PhysTEC: Focusing on Learning Assistants (and some others)

The PhysTEC program (http://www.phystec.org/) supports some projects that target one aspect of the PhysTEC model for encouraging more students to consider teaching physics in high school. NC State's PhysTEC program (http://phystec.wordpress.ncsu.edu/) enlists physics and engineering undergraduates to serve as Learning Assistants in the recitation sections for freshman mechanics, in the SCALE-UP classroom and in the Physics Tutorial Center. Beginning LA's also participate in a weekly seminar Introduction to Teaching Physics. The seminar is co-taught with a STEM Education faculty member and mixes activities that cover high school and college teaching. Each fall semester the new Physics graduate Teaching Assistants take the course, as well, so the classroom becomes a multinational mixture of undergrads and grads with varying educational backgrounds. We are pleased that each semester we have more LA applicants than we can employ and that several LA's have chosen to enroll in education courses. The LA activities have increased collaboration among all of these people responsible for our service courses.