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Section 5.5 Evaluating the initial course designs.

Before the faculty started to offer the new courses in the fall of 1997, the external evaluator conducted a modified Delphi external review of the new curriculum with eight physics faculty from other institutions. Questions focused upon plans for the program as a whole, the junior year courses, the senior year courses, and additional issues such as coverage across both years, resources, and connections across topics.

Questions about the program as a whole included:

  • Does the program utilize a good set of topics?
  • Does the flow of the topics appear reasonable?
  • Are there other topics that might be useful?
  • Are there particular topics that may not be suitable (archaic, too theoretical, too experimental)?
  • General comments about the program as a whole?

Questions about the junior year courses included:

  • Is the set of paradigms in the junior year a good set?
  • Are there other paradigms that might be useful?
  • Are there particular paradigms that may not be suitable (archaic, too theoretical, too experimental, etc.)?
  • General review of the junior year courses as a whole year sequence

Questions about the senior year courses included:

  • Is the set of capstone courses in the senior year a good set?
  • Are there other capstone ideas that might be useful?
  • Are there particular capstone ideas that may not be suitable (archaic, too theoretical, too experimental, etc.)?
  • General review of the senior year courses as a whole year sequence.

Additional questions included:

  • Are the junior year topics adequately covered given the capstone courses in the senior year? If not what do you recommend?
  • Are the resources in the junior year appropriate?
  • Does the sequence of topics support the goals and objectives in the junior year?
  • Does the sequence of topics give adequate coverage and support for a physics major?
  • Does the sequence provide adequate connections for the topics throughout the junior year?
  • Any additional comments about the junior year curriculum?

The evaluator reported that the “majority of the reviewers were in agreement with the proposed curriculum.” However, she also noted that the reviews were divided on the set of topics and flow of those topics and recommended the faculty review these issues and make adjustments in the order and content as they gained experience with the new curriculum.

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