FEd Newsletter
The Newsletter Editor solicits and collects articles for the newsletter and then submits them to the APS editing staff who format a PDF version of the newsletter according to an APS template. The process of submitting articles to APS has changed multiple times, but currently it is the Jira system and done by using the Unit Newsletter Request. Typically ~3-4 weeks before the deadline the Editor will contact members of the executive committee about newsletter contributions and provide samples (usually there is a "from the chair" piece, but then the others vary on whether it is a call for nominations or information from programs chair about upcoming sessions at APS). The APS Head of Education and FEd Councilor also frequently contribute to the newsletter.. There is a teacher preparation section editor, and that individual contacts people to contribute articles for that section and sends those articles to the Editor. In addition to that, the Editor can solicit additional articles that may be of interest to readers. For example, there was a themed issue on the EP3 guide in 2022. After receiving a PDF proof from the APS editing staff, the Editor corresponds with authors to check for remaining edits and communicates those edits to APS before confirming that the newsletter is finalized. Information about typical timing is provided on this site.
We used to have a Spring, Summer, and Fall Newsletter but went to a Spring and Fall format in 2022. The following Executive Committee members contribute to the Newsletter:
Past-Chair – article calling for nominations for awards (Spring)
Chair – Letter from the Chair (every issue)
Chair-Elect – article for speaker nominations (was Summer, now Spring)
article on the March and April meeting sessions (Fall)
Vice-Chair – article asking for nominations for Executive committee (was Summer, now Fall)
Important Dates:
Feb 1 – Newsletter Editor contacts Past-Chair, Chair, and Chair-Elect for articles for Newsletter.
March 1 – Article deadline
April 15 – Spring Newsletter posted
July 1 – Newsletter Editor contacts Chair, Chair-Elect, and Vice-Chair for articles for Newsletter.
Aug 1 – Article deadline
Oct 15 – Fall Newsletter posted
(Dates for Newsletter used to be: send a request by Jun 1, Oct. 1, Jan 15)
Newsletter Visibility
Currently, the Editor clicks a button in the newsletter request form to send the Newsletter to all of the email addresses in the Forum. It was mentioned that writers of articles should be asked to submit Discussion Forum posts about their articles (and direct people to newsletter).
Info from Bylaws:
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Newsletter
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The Forum shall publish a Newsletter and distribute it electronically to all members of the Forum and the Council. The Newsletter shall carry the Annual Report of the Chair, articles of interest to the Members, and letters and comments from Members of the Forum.
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The Editor of the Newsletter shall be elected by a majority vote of the Executive Committee for a term of three years. The performance of the Editor of the Newsletter shall be reviewed by the Executive Committee after completion of his or her second year.
Rotation of the Newsletter Editor
Newsletter Editor terms last three years (although this has varied quite a bit in the past) and an Editor can serve two terms. In January of the last year of the Newsletter Editor’s position, the Chair of the FEd Executive Committee should seek nominations for a new Newsletter Editor. The Chair could also solicit the FEd as a whole for nominations or self-nominations using the Discussion Forum. Then, the Chair emails these nominees and solicits one-page descriptions of the candidate’s qualifications, why they are interested in the position, and their vision for the newsletter or their ideas about the newsletter. They also provide the nominees with 1) the duties of the Newsletter Editor and 2) the timeline for the position (see below). Next, the executive committee reviews the applications and makes a selection by June. After the selection, the new Newsletter Editor shadows the current Newsletter Editor on the Fall Newsletter. The current editor can cc the new editor on all the emails they send and walk them through how to solicit articles and submit the newsletter to APS. The new Newsletter Editor takes over on the spring newsletter the following year.
Timeline:
Up to 6 – 8 weeks before deadline: make plans for content of issue, send e-mails
soliciting articles from appropriate authors (Beth Cunningham, Michael Wittmann, or Monica Plisch can often give good advice about whom to contact).
Time required: up to two hours for drafting emails, plus brainstorming time (all
times in this document are approximate and will vary for each newsletter)
Two weeks before deadline: send reminder e-mails to Executive Committee members
for their contributions, as follows:
Chair of the FEd: Letter from the Chair; solicitations for awards
Chair-elect (Chair of the Program committee): Information about FEd sessions at the March and April meetings; usually there is a short announcement in the Fall newsletter and an extended listing of all speakers in all sessions in the Spring newsletter, which should appear shortly before the March meeting.
FEd Vice-Chair (Chair of the nominating committee): for information about elections and soliciting nominees
Chair of the Committee on Education: for any announcements from the COE
Michael Wittmann (APS Head of Education) for an updateCheck in with editor of the Teacher Prep Section (currently
Alma Robinson) to see how their sections are progressing
Time required: about an hour
Deadline for articles to two weeks post-deadline: read submissions as they are received (in addition to articles that the editor may have solicited, this could include unsolicited articles and letters to the editor, which should be evaluated for quality and relevance to the readership of the FEd), make any edits necessary and return to the authors for approval (usually grant at least a one-week extension on submission deadlines, as necessary, and then allow additional time for turn-around on edits); Formatting edits are typically not necessary – they are handled by APS.
Time required: about 4 hours distributed across two weeks
Up to three weeks post-deadline: write Letter from the Editor, if desired.
Time required: 1 – 2 hours
Approximately three weeks post-deadline: Assemble all articles (word format) ordered with numbers into a shared Google Drive folder. Submit the newsletter request form through the APS Service Desk site which includes a link to the shared Google Drive folder and the draft e-mail text that will be sent to members once the newsletter is finalized. APS has changed this submission process many times.
