Views from students and professors in a nonmajor introductory physics course: What is interdisciplinarity?

Abstract

We present an investigation into the interdisciplinary role of physics in a physics-for-nonphysicists course at Pomona College. This work is guided by prior research into introductory physics for life science (IPLS) courses, but attends to significant differences in the scope and context of this course. We interviewed enrolled students, physics professors, and professors from nonphysics disciplines to explore the function of this course and the role of physics in the education of nonphysics science students. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed, then analyzed to identify emergent themes. These themes outline the authentic physics, including content knowledge and other, broader learning objectives, that play an important and distinct role in the science education of enrolled students. Stakeholders generally align in their emphasis of interdisciplinary relevance with some divergence in the specific articulation of that idea. The differences can be understood through the stakeholders' distinct areas of expertise, with nonphysics professors expressing value through relevance to their discipline and physics professors focusing on essential aspects of physics.

On the periphery of university physics: trainee physics teachers’ experiences of learning undergraduate physics

“…Student experiences of relevance in physics have been connected to better learning outcomes, higher motivation, and enjoyment of physics (Afjar et al 2020, Bennett et al 2016, Descamps et al 2020, Gaffney 2013, Geller et al 2018, Nair and Sawtelle 2019, Plomer et al 2010. Thus, the lack of perceived relevance reported by the trainees in our study, risks significantly affecting their physics learning.…”

“…One key finding in this work is the significance of perceived relevance. Students who experience relevance in their physics courses have been found to have better learning outcomes and motivation (Afjar et al 2020, Bennett et al 2016, Descamps et al 2020, Gaffney 2013, Geller et al 2018, Nair and Sawtelle 2019, Plomer et al 2010. For example Plomer et al (2010), showed that adapting physics laboratory work specifically to the needs of medical students resulted in higher test scores, both in the adapted content and on 'pure physics questions'.…”

Curriculum Development Based on an Interdisciplinary Context-Based Learning Approach in the Context of Electricity and Magnetism

“…Studies conducted in Turkey focused on energy (Demir, 2008;Güneş & Akdağ, 2015), "living organisms and life", "energy", "matter and change" (Bozkurt, 2012), energy resources (Yolcu, 2013), heat and temperature (Tekerek & Cebesoy, 2017). Other studies in international context focused on light (Cervetti et al, 2012), energy (Lancor, 2015;Park & Liu, 2016), chaos theory (Bae, 2009), the correlation between physics and philosophy (Oleg, 2005), electromagnetic waves (Woźniak et al, 2020), and mechanics (Descamps et al, 2020). In this matter, there is a further need to do interdisciplinary studies involving various topics in physics.…”

“…", and "What will happen if it becomes like this?" in the context of science, society, and the environment during the learning process (Descamps et al, 2020). One of the learning approaches addressing all these needs is the context-based learning approach.…”