COURSE FACT SHEET FOR PHYSICS DEPARTMENT PROGRAM REVIEW

1. Title, Course, Number, and Credit Hours. (Explain credit load of course if it is in some way unusual.)
College Physics I, Physics 203, 4 credits

2. What is the catalog course description for the course?
For majors in Biology, the health sciences and the liberal arts. Principles of mechanics, thermodynamics, waves, acoustics and fluids. Three lectures and one laboratory period per week. Prerequisite: Math 151

3. What are the prerequisites or other background required of students for this course? Are these requirements adequate?
Math 151. Trigonometry is also used in the course but Math 152 is only recommended, not required.

4. How does this course fit into the departmental program?
This course serves two purposes. It is a service course for the Biology and Chemistry Departments and it can be selected by well motivated non-science majors as a course which can be used to meet the general education requirements. A course such as this is a requirement for admission to professional schools of medicine, dentistry, physical therapy etc.

5. At what type of student is this course aimed? What gaps or needs in the curriculum is this course intended to fill?
This course is aimed at students in Biology, Physical Therapy, Chemistry majors and other well motivated students. The algebra-trigonometry based physics course is a requirement for pre-professional students.

6. How is this course important to a particular field of study?
Physics is a foundation science for Chemistry, Biology, and the Health Sciences. Problem-solving skills are developed in this course.

7. How is this course different from any other courses in the catalog or why must the material covered in the course be treated separately instead of being incorporated into another course?
This course emphasizes general principles in physics and develops problem solving skills at the level of college algebra and trigonometry. No other physics course is taught at this level.

8. If this course is similar to another course in the catalog, explain why both courses should exist or suggest whether something should be dropped or changed.
This course covers the same general principles of physics as the Physics 251 course. However the emphasis in problems and mathematical level of the courses differ.

9. When, how and by whom is this course taught?
This course is taught in the fall semester every academic year with three lectures and one laboratory period each week. Dr. Burns is the present instructor for the course.

10. Are the current holdings of the Learning Center adequate to support this course or are additional materials needed?
Word processing facilities, computer based tutorial packages, journals (Physics Today, Scientific American etc.), and reference text books that are available in the Learning Center are adequate.