Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Joint Fall 2011 Meeting of the Texas Sections of the APS, AAPT, and Zone 13 of the SPS
Volume 56, Number 7
Thursday–Saturday, October 6–8, 2011; Commerce, Texas
Session F2: Physics Education Research I |
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Chair: Toni Sauncy, Angelo State University Room: Sam Rayburn Center Second Floor, Room Innovations B |
Friday, October 7, 2011 3:40PM - 3:52PM |
F2.00001: Mathematical Rigor in Introductory Physics Michael VanDyke, William Bassichis Calculus-based introductory physics courses intended for future engineers and physicists are often designed and taught in the same fashion as those intended for students of other disciplines. A more mathematically rigorous curriculum should be more appropriate and, ultimately, more beneficial for the student in his or her future coursework. This work investigates the effects of mathematical rigor on student understanding of introductory mechanics. Using a series of diagnostic tools in conjunction with individual student course performance, a statistical analysis will be performed to examine student learning of introductory mechanics and its relation to student understanding of the underlying calculus. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 7, 2011 3:52PM - 4:04PM |
F2.00002: A Comparison of Visual Spatial Abilities of Students in a Modern Physics Course Versus Students in Introductory Physics Courses Elijah Murphy, Ximena Cid, Ramon Lopez Due to the abstract nature of physics, students develop skills to create and manipulate mental representations in order to solve problems. It has been shown that physics students have the highest spatial abilities of all STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) majors, but previous research has focused solely on introductory courses. I will be presenting a study comparing the spatial abilities of two groups of students, using data collected from a few introductory physics courses and data collected from a modern physics course. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 7, 2011 4:04PM - 4:16PM |
F2.00003: TA Mentorship in Lecture significantly enhances students' learning in mechanics in large introductory physics classes K. Cheng, Mehmet Caglar Lab is an important component of students' learning in a traditional lecture-lab setting of introductory physics courses. Using standard mechanics concepts and baseline surveys as well as independent classroom observations, the effects of TA mentorship in Lecture on students' learning of physics concepts and problem-solving skills among different student subgroups taught by other TAs and lecturers using different level of student interactive engagement in classes have been analyzed. Our data indicate that in lecture training of TA promotes lecture/lab synergism in improvement students' learning of mechanics in large introductory physics classes. [Preview Abstract] |
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