Melissa H. Dancy

  Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Optical Science, UNC-Charlotte

  Office:      Burson 103        (704) 687-8134

  fax  (704) 687-3160

  mhdancy@uncc.edu

Presentations and Publications   

Kinematics Physlet Tutorial

     Forces Physlet Tutorial      

Research Specialty:

Physics Education Research

Current Interests:

Educational Change:  A lot of money and time has been spent over the years researching how students learn and to develop curriculum based on that research.  However, most physics classes are still taught traditionally. Why? The typical response of "Change takes time." is overly simplistic and not justifiable based on historical and sociopolitical evidence.  I have been considering this question from two perspectives.  (1) Why do individual instructors often resist or discard research-based strategies and how can the educational research community support them in their efforts to change? and (2) Instructors exist in a larger system.  How do the structures of this larger system (school administrative policy, community expectations, political ideologies, economic realities, etc.) influence instructors' attempts to incorporate research-based strategies?  Much of my work in this area involves an ongoing collaboration with Charles Henderson at Western Michigan University.   

Education:

Furman University, BS Physics 1992

Purdue University, MS Physics 1994

Purdue University, MS Science Education 1996

North Carolina State University, PhD Physics 2000  (NC State PER Group)

Past Employment:

Davidson College, Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics 2000-2003, (Physlet Homepage)

Western Carolina University, Assistant Professor of Physics 2003-2004