Bulletin of the American Physical Society
17th Annual Meeting of the APS Northwest Section
Volume 61, Number 7
Thursday–Saturday, May 12–14, 2016; Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
Session F1: Education, Outreach and Societal Aspects of Physics |
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Chair: Paula Heron, University of Washington Room: PC 119 |
Saturday, May 14, 2016 2:00PM - 2:35PM |
F1.00001: Teaching Critical Thinking in a First Year Physics Lab Invited Speaker: Doug Bonn First year physics labs provide a rich environment for developing students' critical thinking. In a multi-year study at the University of British Columbia, we have developed a relatively simple form of scaffolding that dramatically enhances the quality of student reasoning. From the outset, students are asked to make comparisons after completing some measurements, to reflect on the comparison, make a plan based on their reflection, then execute the new plan. The experiments are simple enough that they can do this cycle more than once, modeling a more realistic, iterative approach to experimentation. We find that after several weeks, when the scaffolding has been removed, students continue with this more expert-like behavior. More importantly, in a comparison before and after this scaffolding was introduced to the course; we find that the quality of the students' reasoning about data and models is improved dramatically by this approach. The improved reasoning even continues on into a second year laboratory course, showing strong signs of transfer in these skills. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, May 14, 2016 2:35PM - 2:47PM |
F1.00002: Development, Testing and Efficacy of QuVis Simulations Mark Paetkau, Antje Kohnle Quantum mechanics is a cornerstone of physics education. From a student perspective quantum mechanics combines the wonder of its non-intuitive foundations as well as challenging new tools of wave mechanics and is a testing ground for students ability to visualize concepts. The QuVis (Quantum Mechanics Visualization) project provides simulations to aid in the visualization of and interaction with the foundations of quantum mechanics. QuVis simulations are designed to help students visualize and interact with basic quantum elements and experiments. The simulations are research based and have been refined through student feedback and individual observation as well as in-class trials. An overview of the resource and evidence for the effectiveness of simulations is presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, May 14, 2016 2:47PM - 2:59PM |
F1.00003: Essential Psychology in the Post-Secondary Classroom Jo-Anne Brown According to the wikipedia entry, psychology is an academic discipline and an applied science that studies an individual's mental functions and social behaviours. Since learning involves mental functions, it only makes sense that psychology has a role in the classroom - including those in a post-secondary institution. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one model that provides a framework for identifying differences in how individuals perceive the world, make decisions, and communicate. By becoming aware of one's own type, MBTI can help instructors become more effective in the classroom by maximizing their strengths and minimizing their vulnerabilities. The goal of this poster is to act as an introduction to MBTI, and give some ideas on how to use this framework to improve the teaching and learning experience. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, May 14, 2016 2:59PM - 3:11PM |
F1.00004: Do student perceptions of teaching effectiveness align with objective measures of learning? Paula Heron Student evaluations of teaching effectiveness are common in universities and are frequently considered in decisions about tenure, promotion, and raises. Given their potential impact, it is important to understand the degree to which they align with objective measures of teaching effectiveness. Several recent studies have indicated that higher ratings are not associated with higher course performance but that they are associated with the perceived gender of the instructor (e.g., Boring et al, 2016). This study contributes to the research base through the analysis of data from 42 pairs of introductory calculus-based physics classes. In each pair, lectures were designed and delivered by different instructors but all other course components (midterm exams, textbook, homework assignments, laboratories, tutorials, etc.) were identical. In 24/42 pairs, the class in which the median rating of the ``effectiveness of the instructor'' was higher also had higher exam scores. Results from analyses of the relative magnitude of these differences suggest that any effect is small but becomes more noticeable when only same-gender pairs are considered. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, May 14, 2016 3:11PM - 3:23PM |
F1.00005: Study on the Social Consequences of AD(Alzheimer Disease) and its Neuroimaging Analysis Hyunjeong Chang, Heekyoung Woo, Richard Kyung United States considers the social impact of AD(Alzheimer Disease) as one of the major problems among health issues of the 21st century. Like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer, AD is a disease that affects a large number of elderly Americans; however, AD is unfortunately still not regarded as a chronic disease. One of the challenges we face is that despite its serious and pervasive impact on society, AD is considered by many to be merely a natural part of aging. Although a few countries have begun the process of planning for the epidemic of AD and have acknowledge the impact of AD on social relations, most countries have not recognized AD as an epidemic chronic disease because AD is a long-term condition for which there are presently no cure, and few treatments are available. Patients with mild Alzheimer’s will most likely encounter difficulty in social life such as communicating, planning, organizing, and following step-by-step instructions. In this paper, neuroimaging with Alzheimer's disease is used to assess the progression of the disease and changes of the patient’s relations among family and social members. Individuals’ paths may vary substantially, but the MRI study shows that many patients go through three stages of change as the disease progresses. [Preview Abstract] |
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