AAPT Recommendations for Computational Physics in Undergraduate Physics Curricula

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) established the Undergraduate Curriculum Task Force (UCTF) in 2013 to develop recommendations for coherent and relevant curricula for different types of physics majors. Relevant curricula facilitate the development of skills that are useful for physics majors in their post-baccalaureate careers. Computational physics skills are a prime example of skills that are ubiquitous in the practice of physics and valuable in a variety of careers. Curricula that are authentic to the discipline include opportunities to develop and practice computational physics skills in the context of constructing and testing models of physical phenomena. The AAPT UCTF developed a set of recommendations for including computational physics skills and practices in the undergraduate physics curriculum, approved in October 2016, and these recommendations will be described here.