Prior physics preparation seems to be the biggest contributor to the gender gap but a lot is still unknown.
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Author: Nick Young
I am a physics and computational mathematics, science, and engineering PhD student at Michigan State University and the founder of PERbites. I'm interested in applying machine learning to analyze educational datasets and am currently studying the physics graduate school admissions process.
How does taking AP physics affect performance on conceptual assessments
AP courses are said to be equivalent to university courses but AP exam scores may not be as useful as we think
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Demographic gaps may just be preparation gaps
Prior studies have found gender and racial performance gaps in physics. However, might those gaps be the result of gaps in preparation?
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What’s so complex about complex algebra?
Today we look at some problems physics students encounter when transitioning between representations of complex numbers.
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Gender and racial biases still a problem in physics post-doctoral hiring
Even when the CVs are otherwise identical, physics faculty preferred applicants from majority groups as opposed to candidates from minority groups.
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Research-backed advice for mentoring researchers
Mentoring an undergraduate researcher for the first time or looking to improve your mentoring ability? See what the literature has to say.
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The chicken and the egg problem of academic productivity
Faculty at more prestigious universities tend to publish more. However, faculty at prestigious universities tend to be trained at prestigious universities. So it is the training or their current position that causes their productivity bump?
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Sexual harassment is a problem in physics
75% of undergraduate women in physics report experiencing some form of sexual harassment.
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Virtual Labs vs Physical Labs: does it matter?
Physics labs can be done with physical equipment or done virtually. It appears each has its own benefits.
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Will I get worse student evaluations if I switch to active learning? Probably not.
Many instructors fear that switching from lecture to active learning will result in worse student evaluations. That doesn’t appear to be the case.
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