They Won’t All Grow Up to Be You: Preparing Students for

Diverse Careers APSandAAPTJointTaskForceonUndergraduatePhysicsPrograms

LaurieMcNeilandPaulaHeron,co-chairs

Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs CommissionedbytheAmericanPhysicalSocietyandtheAmericanAssociationofPhysicsTeacherstoprovideareportansweringthequestion:

Whatskillsandknowledgeshouldthenextgenerationofundergraduatephysicsdegreeholderspossesstobewellpreparedfora

diversesetofcareers?

Providingguidancetophysicistson:•  Revisingundergraduatecurriculum•  Educatingadiversestudentpopulation•  Improvingcontent,pedagogy,professionalskills,and

studentengagement

compadre.org/phys21

DouglasArion,CarthageCollegeWalterBuell,TheAerospaceCorporationS.JamesGates,UniversityofMarylandSandeepGiri,GoogleInc.ElizabethMcCormack,BrynMawrCollegeHelenQuinn,StanfordLinearAcceleratorCenterQuintonWilliams,HowardUniversityLawrenceWoolf,GeneralAtomicsAeronauticalSystems

J-TUPPMEMBERSHIP

Notpictured:SandeepGiri

Societyliaisons:TedHodapp,APSReneeMichelleGoertzen,APSBethCunningham,AAPTBobHilborn,AAPT

PaulaHeron,co-chair,UniversityofWashingtonLaurieMcNeil,co-chair,UniversityofNorthCarolina,ChapelHill

TIMELINE•  TaskForceformed:Summer2014•  Initialmeeting:November2014•  Data-gathering,(initial)reportdrafting:2015•  Secondandthirdmeetings:April,December2015•  Completedreport:Spring2016•  Reviewandrevision:Summer2016•  Finalreport:October2016•  PhysicsTodayarticle:November2017

AFEWFACTS

•  7500peoplegraduatewithbachelor’sdegreesinphysicseachyear•  350peoplearehiredasphysicsfacultymemberseachyear•  5%ofallphysicsbachelor’seventuallyendupasphysicsprofessors•  40%ofbachelor’sgraduatesentertheworkforceimmediately

•  61%workintheprivatesector•  13%workincollegesanduniversities•  8%workinhighschools•  6%workinthemilitary•  5%workinciviliangovernmentornationallaboratories

•  35%ofphysicsPhDholdersworkin4-yearacademicinstitutions

Variousreports,AIPStatisticalResearchCenter

ISTHEREAPROBLEM?

Mostdepartmentspreparestudentsprimarilyforacademiccareersanddonotdoanythingspecialtopreparestudentsforotherpaths.

Tacitassumption:theskillsandknowledgeneededforthosecareersdevelop“automatically.”

Inspiteofthislackofattention,physicsgraduatesaresuccessfulinawidevarietyofcareers(includingacademia).However,ManygraduatesandtheiremployersreportthattheywereunpreparedinseveralkeyareasGraduatesinrelateddisciplinesarebetterpreparedtocompeteforjobs

Variousreports,AIPStatisticalResearchCenter

THECHALLENGEFORPHYSICSDEPARTMENTS

Tobetterpreparestudentsfordiversecareersdoesnotmeanabandoningtherigoroustechnicaleducationthatmakesaphysicistaphysicist,nordoesitmeanregardingyourprogramasprovidingonlyvocationaltraining.Itdoesmeanevaluatingwhetheryourdepartmentisdoingitsbesttopreparestudentstocompetewithgraduatesinotherfields(suchasengineering)fordesirableemploymentandcareeroptions.Itdoesmeanthatweshouldconsiderreframingeducationinthecontextofhowitisusedbyourstudents.

DATASOURCESFORJ-TUPPREPORT

Reportsfrom:•  otherdisciplines,e.g.,VisionandChangeinUndergraduateBiologyEducation

•  professionalassociations,e.g.,theAAC&U•  industry,e.g.,theDanielGroup’ssurveyofemployers•  theAIPCareerPathwaysProject•  AIPStatisticalResearchCenter

TwooriginalstudiescommissionedbyJ-TUPP

PhysicsMajorsintheWorkforce(R.E.Scherr,SeattlePacificUniversity)DepartmentalCaseStudies(S.Chasteen,ChasteenEducationalConsulting)

DATASOURCESFORJ-TUPPREPORTcont.

