NEXUS/Physics
Developed by: Joe Redish, Ben Dreyfus, Ben Geller, Julia Svoboda Gouvea, Wolfgang Losert, Kimberly Moore, Vashti Sawtelle, Chandra Turpen, and the NEXUS team
Level
middle schoolhigh schoolintro collegeinter-mediateupper levelgrad school other
calc based
alg based
conceptual
middle schoolhigh schoolintro collegeinter-mediateupper levelgrad school other
calc based
alg based
conceptual
Topics
Setting
Overview
What? An Introductory Physics for Life Sciences (IPLS) class designed to develop general scientific competencies such as mathematical modeling and mechanistic reasoning, fit effectively into a standard curriculum for biologists and pre-health care students, and be biologically authentic.
Why? Helps life sciences students make meaningful connections between physics and their disciplines and have a positive experience of physics. Helps your department make courses relevant. Based on extensive research into connections among different disciplinary approaches to concepts in physics. Free.
Why not? Very different from standard algebra-based physics curriculum and may feel unfamiliar to instructors. Requires instructors to learn about biology, which may require time and discomfort.
Topic outline
- Interlude 0 - The NEXUS/Physics idea
- Interlude 1 - The Main Question: How do things move?
- Interlude 2 - Dynamics: Causes of motion
- Interlude 3 - Macro models of matter
- Interlude 4 - Energy: The Quantity of Motion and its Distribution
- Interlude 5 - The Micro to Macro Connection
- Interlude 6 - Electricity, Magnetism, and Electromagnetism
- Interlude 7 - Oscillations and waves
Instructor effort required
- Medium
Resources required
- Tables for group work
Resources
Developer's website: NEXUS/Physics
Teaching Materials
NEXUS/Physics includes a textbook and a collection of problems. You can access both the textbook and the problems as a free wiki from the NEXUS/Physics ComPADRE site. You can download both as pdfs, along with problem solution, from the Living Physics Portal. Your students can buy the textbook from TopHat, or use the problems on Expert TA.
Research
RESEARCH VALIDATION
Gold Star ValidationThis is the highest level of research validation, corresponding to:
- both of the "based on" categories
- at least 4 of the "demonstrated to improve" categories
- at least 5 of the "studied using" categories
Research Validation Summary
Based on Research Into:
- theories of how students learn
- student ideas about specific topics
Demonstrated to Improve:
- conceptual understanding
- problem-solving skills
- lab skills
- beliefs and attitudes
- attendance
- retention of students
- success of underrepresented groups
- performance in subsequent classes
Studied using:
- cycle of research and redevelopment
- student interviews
- classroom observations
- analysis of written work
- research at multiple institutions
- research by multiple groups
- peer-reviewed publication
References
- B. Dreyfus, B. Geller, J. Gouvea, V. Sawtelle, C. Turpen, and E. Redish, Negative Energy: Why Interdisciplinary Physics Requires Multiple Ontologies, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, 2013.
- B. Dreyfus, B. Geller, J. Gouvea, V. Sawtelle, C. Turpen, and E. Redish, Ontological metaphors for negative energy in an interdisciplinary context, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 10 (2), 020108 (2014).
- B. Dreyfus, B. Geller, D. Meltzer, and V. Sawtelle, Resource Letter TTSM-1: Teaching Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics in Introductory Physics, Chemistry, and Biology, Am. J. Phys. 83 (1), 5 (2014).
- B. Dreyfus, B. Geller, V. Sawtelle, J. Svoboda, C. Turpen, and E. Redish, Students' interdisciplinary reasoning about "high-energy bonds" and ATP, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012.
- B. Dreyfus, J. Gouvea, B. Geller, V. Sawtelle, C. Turpen, and E. Redish, Chemical energy in an introductory physics course for the life sciences, Am. J. Phys. 82 (5), 403 (2014).
- B. Dreyfus, A. Gupta, and E. Redish, Applying Conceptual Blending to Model Coordinated Use of Multiple Ontological Metaphors, Int. J. Sci. Educ. 37 (5-6), 812 (2015).
- B. Dreyfus, E. Redish, and J. Watkins, Student views of macroscopic and microscopic energy in physics and biology, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2011, Omaha, Nebraska, 2011.
- M. Eichenlaub and E. Redish, Blending Physical Knowledge with Mathematical Form in Physics Problem Solving, in Mathematics in Physics Education (2019), p. 127.
- B. Geller, B. Dreyfus, J. Gouvea, V. Sawtelle, C. Turpen, and E. Redish, "Like Dissolves Like": Unpacking Student Reasoning About Thermodynamic Heuristics, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2013, Portland, OR, 2013.
