Teresa Larkin Associate Professor Physics
- Additional Positions at AU
- Director and Faculty Liaison, Dual-degree Engineering Program
- Degrees
- PhD, Curriculum and Instruction, special emphasis in Physics and Science Education, Kansas State University
MS, Engineering Physics, research emphasis in Solid State Physics, South Dakota State University - Bio
- Teresa L. Larkin is an Associate Professor of Physics Education at American University and Director of the Dual-Degree Program in affiliation with Columbia University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis in Physics and Science Education from Kansas State University. Dr. Larkin is involved with Physics Education Research (PER) and has published widely on topics related to the assessment of student learning in introductory physics and engineering courses. Noteworthy is her work with student writing as a learning and assessment tool in her introductory physics courses for non-majors. She has been an active member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) for over 25 years. Dr. Larkin served on the Board of Directors for ASEE from 1997-1999 as Chair of Professional Interest Council (PIC) III and as Vice President of PICs. Dr. Larkin has received numerous national and international awards including the ASEE Distinguished Educator and Service Award from the Physics and Engineering Physics Division in 1998. In 2000 – 2001 she served as a National Science Foundation ASEE Visiting Scholar. Dr. Larkin was selected as a member of the ASEE Academy of Fellows in 2016. Dr. Larkin received the Outstanding Teaching in the General Education Award from AU in 2000. Dr. Larkin is the author of a book chapter published in 2010 entitled “Women’s Leadership in Engineering” in K. O’Connor (Ed.) Gender and Women’s Leadership: A Reference Handbook (Vol. 2, pp. 689 – 699). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. In January 2014 the Center for Teaching, Research and Learning at AU presented Dr. Larkin with the Milton and Sonia Greenberg Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award 2013. Her 2017 paper entitled Friend or Foe? Multitasking and the Millennial Learner received an award for best paper at the 20th International Conference on Collaborative Learning: Teaching and Learning in a Digital World (ICL 2017) which was a part of the 46th IGIP International Conference on Engineering Pedagogy held in Budapest, Hungary. Dr. Larkin can be reached at tlarkin@american.edu. In September, 2018 Dr. Larkin received the International Engineering Educator Honoris Causa “ING.PAED.IGIP.hc.” award for outstanding contributions in the field of Engineering Education and for long time dedicated work as an engineering educator at the annual conference of the International Society of Engineering Education (IGIP) which was held in Kos, Greece. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, biking, and cooking (especially Indian and other Asian cuisines), and eating! :)
- See Also
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Spring 2025
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PHYS-100 Physics for Modern World
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PHYS-100 Physics for Modern World
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PHYS-100 Physics for Modern World
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PHYS-200 Light, Sound, Action
AU Experts
Area of Expertise
Physics education research, technology for teaching and learning, interactive digital video, learning styles, classroom assessment, use of writing in the science classroom, program evaluation, women in science and engineering
Additional Information
Teresa Larkin is involved with Physics Education Research (PER) and has published widely on topics related to the assessment of student learning in introductory physics and engineering courses.  She has been an active member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) for more than 20 years. Larkin served on the board of directors for ASEE from 1997 to 1999, as chair of Professional Interest Council (PIC) III, and as vice president of PIC.  Larkin has received numerous national and international awards including the ASEE Distinguished Educator and Service Award from the Physics and Engineering Physics Division in 1998. Larkin received the Outstanding Teaching in the General Education Award from AU in 2000. From 2000 to 2001, she served as a National Science Foundation ASEE visiting scholar. In 2010, she was honored at the XI Conference on Engineering and Technology Education (INTERTECH 2010) in Brazil, with an award in Recognition of Global Outreach and Contributions to the Fields of Engineering and Technology Education Worldwide. She is the author of an upcoming book chapter: "Women’s Leadership in Engineering," in Gender and Women’s Leadership: A Reference Handbook(SAGE Publications, 2010).
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.