Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2019 Joint Fall Meeting of the Texas Sections of APS, AAPT and Zone 13 of the SPS
Volume 64, Number 18
Friday–Saturday, October 25–26, 2019; Lubbock, Texas
Session E03: AAPT and Physics Education Research |
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Chair: Beth Thacker, Texas Tech University Room: Student Union Building Playa Room |
Friday, October 25, 2019 1:30PM - 2:06PM |
E03.00001: Instructors' Purposeful Modifications to SCALE-UP: A Look Across the Country Invited Speaker: Erin Scanlon Numerous studies describe the effectiveness of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS) in STEM courses, but many of these studies are predicated on the assumption that instructors implement the RBIS exactly as intended by the developers. However, instructors modify the RBIS to suit their needs and local constraints. The purpose of this study was to investigate how instructors from nine institutions modified their use of SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-Down Pedagogies) and the reasons they cite for these modifications. We implemented the Modification Identification Framework to classify changes discussed by participants during interviews and identified 131 unique modifications related to group work or the amount of lecture. We then implemented Revealed Causal Mapping to investigate participants' mental models related to their modifications and created causal maps. In this talk, we will present the most common categories of changes and the reasons for those changes highlighted by the aggregated revealed causal maps. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 25, 2019 2:06PM - 2:18PM |
E03.00002: A Rubric for Assessing Thinking Skills in Free-Response Exam Problems. Fatema Salmani, Beth Thacker We designed a rubric to assess free-response exam problems in order to compare thinking skills evidenced in exams in classes taught by different pedagogies. The rubric was designed based on Bloom's taxonomy. The rubric was then used to code exam problems. We analyzed exams from different sections of the algebra-based physics course taught the same semester by the same instructor with different pedagogies. One section was inquiry-based and the other was taught traditionally. We discuss the instrument, present results and present plans for future research. The inquiry-based students demonstrated all of the thinking skills coded more often than the traditional students. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 25, 2019 2:18PM - 2:30PM |
E03.00003: Working your physics muscles James Espinosa, James Espinosa, Michael Espinosa With a growing number of students going to physical therapy instead of medical schools, I have begun reexamining my curriculum in the first semester, particularly torque. As a test of student comprehension, I gave two identical lectures with demonstrations of the bicep muscle weeks after a traditional presentation of torque. A control group of graduate students and physics faculty were also tested. An overview of the results will be shown and discussed. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 25, 2019 2:30PM - 2:42PM |
E03.00004: Teaching Physics in China Steven Ball LeTourneau University in 2017 established a partnership with the Chinese Jilin Normal University in Siping, China to exchange faculty members. Jilin Normal University desires its students to receive instruction from native English speakers who bring innovative and interactive teaching methods into the classroom. Since their spring semester is from March through the end of June, this allowed me to finish the semester here at LeTourneau this last spring and travel to China to teach the last 8 weeks of the semester at Jilin Normal University. I taught two courses, calculus and physics, to the same group of 82 freshmen all majoring in electrical engineering. I found that the students were capable in written English, but most had very limited practice with conversing in oral English. This required me to adjust my approach to foster more interaction with the students. Hoping to capture student interest, I discussed the recent news of China's landing a probe on the Moon's far side. In general, the students found space exploration fascinating. I chose to make ``Mission to Mars'' the theme of the remainder of the semester for each physics lecture period. Putting students to work on various aspects of a space mission led to more engagement with the physics concepts and more practice in speaking English. This appeared to accomplish the purpose that Jilin Normal University had in mind. I returned from China this summer with a deep sense of satisfaction. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 25, 2019 2:42PM - 2:54PM |
E03.00005: The 2019 PTRA Summer Institute Thomas O'Kuma For the last 35 years, the PTRAs (\underline {https://www.aapt.org/PTRA/}) have conducted a summer institute before or after the AAPT Summer Meeting. This year's summer institute was mostly about astronomy. The site was the UVU Field Station in Capitol Reef National Park in southern Utah. In this talk I will describe the program, the facility, and my perspectives of this institute both as a presenter and as a participant. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 25, 2019 2:54PM - 3:06PM |
E03.00006: Things Are A Changing! Karen Jo Matsler Educators are fortunate to have so many resources at their disposal, yet it is also a formidable task to stay abreast of research and discoveries AND figure out how to expose our students to new concepts like gravitational waves and M87. PTRA is providing opportunities for educators to expand their own content and classroom experiences for students. This talk will identify ways you can join us in providing support for K-16 educators. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 25, 2019 3:06PM - 3:18PM |
E03.00007: From Red Star to Lone Star -- How love of physics guided a young scientist from North Korea to Texas Suzy Lidstrom Both teachers and students should be inspired by the story of Joseph Han, who began physics as a student in North Korea and, after being thwarted in his aspirations by its system, chose to escape. Finally, after many harrowing experiences, he succeeded in launching his career as a research and teaching physicist here in Texas. An example of his motivation and persistence: After miraculously making his way to China, he would write Maxwell's equations in the snow in the mountains, while seeking to proceed further in his pilgrimage and career. The speaker is currently collaborating on a book with him describing all his adventures, from escaping handcuffed to another prisoner to finally, after many travails, settling in Texas where he and his wife are now raising their family. He is fully engaged in teaching, and enjoying his experience in inspiring young Americans. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 25, 2019 3:18PM - 3:30PM |
E03.00008: Theoretical Modeling of Applied Push Forces on Wheelchairs Edward Hamilton, Jonathan Mock, Surya Donty Most wheelchairs are designed around the assumption of either self-propulsion by a user or motorized operation, as opposed to an assistant pusher. These methods of generating applied force are associated with design choices that are inapplicable or even counterproductive for assistant pushers. These distinctions become more important for users in environments where motorization is impractical, such as less developed countries where paved surfaces are too infrequent or unreliable to allow for the use of a powered wheelchair. We consider the general dynamical problem of pushing a wheelchair over a rough surface with dissimilar friction interactions between the front and rear wheels, based on the variance of different structural parameters. [Preview Abstract] |
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