There are challenges in making physics courses more interactive and inclusive, especially in diverse environments. After two years of teaching introductory courses at Georgia State University using research-based pedagogies, I have experienced successes and challenges. I have utilized is flip teaching, along with strategies such as communicating physics, universal design, and Social-Belonging Intervention [1]. In fact, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) lab committee published a recommendation in 2014 that emphasized six focus areas, with communicating physics being one of them [2]. Communication involves generating and presenting results and thoughts using various representations. I emphasize communication skills through class and group discussions, by utilizing Think/Pair/Share [3],and interactive lecture demonstrations [4]. These skills are important for students' future careers and also aid in better understanding of physics concepts.

Furthermore, I have implemented Just-In-Time Teaching (JiTT) [5], which has had a significant impact on in-class activities. I have also incorporated different features of universal design to create a more inclusive classroom environment, facilitating class discussions to foster a supportive atmosphere that encourages students to listen to each other's ideas without judgment. I have evaluated the effectiveness of these methods through various assessment tests, student evaluations and feedbacks.

Uneven student proficiency in mathematics has long been seen as an obstacle to teaching Physics to All. Tracking students with poor mathematical backgrounds away from physics, or to lower-level physics, exacerbates inequitable access to quality education and, eventually, to colleges and careers.

Pandemic shutdowns only worsened the problem as differences in mathematical proficiency between students from affluent, better-educated families and those without that support widened.

The answer is not to lower the level of physics being taught, or to fall back on tracking. The answer is to double down on techniques that have proven effective in creating a welcoming, rigorous environment that works for all students.

These proven techniques address the needs of students with weak prior backgrounds even while students with strong backgrounds advance at a faster pace than they would have in an “advanced track” class.

They include the use of formative assessment with anonymous polling; promoting social constructivist interaction through group seating; after-school clubs with peer tutoring; mastery grading via retests, and AP-level testing and scoring.

Participants should bring a laptop so they can review the free, editable materials posted at njctl.org that support these approaches and discuss them in small groups.

Making a course equitable, accessible, and student-ready includes convincing the students that the course is accessible to them. This can be challenging in college courses where students already perceive themselves as not skilled in a particular area (such as physics) based on their high school experiences. Dweck referred to this as a fixed mindset – a general belief that intelligence is pre-determined. A growth mindset – the general belief that intelligence can be developed – has been linked to greater motivation, enjoyment of learning, and achievement. In this talk, I will present activities that I use to encourage a growth mindset in an introductory science class on electronics at Babson College. I will include some samples of student work and feedback gathered from course evaluations.