New methods for teaching introductory physics to non-majors

Physics for a New Millennium is a recently developed second-tier course in the Natural Sciences portion of the General Education core of courses at American University. Students enrolled will have first completed a one-semester foundation course in introductory physics, Physics for the Modern World. The content of the new course includes the topics of Electricity & Magnetism, Light & Color, and Quantum Physics. In this paper a brief overview of the curriculum developed for both courses will be outlined. Emphasis will be placed on the interactive teaching and learning strategies developed and employed in the second-tier course. Selected strategies used to assess student understanding will also be described. These strategies include a unique writing activity that allowed students to participate in all aspects of preparing a formal paper for publication and presentation at a professional conference. Finally, feedback from students pertaining to their perceptions regarding the course will be highlighted.