It is very easy for the small number of physics majors to get lost in the large crowd of first year students. Learning outcomes are improved by fostering a sense of community and developing a strong learning cohort [1]. In 2011 I introduced a separate course for first year physics majors in second semester, PHYS1241, (Special) Higher Physics 1B. By separating out the students who intended to major in physics I was able to extend them and tailor the delivery of lectures to align with their interests, this ensured that they actively participated in class. This course was a success with very positive feedback from students and one of the highest average satisfaction scores in the school of physics from student surveys. Building on the success of this course I introduced a similar course, run in first semester, in 2014, PHYS1141, (Special) Higher Physics 1A. In order to ensure that students could choose to join the physics cohort at the end of semester 1 (or in their second year) and to minimize the impact on the academic workload for the school, PHYS1141 had common lectures with the other Physics 1A courses but separate problem solving workshops and labs. This ensured the learning community was built across the entire year, first in Physics 1A and then in Physics 1B. The Physics 1A course also received excellent student feedback. One of the students wrote to me:

“The smaller classes of PHYS1141/1241 meant I got to know the people in my cohort much faster, and make friendships that last beyond university. We were able to build a sort of community of first year physics majors, and do both uni and non-uni related activities together, which then continued all the way through our degrees.”

[1] Tinto, V. (1997). Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence. The Journal of higher education, 68(6), 599-623.