Dear Colleagues,
We invite the Physics Education Research (PER) community to join us for the launch of the report into the status and opportunities within our field, entitled “A Vision for Physics Higher Education Research in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland” by Nic Labrosse, Alison Voice, and Helen Heath.
The meeting will be held on Wednesday 21 May 2025, at the University of Leeds, starting at 10:00 (with tea, coffee and biscuits) and finishing at 16:10 in the Sir William Henry Bragg Building. This event will operate as an in-person event to encourage networking. See below for details of location and programme.
We invite anyone connected with, or interested in, the PER community in the UK and ROI to join us to:
– hear first hand the results of our recent research project examining the current landscape for staff engaged in physics education research in universities in the UK and Ireland,
– discuss challenges and opportunities for the physics higher education research community,
– hear about the recommendations made in the report,
– scope out key areas that will benefit from in-depth research and collaboration across groups,
– share ideas on how to further enhance the visibility of staff engaged in physics higher education research.
There are no registration fees and a buffet lunch will be provided.
Please register your interest to participate in this meeting by Monday 12 May by filling out the short registration form at https://forms.office.com/e/3CJTXBFBVU.
We encourage all members of the physics higher education community to attend and take part actively in this meeting, including early-career colleagues and members of under-represented groups.
We have limited funds available for travel bursaries, and you can indicate on the form if you would like to apply. Please do not request a travel bursary if you have alternative funding options so we can allocate to those who have the greatest need.
Programme
| 10:00-10:30 | Arrival Coffee / tea / biscuits |
| 10:30-11:20 | Report main findings, followed by discussion (Nic Labrosse, Glasgow) |
| 11:20-12:20 | Workshop 1: A.I. in teaching science (Ben Hanson, Leeds) |
| 12:20-12:50 | Quick-fire presentations (5′ each + brief discussion) Iain Moore (Strathclyde), Matt Mears (Sheffield), Maire Gorman (Sussex), Drew Rosen (Edinburgh) |
| 12:50-13:40 | Lunch |
| 13:40-14:40 | Workshop 2: Active learning (Helen Heath, Bristol) |
| 14:40-15:00 | Tea / coffee / biscuits |
| 15:00-16:00 | Workshop 3: Grand challenges in PER (Andrea Jimenez Dalmaroni, Cardiff) |
| 16:00-16:10 | Conclusions / Actions |
Venue
The meeting will take place in the Sir William Henry Bragg Building in Room GR25, which is on the ground floor. This building has easy access to all facilities and lift access to all floors. Directions can be found at https://www.leeds.ac.uk/download/8/campus_map (building 53), and modes of transport to reach the campus can be found at https://www.leeds.ac.uk/about/doc/find-us.