The use of validated conceptual assessments alongside more standard course
exams has become standard practice for the introductory courses in many physics
departments. These assessments provide a more standard measure of certain
learning goals, allowing for comparisons of student learning across
instructors, semesters, and institutions. Researchers at the University of
Colorado Boulder have developed several similar assessments designed to target
the more advanced physics content of upper-division classical mechanics,
electrostatics, quantum mechanics, and electrodynamics. Here, we synthesize the
existing research on our upper-division assessments and discuss some of the
barriers and challenges associated with developing, validating, and
implementing these assessments as well as some of the strategies we have used
to overcome these barriers.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, submitted to the Phys. Rev. ST - PER Focused
collection on Upper-division PE
