Designing an introductory musical acoustics course using physics education research techniques and the impact COVID-19 pandemic had on the course structure

Sound & Music is an introductory musical acoustics course designed from the ground up using Physics Education Research techniques. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced changes in the curriculum that essentially were reactionary in scope. This was a universal problem that opened up discussions with other educators. Although it had existed previously, the idea of “flipping” a class became a popular concept during the pandemic. Pedagogies applied to an introductory acoustics course are examined as to what they meant in the context of the pandemic. This paper will look at the structure and format of the course pre-pandemic as well as discuss excerpts from three different hands-on activities that were each designed using Physics Education Research techniques. It will then look at how these were altered to be used during the pandemic era as well as other challenges that were overcome during this time, summarizing what changes worked and what did not.