Bulletin of the American Physical Society
77th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Section of the APS
Volume 55, Number 10
Wednesday–Saturday, October 20–23, 2010; Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Session HA: Applications of Physics Education Research |
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Chair: Laird Kramer, Florida International University Room: Nicholson Hall 119 |
Friday, October 22, 2010 1:30PM - 2:00PM |
HA.00001: Decoding the Assessment Alphabet Soup Invited Speaker: The number of assessment instruments that help physics instructors evaluate the conceptual learning of their students has grown over the last twenty years. Today, the number of tests that are available begin to look like an alphabet soup, FCI, MBT, TUG-K, CSE, CSM, CSEM, DIRECT, BEMA, LOCE, FMCE, SEMCO, etc. What can these assessment tests do for you that is different from what you regularly do? How do these tests differ from the tests and other assessments you already give in class? What is meant by formative and summative assessment and why should you care? What are some of the issues associated with giving one of these assessment tests? These are the questions that will be addressed in this talk. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 22, 2010 2:00PM - 2:30PM |
HA.00002: Problem Solving: Helping Students Move From Novices Toward Experts Invited Speaker: When introductory physics students engage in problem solving, they often exhibit behaviors that can frustrate their teachers. Some well-known examples of these habits include refusing to draw free-body diagrams, hunting through the book to find an example problem to use as a (perhaps inappropriate) template, and the classic ``plug-n-chug'' mentality. Studies in science education and cognitive science have yielded rational explanations for many of these novice behaviors and lay a groundwork for instructors to aid their students in beginning to develop more expert-like skills and behaviors. A few examples of these studies, as well as curricular tools that have developed as a result, will be shared. These tools not only encourage students to try more expert-like strategies, but also prime them for developing conceptual understanding. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 22, 2010 2:30PM - 3:00PM |
HA.00003: Research on Technology and Physics Education Invited Speaker: From Facebook to smart phones, technology is an integral part of our student's lives. For better or for worse, technology has become nearly inescapable in the classroom, enhancing instruction, distracting students, or simply complicating life. As good teachers we want to harness the power we have available to impact our students, but it is getting harder as the pace of technological change accelerates. How can we make good choices in which technologies to invest time and resources in to use effectively? Do some technologies make more of a difference in student learning? In this talk we will look at research studies looking at technology use in the physics classroom---both my work and that of others---and their impact on student learning. Examples will include computers in the laboratory, web-based homework, and different forms of electronic communication. From these examples, I will draw some general principles for effective educational technology and physics education. Technology is simply a tool; the key is how we use those tools to help our students develop their abilities and understanding. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 22, 2010 3:00PM - 3:30PM |
HA.00004: Recitations for the Rest of Us Invited Speaker: Two-thirds of Physics Departments in the United States offer a Bachelor's degree as their highest degree. At these institutions, the ability to offer a separate recitation for introductory physics courses can be severely limited by the lack of graduate Teaching Assistants and existing teaching commitments within the department. At Louisiana State University in Shreveport a combination of course redesign and technology have been used over the last three years to add an active-learning problem solving recitation within the existing framework of introductory physics courses. One day per week of a three-day-per-week, 50 minute class period is now used for a tablet-computer based recitation, in which students work in collaborative groups on problems while the professor monitors group progress and presents exemplar student solutions to the class in real time. This talk will discuss the structural redesign to the courses, the technology tools (hardware and software) that are being used, and suggest alternative methods that do not require technology. In addition, student data relating to course outcomes in the redesigned courses will be presented for conceptual learning gains, problem solving skills, overall course success, and student-reported attitudes towards course outcomes, showing the positive results of these changes. [Preview Abstract] |
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