- B. Geller, B. Dreyfus, J. Gouvea, V. Sawtelle, C. Turpen, and E. Redish, Entropy and spontaneity in an introductory physics course for life science students, Am. J. Phys. 82 (5), 394 (2014).
- B. Geller, B. Dreyfus, V. Sawtelle, J. Svoboda, C. Turpen, and E. Redish, Students' reasoning about interdisciplinarity, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012.
- B. Geller, J. Gouvea, B. Dreyfus, V. Sawtelle, and E. Redish, Bridging the gaps: How students seek disciplinary coherence in introductory physics for life science, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15 (2), 020142 (2019).
- B. Geller, J. Gouvea, V. Sawtelle, and C. Turpen, Sources of affect in interdisciplinary sense making, presented at the International Conference of the Learning Sciences , Boulder, CO, 2014.
- J. Gouvea, V. Sawtelle, B. Geller, and C. Turpen, A Framework for Analyzing Interdisciplinary Tasks: Implications for Student Learning and Curricular Design, CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12 (2), 187 (2017).
- J. Gouvea, V. Sawtelle, and A. Nair, Epistemological progress in physics and its impact on biology, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 15 (1), 010107 (2019).
- D. Meredith and E. Redish, Reinventing physics for life-sciences majors, Phys. Today 66 (7), 38 (2013).
- K. Moore, J. Giannini, and W. Losert, Toward better physics labs for future biologists, Am. J. Phys. 82 (5), 387 (2014).
- E. Redish, The role of context and culture in teaching physics: The implication of disciplinary differences, presented at the World Conference on Physics Education 2012, Istanbul, Turkey, 2012.
- E. Redish, Analysing the Competency of Mathematical Modelling in Physics, presented at the Conference of International Research Group on Physics Teaching (GIREP), Wroclaw, Poland, 2016.
- E. Redish, Using Math in Physics: 1. Dimensional Analysis, Phys. Teach. 59 (6), 397 (2021).
- E. Redish, Using Math in Physics: 3. Anchor equations, Phys. Teach. 59 (8), 599 (2021).
- E. Redish, Using Math in Physics: 4. Toy models, Phys. Teach. 59 (9), 683 (2021).
- E. Redish, Using Math in Physics: Overview, Phys. Teach. 59 (5), 314 (2021).
- E. Redish, Using Math in Physics: 2. Estimation, Phys. Teach. 59 (7), 525 (2021).
- E. Redish, Using Math in Physics: 5. Functional dependence, Phys. Teach. 60 (1), 18 (2022).
- E. Redish, C. Bauer, K. Carleton, T. Cooke, M. Cooper, C. Crouch, B. Dreyfus, B. Geller, J. Giannini, J. Gouvea, M. Klymkowsky, W. Losert, K. Moore, J. Presson, V. Sawtelle, K. Thompson, C. Turpen, and R. Zia, NEXUS/Physics: An interdisciplinary repurposing of physics for biologists, Am. J. Phys. 82 (5), 368 (2014).
- E. Redish and T. Cooke, Learning Each Other's Ropes: Negotiating Interdisciplinary Authenticity, CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12 (2), 175 (2013).
- E. Redish and D. Hammer, Reinventing college physics for biologists: Explicating an epistemological curriculum, Am. J. Phys. 77 (7), 629 (2009).
- E. Redish and E. Kuo, Language of Physics, Language of Math: Disciplinary Culture and Dynamic Epistemology, Sci. & Educ. 24 (5-6), 561 (2015).
- V. Sawtelle, T. Sikorski, C. Turpen, and E. Redish, Examining the Positioning of Ideas in the Disciplines, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2012, Philadelphia, PA, 2012.
- V. Sawtelle and C. Turpen, Leveraging a relationship with biology to expand a relationship with physics, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 12 (1), 010136 (2016).
- K. Thompson, J. Chmielewski, M. Gaines, C. Hrycyna, and W. LaCourse, Competency-Based Reforms of the Undergraduate Biology Curriculum: Integrating the Physical and Biological Sciences, CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12 (2), 162 (2013).
- J. Watkins, J. Coffey, E. Redish, and T. Cooke, Disciplinary authenticity: Enriching the reforms of introductory physics courses for life-science students, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 8 (1), 010112 (2012).
- J. Watkins and A. Elby, Context Dependence of Students’ Views about the Role of Equations in Understanding Biology, CBE Life. Sci. Educ. 12 (2), 274 (2013).
- J. Watkins, K. Hall, E. Redish, and T. Cooke, Understanding How Students Use Physical Ideas in Introductory Biology Courses, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2010, Portland, Oregon, 2010.
