Transform and Thrive: Large-Scale Change in Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences

The number of undergraduate degrees in biological sciences awarded each year exceeds the number of degrees awarded in physical sciences and engineering combined, so teaching introductory physics for the life sciences (IPLS) is a substantial part of a physics department’s responsibilities. Before Fall 2012 my department taught a very traditional (and not very effective) IPLS lecture/lab sequence that covered the same topics as our physical science sequence but in less depth. By Fall 2015 we were teaching a new sequence that incorporates physics education research (PER) findings and includes a range of physics topics important to the life sciences, such as diffusion, non-linear stress/strain, and nerve signal propagation. We accomplished this with a team of PER experts, PER users, biologists, chemists, and grad students (plus funding from NSF and AAU). We now teach all ~600 students who enroll in IPLS each semester this way, with much more success. The sequence is fully institutionalized, and faculty members routinely rotate through it. I will describe how we accomplished this transformation, the benefits (and difficulties) it affords, and offer advice to departments contemplating a similar reformation.