Millikan Lecture 1999: The workplace, student minds, and physics learning systems

We review three important ideas concerning physics education. First, what d o surveys from the workplace indicate about the relative importance in stud ent education of scientific process knowledge, personal skills, and concept ual physics knowledge? Second, what are the characteristics of student mind s that need to acquire this knowledge and these skills? Finally, what can w e do with physics learning systems to help these minds better acquire this knowledge and these skills? (C) 2001 American Association of Physics Teache rs.