Framework for understanding the outcomes of introductory physics for life sciences (IPLS) course ecosystems

Prior longitudinal work in our group has shown that our Introductory Physics for Life Sciences (IPLS) course supports students in the development of (i) the ability to successfully use physical models in novel biological contexts, and (ii) positive attitudes toward the relevance of physics to the life sciences. To better understand how our course ecosystem (including the messaging, pedagogy, and curricular choices that collectively constitute the course environment) supports such long-term gains, we gave students brief surveys about key features of the course for supporting their confidence and interest, roughly one-third and two-thirds of the way through each semester of the two-semester course. Student responses to these "experience check-ins" were further explored in a series of case study interviews with ~10 students chosen to represent the breadth of the class via purposeful sampling. From these surveys and interviews, as well as our experience as instructors of the course, we developed an emergent framework to serve as a first step toward understanding how IPLS courses achieve their outcomes, which can serve as both a foundation for future research and guidance for future implementations. We present this framework with its supporting evidence.