Techniques for performing acoustics education research

The ultimate goal of acoustics education research (AER) is to improve instruction and learning in acoustics at all levels. The outcomes should include an understanding and appreciation of acoustics at the fundamental level, a deeper comprehension at the intermediate level and preparation for acoustics careers at the ultimate level. Unlike other acoustics research involving nature and phenomena, education research has its unique methods of dealing with humans. Physics education research (PER) has been an active research area for over 30 years and has yielded valuable techniques to improve the way physics and related courses are taught. These techniques can be used by AER to achieve the goals stated above. I will discuss the approaches used by PER researchers to define goals, design a program, gather necessary materials, perform and publish the research, and implement the changes discovered as applied to the AER community.