Consultantswithknowledgeofdifferentemploymentsectors•  CrystalBailey(APSCareerProgramsManager)•  CynthiaBauerle(workedon“Vision&Change”)•  RomanCzujko(AmericanInstituteofPhysics)•  BobDoering(TexasInstruments)•  MilesFinn(Start-upsandIPlaw)•  BarbaraJones(IBM)•  DuncanMoore(UniversityofRochester)•  MonicaPlisch(APS&PhysTEC)•  KendraRedmond(SPS)•  JohnRumble(APSFIAPChair)•  KathrynSvinarich(KetteringUniversity)

WHATDOEMPLOYERSWANT?

1.Theabilitytoworkwellinteams—especiallywithpeopledifferentfromoneself2.Anunderstandingofscienceandtechnologyandhowtheyareusedinreal-worldsettings3.Theabilitytowriteandspeakwell4.Theabilitytothinkclearlyaboutcomplexproblems5.Theabilitytoanalyzeaproblemtodevelopworkablesolutions6.Anunderstandingofglobalcontextinwhichworkisnowdone7.Theabilitytobecreativeandinnovativeinsolvingproblems8.Theabilitytoapplyknowledgeandskillsinnewsettings9.Theabilitytounderstandnumbersandstatistics10.Astrongsenseofethicsandintegrity11.Abilitytomakedecisionsandsolveproblems12.Abilitytosellorinfluenceothers13.Abilitytoplan,organizeandprioritizework

CONCLUSIONSFROMMANYSTUDIES

•  Physicsgraduatescanchoosemanycareers:bringflexibility,problem-solvingskills,technologyexposure

•  Technicalskillbaseshouldbeexpanded:morecomputationalanalysistools,esp.industry-standardpackages

•  Weneedtobettercommunicatethecapabilitiesofphysicsgraduates:privatesector,government,industrialpositions

•  Physicsgraduateswouldbenefitfrombroaderengagementwithindustry-typework:internshipsandappliedresearchprojects

•  Physicsgraduateswouldbenefitfrommoreconnectionintheireducationbetweenphysicscontentandinnovation

•  Needbetterpreparationinworkplaceskills:teamwork,communication,basicbusinessunderstanding

INCENTIVESFORCHANGEAttract,retain,andbetterpreparestudents•  Studentsexpectrelevance,authenticity,application•  Clearconnectionbetweenmajoringinphysicsandrewardingcareerswillattractmorediversestudents(incl.1st-generationcollege-goersandURMs)

•  Clearconnectionbetweenmajoringinphysicsandsolvingsocietalproblemswillattractmorediversestudents(esp.women)

•  NGSSprovideslearningexperiencesdefiningproblems,investigating,analyzingandinterpretingdata,developingandusingmodels,applyingscientificknowledge,communicatinginformation:studentswillexpectthis

•  Enhancingcareerskillsalsoenhancespreparationforgraduateschool

Attractnewresources•  Connectingresearchwithtopicsofinteresttoprivatesectorcanhelpestablishnewcollaborationsandnewsourcesofresearchfunding.Evenesoterictopics(seeGoogleX,MicrosoftStationQ)

•  Preparinggraduatesforsuccessinhigh-payingjobscanleadtogenerousalumniandcorporatesupportforprograms

Improveprogramimpact•  Enhanceconnectionswithotherdisciplines,jointresearchprojectsanddoublemajors

•  Enhancereputation,recruitexcellentfacultywithwiderangeofresearchinterests.o  Increasedenrollmentallowsgrowthinfacultynumberso  Broadresearchportfoliomakesdepartmentattractive

INCENTIVESFORCHANGEcont.

WHATTHEREPORTCONTAINS•  Viewofthelandscape:statistics,otherdisciplines,pressuresfacedbyphysicsprograms,findingsfromstudiesofemploymentandworkplaceskills

•  Thecaseforchange•  Knowledge,skillsandattitudesneededforsuccessintheworkplace•  Learninggoalsforphysicsprogramsforcareerpreparation•  Approachestoachievethelearninggoals

•  Modifyingcourseswithintheexistingcurriculum•  Modifyingthecurriculum(changingrequirementsofthemajor)•  Infusingnewskillsintothesis/researchrequirements•  Creatingnewtracksorprograms•  Utilizingco-curricularactivities

•  Howtoaccomplishprogrammaticchange•  Roleofprofessionalsocietiesandfundingagencies•  Casestudiesofsuccessfuldepartments

