cultural differences between
physics and biology
• Departmental and
institutional constraints
• Resources needed
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT
Departmental Constraints
• Does the faculty buy-in to
need for reform?
• How many intro physics
courses does your
department offer?
• How many kinds of
students take physics?
• Does someone own this
course?
• How often are instructors
changed
• Who decides on content?
http://cms.cerritos.edu/
fac/
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Sustainability
• Negotiate goals for course
with your fellow faculty,
so this is not just your
course
• Carry out assessments–
are we meeting our
goals?
• Warning from Carl
Wieman: Interdisciplinary
courses become orphans
and fail to thrive
• Archive course materials
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Themes, Ideas & Questions/Course
reform
• Important differences
between IPLS courses
• Course goals and
competencies
• Pedagogical approaches
• Cultural differences between
physics and biology
• Departmental and
institutional constraints
• Resources needed
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Resources Needed from
national IPLS community
• Tested curricula (modifiable
and modular)
– Lean, searchable, annotated
(“this worked well under these
conditions…”) database
• “Model” courses with
competencies and rationale
• Assessments for THIS course
(FCI does not hit the mark)
• Workshops to facilitate course
development
• Textbooks
• Next two talks will talk more
about curricular resources
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Resources Needed from
Department
• Strategy & permission to
not be overwhelmed
– Change a few things at a time
– Learn a bit of biology at a
time
• Time to develop and test a
new course
• Biology expertise and
biology colleagues
• Professional rewards
– Acknowledged as valuable by
department
– Buy in from other faculty
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Winter 2015 AAPT
Resources - articles
• Reasons for Reform:
– APS News Back Page 19, 3
(2010) , C. H. Crouch, R.
Hilborn, S. A. Kane, T. McKay,
and M. Reeves
– Meredith, D. C., & Redish, E. F.
(2013). Reinventing physics for
life-science majors. Physics
Today, 66 (7), (pp 38-43).
• Dedicated issues
– Cell Biology Education Summer
2013 (on line)
– AJP May 2014
– Forum on Ed – Fall 2014 (see
page 8 for a list of curricular
resources currently on the
web)
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Tying it altogether:
Course reform
• Carl Wieman Science
Education Initiative
• Course reform process
– Course reform (Chasteen
et al., Journal of College
Science Teaching, 40, p
70-76, 2011)
– http://www.cwsei.ubc.ca
/index.html
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– What do we want to
accomplish?
– Learning goals
– Document student
thinking
– Teaching methods
– Assessment
– Materials Archived
– Plan for sustainability
Summary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Important differences between IPLS courses:
one size does not fit all
Course goals and competencies: some
agreement, especially on core physics,
mathematics, modeling, beliefs about
learning; many standard topics can be cut
Pedagogical approaches: we cannot forget the
lessons we have learned in other courses and
PER about how people learn
Cultural differences between physics and
biology cannot be ignored; help us
understand our students’ perspective
Departmental and institutional constraints
cannot be ignored
Resources needed: need a database of
curricular materials and assessments and
model courses
Course reform process documented by CWSEI
1/5/2014
Winter 2015 AAPT