Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2016
Volume 61, Number 6
Saturday–Tuesday, April 16–19, 2016; Salt Lake City, Utah
Session M5: Preparing and Supporting University Physics EducatorsInvited
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Sponsoring Units: GPER FEd Room: Ballroom D |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 3:30PM - 4:06PM |
M5.00001: Physics Faculty Perceptions of Research-based Assessment Invited Speaker: Eleanor Sayre When research-based resources are well aligned with the perceived needs of faculty, faculty members will more readily take them up. We used phenomenographic interviews of ordinary physics faculty and department chairs to identify four families of issues that faculty have around research-based assessments (RBAs). First, many faculty are interested in using RBAs, but need help with the practicalities of administering RBAs: how to find them, which ones there are, and how to administer them. Second, at the same time, many faculty think that RBAs are limited and don’t measure many of the things they care about, or aren’t applicable in their classes. They want assessments to measure skills, perceptions, and specific concepts. Third, many faculty want to turn to communities of other faculty and experts to help them interpret their assessment results and suggest other ways to do assessment. They want to better understand their assessment results by comparing to others and interacting with faculty from other schools to learn about how they do assessment. Fourth, many faculty consider their courses in the broader contexts of accountability and their departments. They want help with assessment in these broader contexts. We also discuss how faculty members' roles in their departments and institutions influence their perceived wants and needs around assessment. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 4:06PM - 4:42PM |
M5.00002: Perceived affordances and constraints regarding instructors' use of Peer Instruction: Implications for Promoting Instructional Change Invited Speaker: Chandra Turpen Research has documented that physics faculty are generally aware of research-based instructional strategies and are interested in using them. However, the use of research-based instructional strategies is not widespread. A large, unsolved problem in our field is how to effectively spread and sustain the use of research-based instructional strategies in undergraduate physics education. In this research study, we conducted extensive interviews with faculty from across the country regarding their current and past instructional practices as well as their experiences, knowledge and use of Peer Instruction (PI). In this talk I will discuss how faculty come to know about PI, how PI is often used by faculty, and the reasons faculty give for taking up or not taking up aspects of PI. Through this work, we established that 1) faculty commonly modify and adapt PI, 2) most faculty readily acknowledge the shortcomings of lecture, and 3) faculty are concerned that PI use will be taxing on their time, limit their coverage of content, and be a struggle to implement. With a better understanding of faculty's reasoning and struggles, change agents can learn to better partner with faculty in working towards effective instructional change. [Preview Abstract] |
Sunday, April 17, 2016 4:42PM - 5:18PM |
M5.00003: Characterizing Pedagogical Practices of University Physics Students in Informal Learning Environments Invited Speaker: Kathleen Hinko University educators (UEs) have a long history of teaching physics not only in formal classroom settings but also in informal outreach environments. The pedagogical practices of UEs in informal physics teaching have not been widely studied, and they may provide insight into formal practices and preparation. We investigate the interactions between UEs and children in an afterschool physics program facilitated by university physics students from the University of Colorado Boulder. In this program, physics undergraduates, graduate students and post-doctoral researchers work with K-8 children on hands-on physics activities on a weekly basis over the course of a semester. We use an Activity Theoretic framework as a tool to examine situational aspects of individuals' behavior in the complex structure of the afterschool program. Using this framework, we analyze video of UE-child interactions and identify three main pedagogical modalities that UEs display during activities: Instruction, Consultation and Participation modes. These modes are characterized by certain language, physical location, and objectives that establish differences in UE-child roles and division of labor. Based on this analysis, we discuss implications for promoting pedagogical strategies through purposeful curriculum development and university educator preparation. [Preview Abstract] |
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