LEARNINGGOALSFORPHYSICSPROGRAMSPhysics-specificknowledge,e.g.•  Basiclawsofphysics•  Mathematicalrepresentation•  Problem-solving,includinginappliedareasScientificandtechnicalskills,e.g.•  Solvebothwell-posedandill-posedquestionsandproblems.•  Competencyinbasicexperimentaltechnologies•  Codingcompetency:writeandexecutesoftwaretoexplore,simulateormodelphysicalphenomena

•  Softwarecompetency:learnanduseindustry-standardcomputational,design,analysisandsimulationsoftware

•  Dataanalyticscompetency:analyzedata(incl.statisticalanduncertaintyanalysis),distinguishbetweenmodels,presentresultsappropriately

Communicationskills,e.g.•  Communicatewithaudiencesfromdifferentcultureswithmaximumimpact•  Orallycommunicatephysicsandtechnologyconceptstoscientistsandnon-scientists

•  Organizeandcommunicateideasusingwords,mathematicalequations,tables,graphs,pictures,diagramsandothervisualizationtools.

Professional/workplaceskills,e.g.•  Collegialityandcollaborationindiverseteams•  Awarenessofstandardpracticesforeffectiveresumesandjobinterviews•  Criticallifeskills:completingworkontime,listening,optimism,timemanagement,responsibility,culturalandsocialcompetence,…

•  Awarenessofcareeropportunitiesandpathwaysforphysicsgraduates

LEARNINGGOALSFORPHYSICSPROGRAMScont.

APPROACHESTOACHIEVETHELEARNINGGOALSModifycourses•  Incorporateapplicationofphysicsprinciplestoindustrialprocessesand

commercialdevicesintolabexercises•  Incorporateindustry-standardsoftware(CAD,LabView,OSLO,…)•  Homeworkproblemsinvolvingreal-worldandcross-disciplinary

applications•  Organizecoursearoundaspecifictechnology

Usesolarcellstoteachquantummechanics,thermalphysics,optics,E&M,solidstatephysics,etc.

•  Open-endedlabprojectstobuildteamworkandprojectdefinitionandmanagementskills

APPROACHESTOACHIEVETHELEARNINGGOALScont.Modifycurriculum•  Makemajormoreflexibletomeetdifferentcareergoals(gradschool,

engineeringjob,entrepreneurialefforts,highschoolteaching)•  Substitutecoursesfromspeech,business,technicalandcreativewriting,

engineering,computerscience,philosophy(ethics/reasoningskills)forsomestandardorelectivecourses

•  Encouragemorestudentstotakeindustry-relatedcoursesaselectives:solidstate,optics,electronics

•  Adopt“communicatinginthediscipline”requirementwithinthemajor:labcourses,capstonecourses,studentresearchpresentation

•  Guidestudentstosatisfygeneraleducationrequirementswithcoursesthatofferprofessionaldevelopment

APPROACHESTOACHIEVETHELEARNINGGOALScont.Infusenewskillsintothesis/research/capstonerequirement•  Commercial/appliedresearchprojects•  Commercialsoftwarepackages•  Makerspacestodesign,developandtestproductsorsolutions•  Presentationsofresearchfindingstovariedaudiences(includingnon-

scientists)•  Seniorseminarincludingresume-writingandinterviewing,presentationsby

physicistsinvariedcareers

Createnewtracksorprograms•  Appliedphysics•  Entrepreneurship•  Teachereducation•  Jointprogramswithengineering,CS,medicine,graphicarts,…

APPROACHESTOACHIEVETHELEARNINGGOALScont.Utilizeco-curricularactivities•  Speakers(incl.alumni/ae)onindustrial/appliedphysicstopics,meetw/

students•  SPSactivitiesforprofessionaldevelopment,incl.fieldtrips•  Extra-departmentalevents:speakers,tradeshows,localprof.society

chaptermeetings(IEEE,OSA,AAPT,…)•  Internships/co-ops•  CareerServicesofficeforresume-writing,interviewing,jobsearch

techniques,etc.

ACCOMPLISHINGPROGRAMMATICCHANGEGettoknowyourstudentsandthejobsavailabletothem•  Askstudentsabouttheircareerinterestsearly(firstyear).•  Trackhowinterestschangeastheymovethroughthecurriculum.•  Useexitinterviews:howdidprogramhelpcareerawarenessandinterest?•  Monitorwherestudentsgoimmediatelyandseveralyearslater.•  Surveyalumni/ae:whatpartsoftheprogramhavehighvalue,whichparts

havelittlevalue?

