Student pathways through the physics major

ORAL

Abstract

As students go through their undergraduate careers, they take courses, interact with other students, and sometimes change their majors. Understanding what factors may act as precursors to major change can help advising faculty understand their students. This work uses data from the Michigan State registrar to examine factors when students in physics change their major. Our data includes time stamped courses taken, grades, and student demographics. This data set has been used previously to describe the pathways students take into and out of the physics major.

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Authors

  • John Aiken

    University of Oslo, Centre for Computing in Science Education, Department of Physics

  • Paul Irving

    National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA, Univ of Michigan - Ann Arbor, 15611860790, Michigan State University, Western Michigan University, Kent State University, University of St Andrews, University of Baghdad, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Ohio, USA, Bowling Green State Univ, Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate, Saginaw Valley State University Physics Department