Recently, a national effort has focused on improving introductory physics for the life sciences (IPLS), both to optimize the content and skills taught and to support growth of interest and appreciation of the value of physics for the life sciences. We previously found that after such a course at one institution, student self-reported interest in physics and perception of relevance of physics for the life sciences increased. To understand better which elements of the student experience in these courses contribute to these gains, we surveyed students pre and post to measure their interest, self-efficacy, and assessment of physics relevance to the life sciences— taken together, “physics affinity.” In this talk we report the findings of this study at three dissimilar institutions (one small private and two large public institutions with different approaches in their physics courses for life science students). Additionally, we also report the results of a pilot minimal intervention at one institution designed to support students’ interest in physics and appreciation of relevance, while requiring minimal effort from the instructor.  

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 implemented survey check-ins with students every few weeks throughout the two-semester course. Data collected from this effort were unpacked via a series of case study interviews, and were triangulated with data collected using a “physics affinity” survey, an instrument that combines measures of student interest, self-efficacy, and sense of the relevance of physics to the life sciences. We report on our coordinated analyses of these data streams, highlighting the features of the course ecosystem that students found to be most essential for their growth.

A new approach to the IPLS course is presented. Instead of kinematics, we start with diffusion because students already appreciate its central role from high school biology. Students start by playing the “Marble Game” with a ten-sided dice determining jumps of ten marbles between two boxes. Implementing it in Excel, they discover Fick’s law of diffusion. Finite difference methods are then developed to predict and understand the Marble Game’s ensemble-average behavior. Students then apply similar techniques to drug elimination, radioactive decay, osmosis, ligand binding, enzyme kinetics, the Boltzmann factor, entropy, phase equilibrium, random walks, membrane voltage, and the action potential to discover the consequences of model assumptions. Students validate their models by comparison with data from foundational experiments. Students thus discover for themselves that science is an evidence-based endeavor with testable hypotheses that are supported by experiment using authentic life-science applications of Physics.

Physics stands as a critical, and at times vexing, bridge to graduation for nearly all science majors. Universities see a significant number of life science students enroll in physics at some point during their academic journey. Many universities support multiple classes to cater to differences in background and the desired level of proficiency upon completion. Still, in the vast majority of these classes, students encounter a syllabus that largely parallels the one designed for their counterparts in physics and engineering, progressing through units that highlight core concepts like kinematics, forces, energy, and momentum. While cross-disciplinary examples can enhance content delivery and messaging, continuing changes in extra-departmental perceptions of physics are hinted at by decreasing medical school and life science major requirements. In some situations, life science students might benefit from the subject matter, learning objectives, and schedules of a significantly repackaged course that better aligns with differing educational trajectories. This presentation explores the multifaceted considerations behind this approach, drawing on nine years of experience in offering a significantly repackaged class that grew from 15 enrolled students in 2015 to nearly 100 in 2024. Insights from both departmental and pedagogical perspectives will be shared, including details on class structure, demographics, teaching styles, survey results, and assessments.