Time required: ~1 hour
Approximately one month post-deadline (7-10 days after the newsletter request is submitted): receive proof of newsletter from APS by e-mail. Forward to individual contributors for proof-reading of their contributions. Proof-read yourself. Forward to Chair (to be sent to entire Executive Committee) for commentary.
Time required: 0.5 to 1 hour
Approximately 5-7 days after receiving proof: Assemble all proof-edits into a single document (can submit lists of edits directly in an e-mail or mark up the proofs themselves) and return to APS.
Time required: ~ 1 hour depending on edits
Approximately two weeks after receiving proofs: APS will ask whether the newsletter is finalized and approved by you before sending an e-mail to the membership.
Total approximate time commitment per newsletter: ~8-10 hours, spread across
a few months.
Duties:
The following information provides guidance for newsletter editors to ensure the timely production of the newsletters and to ensure appropriate and consistent content and format. It also includes general guidance about newsletters.
1. Vacancies: It is the responsibility of the FEd chair to ensure that there are newsletter editors during their tenure and the year after their tenure.
2. Deadlines: Newsletters are published in the spring and fall online to the Engage website. Articles for the spring newsletters are generally solicited 4-6 weeks (6 weeks is preferred, 4 weeks is the final deadline) before April 15. The fall newsletter should be completed in September or October.
3. Content: Newsletters are usually either themed or non-themed depending on the newsletter editor’s interests. A themed newsletter mainly includes articles about a certain topic or from a certain workshop. An example of the first is the summer 2007 newsletter about K-12 science education. An example of the second is the fall 2010 newsletter that was mainly about the Gordon Conference on Experimental Research and Labs in Physics Education. In non-themed newsletter, each article is independent.
There are standard components to the newsletter as well. This includes the “From the Chair” article which is written by the current chair, though there could be others depending on the Editor’s vision for the newsletter. The newsletter editor should ensure that these articles are submitted in a timely fashion. The newsletter may include an article “From the Editor” at their discretion.
Another standard section is the Teacher Preparation Section, which includes an introduction by the section editor and articles that they solicit. The newsletter editor should interact with the section editor t to determine the articles that will be included in this section.
The final section of the newsletter consists of a listing of the Executive Committee of the FEd, which should include the name, date, and affiliation of each voting member. It should also include the name and affiliation of each non-voting member, as well as the next 2 newsletter submission deadlines. See previous newsletters for the standard format.
You should use your knowledge of the field and your contacts to solicit articles that you think are appropriate for the newsletter. You also might get articles or letters to the editor that are sent to you that are not solicited, though this is rare.
The newsletter editor should also contact the following for potential short articles that pertain to ongoing FEd related activities:
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FEd Chair-elect, chair of the program committee, for information related to the March and April meetings or soliciting session topics.
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FEd Vice chair, chair of the nominating committee, for information related to the election, nominees, or soliciting nominees.
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FEd Past chair, chair of the fellowship committee, for soliciting new nominations for fellowship or for acknowledging new fellows. The deadline for submission for FEd fellowship is April 1.
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FEd Chair, for soliciting candidates for the APS Excellence in Physics Education Award (submission deadline is July 1) and the COE Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education (application deadline is July 15).
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Chair of the Excellence in Physics Education Award selection committee for writing an article on the award winners after the award is announced. The chair of the selection committee is available at: http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/awards/education.cfm
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Chair, APS Committee on Education, for writing an article on the winner of the COE award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education after the award winners are announced, or for providing an update on COE activities.
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APS Director of Education and Diversity for providing an update on APS education activities.
If there are any controversial articles or letters to the editor that are submitted, the editor should forward that input and their opinion to the chair for advice on how to proceed. The chair may request the input of the chair line and Secretary/Treasurer or the entire Executive Committee for advice.
4. Format: Each article should include a title and the author’s name at the top of the article. The bottom of the article should include the author’s affiliation, their email address if they are willing to provide it, and if they wish, a short description of themselves or their interests in physics education. See previous newsletters and examples below.
Example 1: Dean Zollman is William & Joan Porter University Distinguished Professor and Head of Physics at Kansas State University. He was the AAPT Millikan Medalist in 1995, Carnegie National Professor of the Year in 1996, and NSF Distinguished Teaching Scholar in 2004. He has conducted research in physics education since 1972.
Example 2: Jean P. Krisch is Professor of Physics and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI.
Example 3: William Goffe is an economist in the Department of Economics at SUNY Oswego. While an economist, he became interested in PER after two other economists (Mark Maier and Scott Simkins) sent him a paper they had written on PER as well as Carl Wieman’s “Why Not Try a Scientific Approach to Science Education?” (Change, September/October, 2007). He was deeply impressed and feels that PER has much to offer other teachers in higher education. Besides research in economic education, he has also published in computational economics and in how economists can best use the Internet. He is an associate editor of the Journal of Economic Education.
The length of articles should be comparable to those in previous newsletters; authors should be encouraged to look at previous newsletters for examples of appropriate length and style.
5. Submission and Review: After the articles have been submitted to the Editor, in Word format, they will compile them into a shared Google Drive and complete the APS Unit Newsletter Request Form. After the first draft of the publishable format is completed by the APS editing staff, it is sent by e-mail to the FEd Newsletter Editor. The Editor will then send the draft to contributors and the Executive Committee for corrections. These corrections are to be sent to the Editor, who will assemble all of the corrections into a single document. These corrections will then be sent back to the APS editing staff for incorporation into the final publishable document.
6. Distribution: After the newsletter has been “approved” by the Editor and posted on the FEd newsletter web site, the APS editing staff generate an e-mail to the membership based on the template submitted in the APS Unit Newsletter Request Form.