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AAPT White Paper#3:increase access to good material



In the next 3 days, I'll post excerpts from 3 AAPT White Papers
that the Executive Committee prepared last summer. (Download in pdf at
<http://www.aapt.org> Click on "planning for the future".) The Committee
wants to set a direction for the next 5 to 10 years, so it's important that
we consider these ideas now, rather than postpone thinking about them.
The Executive Committee distilled the recommendations in their 6
White Papers into proposed strategic actions. You can go to the above web
site and read them. The Board welcome your comments. Type in your
suggestions. Tell them what's most important to you! Their deadline is
before January!
Alternatively, e-mail your list of "the most critical strategic
actions AAPT can take" in the next 5 to 10 years to the AAPT President,
Ruth Howes <rhowes@gw.bsu.edu>.
Cheers,
Jane Jackson


WHITE PAPER #3: to increase access to good material
by Alex Dickison, Seminole Community College (with input by Warren Hein
and Sina Knisely, AAPT staff) <dickisoa@mail.seminole.cc.fl.us>

Recommended Activities
1. AAPT should strongly consider a NSF proposal to fund the Digital Library
for Astronomy and Physics Education. This would be a joint project between
AAS, AIP, APS, and AAPT. NSF has money budgeted for this. Working with
these other organizations on a joint project is a plus. There has already
been developed a good digital library for Earth Science. It could be the
model. An advisory committee should be formed to explore this venture.

2. AAPT should consider increasing its emphasis on products for physics
education. To do this would take additional resources and a change in AAPT
structure. The products we would look for are not necessarily textbooks or
research oriented products. The best sellers would probably be workbooks of
classroom aides. People like hands-on kind of books that help them in their
classrooms.
To accomplish this would require more staff in the AAPT Executive
Office. Present staff probably has more to do than they should at the
present time. Additional staff would have time to explore underdeveloped
markets. This means AAPT would have to make a financial commitment to take
this direction. Probably the committee (next suggestion) should be formed
first and their advice could determine the necessary direction and how fast
we should move.
The goal of providing the products is not to make money, but to
provide a service to physics teachers. If AAPT breaks even or loses $20,000
a year on this venture it would be considered a success. The organizational
structure of AAPT would also need changing. Presently the publications
committee has to deal with AJP, TPT, Announcer, Resource letters, and
exams. This is a full plate. Presently there is little time left for "other
products." The suggestion is to form a second publications committee
concerned only with other products. It would be made up of well-known
authors, representatives from publishers, Executive Board members,
Executive Officer, and Publications Director. This group of people needs to
understand publishing and marketing. They need to have contacts for
reviews. The pubs director would serve a role somewhat like our journal
editors. Once a product gets committee approval the pubs director is
responsible for editing, publishing, and marketing.

3. PSRC has developed into an important AAPT project. It presently provides
a great deal of information to physics teachers. The potential it has is
even more exciting. The funding of PSRC is from the APS fundraising. This
will run out in a few years. Funding (hopefully stable) needs to be found.
Increased funding is needed for PSRC to expand. PSRC can be directly tied
into the digital library for physics education mentioned earlier.

4. An advisory committee should be established to explore the possibilities
of establishing a National Center for Physics Education. David Hestenes has
a vision which has the support of many members. The National Center could
fill the needed role of organizing conferences and workshops in physics
education. The advisory committee could make recommendations on
relationship of a National Center to projects already underway: PSRC, Task
Force for Undergraduate Physics Education, PTRA, etc. They would also
explore the financial viability.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jane Jackson, Co-Director, Modeling Instruction Program
Box 871504, Dept.of Physics & Astronomy,ASU,Tempe,AZ 85287
480-965-8438/fax:965-7331 <http://modeling.la.asu.edu>