Instructor Qualifications for CI 1563

The qualifications listed below reflect the minimum qualifications a high school instructor must meet before applying to teach the UMN course CI 1563: Physics by Inquiry.

Licensure

CIS instructors must have a valid Minnesota teaching license or an approved alternative.

Experience and proficiencies

Three years of experience teaching physics or physical science.

Demonstration of advanced, relevant content knowledge (select one)

1. Graduate degree in the field(s) of physics, chemistry or engineering
2. Graduate degree in any field plus 18 graduate credit hours in field(s) of physics, chemistry, engineering or science education
3. Graduate degree in any field plus six equivalent experience options from A through N, below
4. Bachelor’s degree in physics, physical science or a related field (such as engineering) plus significant coursework in science education and eight equivalent experience options from A through N, below

Description of Equivalent Experience Options (only required if #3 or #4 is selected above)

A: Graduate credits in physics or related fields

Related fields include mathematics, chemistry, engineering or science education. These need not have been taken as part of a graduate degree program.

• Three semester-length credits are considered one experience
• Can be applied up to eight times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, include a list of relevant graduate coursework. For each course include the title, where taken, and number of credits earned. Faculty will evaluate the courses you list for relevancy to the topics taught in the UMN course or to advanced topics in the same field. If the applicability isn’t obvious from the course title, please describe the relevance.

B: Professional development workshops in the field

Examples of physics-related workshops may include those offered by Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Bakken Library summer study, Research Experience for Teachers (RET), “Modeling Physics” training workshops, AAPT meetings, UMN teaching assistant orientation or other relevant workshops, trainings, conferences or seminars.

• 45 hours of professional development workshops is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, include a list of each professional development workshop, the sponsoring group or organization, and total hours. Refer to Faculty Guiding Questions #1: Discipline-specific professional development.

C: National Board Certification

Must be received for Science at the Adolescent and Young Adulthood level.

• Include a copy of your certification letter or certificate with your application
• Certification fulfills two options

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your certification using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #11: National Board Certification.

D: Fellowships or awards

This includes recognition of high school or undergraduate teaching in physics from a school, district, state, regional, national or international organization.

• Each fellowship or award is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to two times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your awards using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #8: Receiving an award or other recognition.

E: Successful and effective teaching experience in a course leading to undergraduate credit

These should be physics courses, and may include dual credit, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or teaching undergraduates on a college or university campus.

• Five years of teaching is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your teaching experience using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #3: Teaching of a course leading to undergraduate credit for students.

F: Participation in a professional physics or engineering organization

Example organizations include QuarkNET, Project Lead the Way, AAPT, and PhysTEC

• Each year is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to two times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your leadership experience using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #4: Discipline-specific leadership role.

G: Discipline-specific leadership role in a secondary or postsecondary institution

Such as department chair or in professional organization such as AAPT, MnSTA or Go4St8.

• Three years is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to two times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your leadership experience using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #4: Discipline-specific leadership role.

H: Presentations at relevant conferences

These may include local, state, regional or national workshops or conferences such as AAPT, MAAPT, MnSTA.

• Three presentations on distinct topics is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to two times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, list and describe presentations using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #5: Presentations.

I: Participation in a grant funded project

Specifically with the goal of improving education in physics

• Each grant is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to two times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your certification using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #6: Discipline-specific community of practice.

J: Published textbook, journal article or essay

May include similar scholarly or creative work in the field of physics or physics education.

• Each publication of unique content is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, provide a copy of the cover of the publication, and of the page that lists your authorship. Describe the significance, particularly as it applies to the topics covered in the UMN course or to advanced topics in the same field.

K: Participation in nationally normed assessment activity related to physics

Such as Advanced Placement test grading, writing items for AP or IB tests or serving as a National Board Certification assessor in science.

• Each year of service is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to three times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe your leadership experience using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #10: Participation in a nationally normed assessment activity related to the field.

L: Score above the 50th percentile on relevant sections of the GRE

Other relevant subject matter tests related to physics may be considered.

• Each test is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to two times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, describe the significance of the test and indicate the date taken and where taken. Provide documentation, such as a certificate or a letter with your score.

M: Field test or review curriculum

This may include working with a publisher or serving on a textbook review and selection committee for physics courses at a postsecondary or secondary institution.

• Each distinct project is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to two times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, list and describe roles and responsibility using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #12: Field test, review or edit curriculum for publisher and/or #13: Serve on textbook selection committee for secondary or postsecondary institution.

N: Content or pedagogy trainer or coach; student teacher supervisor

• Each service as trainer or coach and each student teacher supervised is considered one experience
• Can be applied up to four times

If including this option in your Description of Professional Experience, list and describe roles and responsibility using tips from Faculty Guiding Questions, #9: Experience requiring regular use of skills or content knowledge related to the field and/or to #7: Student teacher supervisor.