Bulletin of the American Physical Society
APS April Meeting 2013
Volume 58, Number 4
Saturday–Tuesday, April 13–16, 2013; Denver, Colorado
Session B15: Teaching and Learning Physics - Introductory Level |
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Sponsoring Units: FEd Chair: Kathleen Hinko, University of Colorado Room: Plaza Court 4 |
Saturday, April 13, 2013 10:45AM - 10:57AM |
B15.00001: Leading institutional change: Implementing Studio in physics and beyond Patrick Kohl, H. Vincent Kuo The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) teaches its first-year calculus-based introductory physics courses (Physics I and Physics II) using a hybrid of lecture and Studio physics. This model was first implemented in Physics I in 1997, and was established in Physics II in the fall of 2007. In this talk, we highlight the stages of the transformation from traditional to Studio, highlighting what has worked and what has not, and describing methods for assessment and evaluation. Results suggest that Studio has increased student performance and satisfaction despite an aggressive expansion of class sizes in the past few years. Gains have been concentrated mostly in problem-solving skills and exam performance (as opposed to conceptual survey gains), in contrast to what has sometimes been seen in other studies. Most recently, we as a department have been capitalizing on our successes with Studio physics to take a leadership role in disseminating advanced educational methods throughout CSM, both vertically (into upper division physics courses) and horizontally (into various departments outside of physics). We will briefly describe progress so far. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 13, 2013 10:57AM - 11:09AM |
B15.00002: Velocity without Limits Revisited -- How Physics with College Algebra and Physics with Calculus becomes a distinction without a difference William Crombie We take a second look at Saletan's American Journal of Physics article (1973) which describes a method, appropriate to elementary physics courses, for defining the instantaneous velocity of a moving object and for computing derivatives without recourse to limits. The mathematics behind our extended method enters at the level of College Algebra and provides an alternative formulation to the Calculus based on either infinitesimals or limits. This approach holds the promise of providing access to Calculus and those quantitative disciplines that depend upon Calculus to a larger pool of students than is presently engaged in the advanced study of STEM disciplines. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 13, 2013 11:09AM - 11:21AM |
B15.00003: Use of a Force Sensor in Archimedes' Principle Experiment, Determination of Buoyant Force and Acceleration Due To Gravity Tarlok Singh Aurora In introductory physics, students verify Archimedes' principle by immersing an object in water in a container, with a side-spout to collect the displaced water, resulting in a large uncertainty, due to surface tension. A modified procedure was introduced, in which a plastic bucket is suspended from a force sensor, and an object hangs underneath the bucket. The object is immersed in water in a glass beaker (without any side spout), and the weight loss is measured with a computer-controlled force sensor. Instead of collecting the water displaced by the object, tap water was added to the bucket to compensate for the weight loss, and the Archimedes' principle was verified within less than a percent. With this apparatus, buoyant force was easily studied as a function of volume of displaced water; as well as a function of density of saline solution. By graphing buoyant force as a function of volume (or density of liquid), value of g was obtained from slope. Apparatus and sources of error will be discussed. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 13, 2013 11:21AM - 11:33AM |
B15.00004: Using tablets for real-time formative assessment in large-enrollment introductory courses Todd Ruskell Many large-enrollment introductory physics courses now use personal response devices (clickers) to engage students during class and collect data for real-time formative assessment. However, most systems only allow for multiple-choice or in some cases numeric or simple text answers. A program called inkSurvey allows faculty to ask more open-ended questions and students can submit both text and graphical responses from tablet computers. This provides faculty much greater insight into a student's problem-solving process. In our pilot project standard clickers were used in the first half of a calculus-based physics I course, and in the second half of the semester, tablets and inkSurvey were used to collect formative assessment data. We will report on initial impressions of both the faculty and students regarding the relative utility and effectiveness of each tool. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, April 13, 2013 11:33AM - 11:45AM |
B15.00005: Research-based active-learning instruction in physics David E. Meltzer, Ronald K. Thornton The development of research-based active-learning instructional methods in physics has significantly altered the landscape of U.S. physics education during the past 20 years. Based on a recent review [D.E. Meltzer and R.K. Thornton, Am. J. Phys. \textbf{80}, 478 (2012)], we define these methods as those (1) explicitly based on research in the learning and teaching of physics, (2) that incorporate classroom and/or laboratory activities that require students to express their thinking through speaking, writing, or other actions that go beyond listening and the copying of notes, or execution of prescribed procedures, and (3) that have been tested repeatedly in actual classroom settings and have yielded objective evidence of improved student learning. We describe some key features common to methods in current use. These features focus on (a) recognizing and addressing students' physics ideas, and (b) guiding students to solve problems in realistic physical settings, in novel and diverse contexts, and to justify or explain the reasoning they have used. [Preview Abstract] |
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