A study of current models for science education, a synthesis of the literature in interactive learning techniques, and my experience in teaching and course management has developed my research with NSF support along three interrelated lines:

1) Formal Modeling and Measurement of Traditional Education Processes. Study of current models for science education reveals a lack of scientific method. Our research allows us to optimize student, instructor and institutional resources and maximize student learning. We will identify cognitive steps that materials should contain or learners should carry out and develop instruments to measure which of those steps are provided and traversed. This understanding will allow department wide goal setting. Preliminary results offer explanation of difficulty in transporting curricular developments. Methodology developed for this research is general enough to be used at any level of education.

2) Curriculum Development. Our goal is to develop materials and class strategies that are effective for any size institution. Course materials have been requested by institutions in the United States, Korea, and Sweden. Evaluative testing for student understanding and a test bank for E&M are also under development. As part of the course and curriculum development grant, we are working on preparing graduate students to join the professoriate and have developed a departmental TA training program.

3) Building the Tools and Putting It All on the Web. We need standard models and measures of efficiency and quality to identify missing, inefficient, and truly innovative pieces of material. Such a system of modeling and published standard models will allow iterative improvement of experimental materials before they are shown to the student. As an education researcher I create materials, but as an educator I am bothered by the need to use my students to initially test those materials. Building these models and developing and maintaining all the models, instruments, and measurements in searchable/downloadable form on the WWW for use by the entire physics community is the current emphasis of our research.