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WARP

Faculty create structure and continuity

WARP — Four Year Mentoring

Note: This is the single most important difference we observed between successful and typical schools.
All of the schools we visited had small (an average of six faculty), student-oriented departments. In our interviews with faculty, we were told again and again that they had an open-door policy and that students felt free to come to talk to them about homework, career plans, and personal matters.

As a freshman coming in and not having a lot of experience with the department, I wish they would do something to make the individual professors seem more approachable (Female student)

Student interviews confirmed this view of their teachers, with one important exception, which is mentioned above. Students in the introductory class did not feel the same welcome from their teachers, and usually did not feel free to approach faculty.
There are probably a number of reasons for this. Introductory classes are often larger and more formal than advanced classes, which may make teachers seem more distant, particularly to first-year students. Potential majors in the introductory class may be intimidated by older students who are taking the course to satisfy a requirement.
For these reasons, the informality that happens naturally in more advanced, majors-only classes does not happen in the introductory class. Faculty must be proactive and reach out to potential majors in the introductory class.

[Male professor] does that more so than anybody else. The way he does it is that he passes out index cards in the first class and asks them to indicate their interests. Then once he has identified those who say they have an interest in physics, then I think he makes the extra effort to get them involved in SPS, going on field trips and buying into the department and so on. (Male Department Chair)

Faculty in successful departments accomplished this in different ways. The professor described above identified potential majors and invited them to participate in department activities. Some schools had Physics Club or SPS activities especially designed to include introductory students. One department taught a special section of introductory physics, specifically for majors.

WARP – Spend money on your students

Spending part of the department budget on your students lets them know that department culture is important, and encourages them to contribute also. In addition, resources can make it easier to accomplish things.
- Pay your majors to work as tutors and lab assistants for the introductory course. This has many benefits: It gives majors a physics-related job, a chance to practice explaining physics concepts, and experience setting up and trouble-shooting equipment. It gives introductory students another, less intimidating place to go for help, and a source of valuable advice about courses, the physics major, and so on. Perhaps most important, it allows older and younger students to get to know each other.

We get about 60% participation. We do get a good bit of participation by people who haven't declared, which is good, because they see us coming together. . . . All of the majors are invited. They are encouraged to bring along a friend if they have a girlfriend or boyfriend, they usually do that sort of thing. Any of the alums that happen to be in the area are also invited so we have some of them showing up. There will be an announcement in the introductory physics class. Only those who have an interest in physics will come, so you won’t expect to have the whole class. (Male Department Chair, speaking about the department Christmas party)

Social activities like holiday parties, picnics, and softball games give everyone in the department a chance to interact informally. Students can get to know their faculty and their peers. Be sure potential majors in the introductory course are included.

A Physics Club or SPS Chapter provides more opportunities for informal interactions. Professional activities like trips to nearby labs, seminars, and career-related activities help students think of themselves as future scientists.

A student lounge or study space was found by the SPIN-UP site visit project (Hilborn, et al., 2003) to be one of the most important markers for a healthy student culture. It gives students a space of their own in the department, so that they feel they belong. Students often study there, which facilitates cooperation among students. If tutoring sessions are held there, introductory students can feel it is their space, too. Faculty often drop by to chat, increasing opportunities for informal interactions, career advice, and help with homework. The student lounge should ideally be a comfortable room furnished with comfortable chairs and couches, study tables and computers, a fridge and microwave

WARP – Outreach and recruiting

Outreach and recruiting activities (summer bridge programs, science shows in local schools, giving planetarium tours to Brownie troops) reach out to pre-college students and include them in department culture. Majors have a physics-related job and a chance to share their enthusiasm about physics with others. We noticed that it was often women majors who are more heavily involved in outreach activities.

WARP – Alums are resources

Successful departments maintain contact with alums; their pictures and posters decorate the walls, they are included in departmental activities, invited as seminar speakers, and used to recruit for graduate schools and jobs. In a department without graduate students, alums can give present majors an idea what life with a physics major is like. In two successful departments, the first stop on the department tour was the alumni “wall of photos,” where the department chair told us many stories of alumni and their different career paths. They take pride in their different career paths; one chair told of us a graduate who was now a veterinarian with the same enthusiasm as one who was studying physics at MIT.

WARP – Be sure the culture is inclusive

In a male-dominated field like physics, it is possible for the student culture to be friendly and informal for men, but so male-oriented that women students are uncomfortable. We visited one school whose student culture was distinctly like a fraternity house. The sole woman major (in all four years) rarely came to the department.

It is important for faculty to monitor the student culture to make sure it is inclusive of women and members of minority groups. It should be made clear, for example, that sexist or racist “jokes” are unprofessional and have no place in department culture.

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