Stimulating physics - improving access creating demandInstitute of Physics

Outline

Stimulating Physics is a major national pilot programme to increase the number of people taking physics courses at A-level and degree level. It is funded by HEFCE at the behest of the Secretary of State for Education to address the Government’s concern about the falling numbers of students taking strategically important and vulnerable subjects. We will be working with universities, schools, businesses and school support organisations to reverse this trend.

The Institute has put together a coherent programme of activities in two strands:

  • The Access Strand is concerned with increasing the appeal of physics-based degrees.
  • The Demand Strand will provide a set of projects in schools to improve the take-up of physics.

Access Strand     More >

We will work with our partner universities to deliver the three main aspects of this strand:

  1. New Degree – a physics based, interdisciplinary science degree. More >
  2. Repackaging existing physics degrees to make them more appealing. More >
  3. Teacher Fellows - six school physics teachers will be seconded to a local HEIs. More >

Demand Strand     More >

There are five main aspects to this strand. The first three are student centred and the last two are teacher centre):

  1. E-mentoring through a dedicated web site. More >
  2. Industrial visits to local physics-based industry. More >
  3. Business activity in schools. More >
  4. Supporting non-specialist teachers of physics. More >
  5. Careers CPD event for teachers involved with careers advice in schools. More >
  6. Work to help get girls into physics. More >

The pilot programme

The pilot programme will run for two years from May 2006. We will appoint evaluators to determine which parts of the programme are most effective. After which, we hope to roll the project out on a larger scale.

Other STEM programmes

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)) are funding three other STEm programmes:

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