From the Editor

Jennifer Docktor, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse

Many things have changed since our spring newsletter! The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the way we live and work. During March many of us found ourselves thrust into “emergency remote teaching” with little or no training. The closure of schools and daycares have required parents (myself included) to juggle childcare responsibilities along with work. Conferences have been cancelled or converted to virtual meetings. More recently, events in the U.S. have brought issues of race and social justice to the forefront of our minds.

As we prepare for the uncertainty of the fall term, many instructors are wondering how to provide an inclusive, high-quality education experience for their students. In light of current events the focus of this newsletter is twofold: to highlight resources for teaching physics online and discuss important issues of diversity and systemic racism. The latter is addressed in the teacher preparation section edited by Alma Robinson.

I hope this newsletter inspires you to learn and grow as a physicist and physics educator. If you have ideas for future newsletter themes or an article you would like to contribute, please e-mail me at jdocktor@uwlax.edu. The deadline for the fall newsletter is October 1.

Disclaimer – The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the APS Forum on Education Newsletter are not peer refereed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of the APS.