Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2015 Annual Meeting of the APS Mid-Atlantic Section
Volume 60, Number 14
Friday–Sunday, October 23–25, 2015; Morgantown, West Virginia
Session A8: Physics Education I |
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Chair: John Stewart, West Virginia University Room: Waterfront Hotel Salon H |
Saturday, October 24, 2015 10:30AM - 11:06AM |
A8.00001: Improving student understanding of quantum mechanics Invited Speaker: chandralekha singh Learning quantum mechanics can be challenging, in part due to the non-intuitive nature of the subject matter. I will describe investigations of the difficulties that students have in learning quantum mechanics. We find that the patterns of reasoning difficulties in learning quantum mechanics are often universal similar to the universal nature of reasoning difficulties found in introductory physics. Moreover, students often fail to monitor their learning while learning quantum mechanics. To help improve student understanding of quantum concepts, we are developing quantum interactive learning tutorials (QuILTs) as well as tools for peer-instruction. The goal of QuILTs and peer-instruction tools is to actively engage students in the learning process and to help them build links between the formalism and the conceptual aspects of quantum physics without compromising the technical content. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 24, 2015 11:06AM - 11:42AM |
A8.00002: How to Approach and Sustain a Department-Level Introductory Teaching Reform Invited Speaker: Raluca Teodorescu The Department of Physics at The George Washington University started to reform the introductory physics and astronomy courses in active-learning format in 2008. These changes have been informed by the SCALE-UP pedagogy and targeted both algebra-based and calculus-based physics courses, as well as astronomy courses. As of last year, all of the introductory physics courses are delivered in SCALE-UP mode, and half of the introductory astronomy courses follow that format as well. These courses are taught by 15 faculty assisted by 11 graduate teaching assistants (GTAs), accommodating about 600 students per semester. The transformation involved faculty at all levels (tenured, tenure-track and part-time), as well as GTAs and undergraduate Learning Assistants. I will describe the critical implementation elements of the approach and the infrastructure that was created to sustain the reform. In addition, I will present several assessments with the most impact on long-term changes of faculty attitudes towards the adoption of evidence-based teaching methods. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 24, 2015 11:42AM - 11:54AM |
A8.00003: Learning Assistants in Introductory Physics: Replication at WVU 2011-2015 Paul Miller, Rachel Henderson From the fall of 2011 to the spring of 2015, the West Virginia University Learning Assistants (LA) program added undergraduate learning assistants to our introductory calculus-based physics sequence. Our program was implemented after attending the LA Workshop at the University of Colorado and funded through a grant that did not require a novel approach. From the perspective of hindsight, we report successes, challenges, and lessons from this experience. We present content learning gains (from the FMCE and CSEM) and attitudes (from the CLASS) data. We show that the program has improved learning gains overall and in some targeted categories, such as first-generation students. Finally, we document and explore differences in course readiness between fall and spring enrollees that were revealed through program assessment. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 24, 2015 11:54AM - 12:06PM |
A8.00004: Examining the Effects of Testwiseness Using the FCI and CSEM Seth DeVore, John Stewart Testwiseness is generally defined as the set of cognitive strategies used by a student and intended to improve their score on a test regardless of the test's subject matter. To improve our understanding of the potential effect size of several elements of testwiseness we analyze student performance on questions present in the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and Conceptual Survey on Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) that contain distractors, the selection of which can be related to the use of testwiseness strategies. Additionally we examine the effects of the position of a distractor on its likelihood to be selected in 5-option multiple choice question. Finally we present a brief overview of the existence of the examined testwiseness effects present in a number of standardized physics assessments. [Preview Abstract] |
Saturday, October 24, 2015 12:06PM - 12:18PM |
A8.00005: Career Moments in Physics: A New Curriculum Erin De Pree The physics community has many excellent resources on careers in and/or using physics. However, undergraduate students and many instructors are unaware of these resources or even of possible career paths with a physics degree. Over the last five years, I developed this curriculum on careers and research experience that is easy to use and engages students in the exploration of their options. The curriculum consists of ten short presentations in class, followed by a brief homework assignment. Topics include: finding summer research opportunities, writing a resume, finding job listings, research masters programs, exploring Ph.D. programs and more. After working through Career Moments in Physics, students are prepared to apply for summer research programs and have learned about many of the career options they have and how to further explore their options. The entire curriculum is available online. Curriculum website: tinyurl.com/careermomentsphysics [Preview Abstract] |
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