${\rm P}^3$: A Practice Focused Learning Environment

TL;DR

The ${ m P}^3$ course at MSU is a practice-focused physics curriculum integrating computation, problem-based learning, and community of practice principles, leading to positive student outcomes in attitudes and conceptual understanding.

Contribution

This paper introduces an innovative physics course design that emphasizes practices, computation, and community engagement, with evidence of improved student attitudes and understanding.

Findings

Positive student attitudes towards physics increased

Enhanced conceptual understanding demonstrated through inventories

Students reflected positively on their learning experiences

Abstract

There has been an increased focus on the integration of practices into physics curricula, with a particular emphasis on integrating computation into the undergraduate curriculum of scientists and engineers. In this paper, we present a university-level, introductory physics course for science and engineering majors at Michigan State University (MSU) called ${\rm P}^3$ (Projects and Practices in Physics) that is centered around providing introductory physics students with the opportunity to appropriate various science and engineering practices. The ${\rm P}^3$ design integrates computation with analytical problem solving and is built upon a curriculum foundation of problem-based learning, the principles of constructive alignment and the theoretical framework of community of practice. The design includes an innovative approach to computational physics instruction, instructional scaffolds, and a unique approach to assessment that enables instructors to guide students in the development of the practices of a physicist. We present the very positive student related outcomes of the design gathered via attitudinal and conceptual inventories and research interviews of students' reflecting on their experiences in the ${\rm P}^3$ classroom.