The purpose of this seminar is to:

1. provide feedback to high school teachers regarding the performance of their students in first year physics programs.
2. provide feedback to university professors regarding the knowledge base of students entering their first year programs, and
3. critically analyze the high school and first year university programs based on information provided in (1) and (2) above.
   

An Important Issue

This letter was recently received by the OAPT.

At a recent panel discussion at our annual PD Day, professors mentioned that thier university now offers a first year catch-up course for students who never took physics in high school. The 12U physics course is widely regarded by teachers, guidance counselors, and students as the most difficult course in science ( and perhaps the most difficult of all high school courses). The high school seniors are not stupid; they will play the numbers game. With mark inflation some B. Sc. programs have minimum admission requirements as high as 85%. If given the option high school students will avoid taking a course that could potentially bring down their average. They will be rewarded in the short term by an elevated average, but one that does not include physics. The long term effect is those students will be disadvantaged once they begin their undergraduate studies. It was mentioned during the panel discussion that some students were now arriving at university lacking even the grade 11 introductory physics course, and that more students than ever before were now requiring remediation in physics. ( Unfortunately I do not have access to statistics to back this up.)

I implore the executive of the OAPT to explore this issue and see if it is a justifiable concern. High schools must but left to do their job and not supplanted by "remedial" courses offered by universities. I believe the policy of offering these catch-up courses was well intentioned but unfortunately may have also been motivated by competition for first year student enrollment. Ultimately it does a disservice to the students. The prolonged exposure to physics over two years of high school and in first year university cannot be replaced by one course. When physics is being dropped as an admission requirement for university degrees that clearly require a background in physics, something is amiss. A potential solution is to offer a tailored course for students who are unable to achieve a passing grade in their first year physics course, but to still make physics an admissions requirement. There might also be a need for a course for out of province students to make up for differences in
provincial course content.