Adoptlearninggoals•  Bebold!Youcandomorethanyouthink.Considerreversecoursedesign.•  Goalscanbeaddressedatmultiplepointsinaprogram.•  Beawareofcareersyourgraduatescouldhave,aswellasthosetheydo.•  Begindepartmentalconversationsonthesetopics•  Notallskillsmustbemastered,forsomeexposureisenough.

ACCOMPLISHINGPROGRAMMATICCHANGEcont.Maplearninggoalstotheexistingprogram•  Howcanstudentsworktowardthegoals?•  Howcantheydemonstratetheirachievementofthosegoals?•  Arethereimportantlearninggoalsnotsupportedbytheprogram?•  Arethereprogramcomponentsthatdon’tsupportimportantlearning

goals?•  Whatgoalscanbeaddressedbysmallchanges(coursetweaks,alumni/ae

speakers)?•  Whatgoalsneedstructuralchange(flexiblemajor,internships)?

ACCOMPLISHINGPROGRAMMATICCHANGEcont.Developaplanandimplementit•  Goafterthelow-hangingfruitfirst.•  Identifyateamandatimeline.•  Identifyandcultivatepartnerships(otherunits,employers,careercenter,…).•  Defineresourceneeds(includingfacultydevelopment).•  Relateinitiativestolargerinstitutionalcontext.Assesstheresultsandusethemtoinformfurthermodifications•  Directevidence:performanceofcurrentstudents•  Indirectevidence:fromalumni/aeandemployers•  Fine-grainedoutcomes:e.g.specificphysicsknowledge•  Program-leveloutcomes:e.g.professional/workplaceskills•  Continuedepartmentaldiscussions•  Documentchanges

THEJ-TUPPMESSAGE

•  Beself-aware!Veryfewdepartmentsalreadymeetallthesegoals,sowearenotservingourstudentsaswellaswecould.

•  Bebold!Considernewdesignaswellasincrementalchange—pushtheenvelope.

•  Bealeader!Promoteaculturewhereinnovationisencouraged,sustainedwhenitsucceeds,toleratedwhenitfails.

•  Worktogether!Thedepartmentistheunitofchange•  Iteratecontinuously!One-timechangewillnotresultin

sustainedimprovement.•  Stealfromthebest!Adoptsuccessfulmodelsfromother

institutions.•  Assessanddocument!Useevidencetoimprove.

Todownloadthereport:compadre.org/phys21

BPUPP:BestPracticesforUndergraduatePhysicsPrograms

CHARGE1.Developaguideforself-assessmentofundergraduatephysicsprogramsfoundedondocumentedbestpracticeslinkedtomeasurableoutcomes.

Theguideshouldprovideaphysics-community-basedresourcetoassistprogramsindevelopingacultureofcontinuousself-improvement,inkeepingwiththeirindividualmission,context,andinstitutionaltype.Theguideshouldincludeconsiderationsofcurricula,pedagogy,advising,mentoring,recruitmentandretention,researchandinternshipopportunities,diversity,scientificskilldevelopment,career/workforcepreparation,staffing,resources,andfacultyprofessionaldevelopment.

2.RecommendaplanforongoingreviewandimprovementofthisguideundertheoversightoftheAPSCommitteeonEducation(COE).

www.aps.org/bpupp

BPUPP:BestPracticesforUndergraduatePhysicsPrograms

TaskForceMembers• DavidCraig,Co-Chair,LeMoyneCollege• MichaelJackson,Co-Chair,MillersvilleUniversityofPennsylvania• CourtneyLannert,SmithCollegeandUniversityofMassachusettsAmherst• RamonLopez,UniversityofTexasatArlington• StevenPollock,UniversityofColoradoBoulder• WillieRockward,MorehouseCollege• GayStewart,WestVirginiaUniversity• GubbiSudhakaran,UniversityofWisconsin-LaCrosse• KathrynSvinarich,KetteringUniversity• CarlWieman,StanfordUniversity• LawrenceWoolf,GeneralAtomicsAeronauticalSystems,Inc.APSStaffLiaisons• TheodoreHodapp,DirectorofProjectDevelopment• SamMcKagan,ProjectManagerAAPTStaffLiaison• BobHilborn,AssociateExecutiveOfficer