Course Info » Learning Goals

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This page contains our "higher level" learning goals. (For content-level goals, please see our exam information page!)

 

COURSE LEARNING GOALS FOR PHYSICS 1110

Learning objectives of what we would like students to achieve after taking introductory physics

 

I. Students should develop a good functional understanding of physics.
They should be able to:

A. describe and explain physics concepts including knowing where and when they apply
B. apply physics concepts when solving problems and examining physical phenomena
C. apply concepts in new contexts (transfer)
D. translate between multiple-representations of the same concept (for example: between words, equations, graphs, and diagrams)
E. combine concepts when analyzing a situation.
F. evaluating explanations of physical phenomena

II. Students should begin developing expert-like problem solving skills
They should be able to:

A. satisfactorily solve standard textbook problems
B. solve more challenging problems, including tutorial questions, and CAPA questions involving :

1. multi-step problems
2. multi-concept problems
3. problems requiring qualitative reasoning

III. Students should improve their communication, interpersonal, and questioning skills
They should be able to:

A. express understanding in written and oral forms by explaining their reasoning to peers
B. demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of physics in written assignments
C. present a well-reasoned argument supported by observations and physical evidence
D. evaluate oral arguments, both their own and those espoused by others
E. function well in a group

IV. Students should retain and/or develop student cognitive attitudes and beliefs (expectations) that are favorable for learning physics with deep understanding.
They should:

A. believe that understanding physics means understanding the underlying concepts and principles instead of focusing on knowing and using equations
B. see physics as a coherent framework of ideas that can be used to understand many different physical situations
C. see what they are learning in the classroom as useful and strongly connected to the real world
D. be cognizant of the scientific process/approach and how to apply it
E. indicate a willingness to continue learning about physics and its applications
F. see themselves as part of a classroom community of learners

Here is a link from the ASEE (American Society for Engineering Education) with a list of alumni/employers' desired goals for what students should get from their undergrad education. It's quite interesting!