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Agenda Preview

Sessions & Panels

• Impact and Reflections on the 20+ years of TYC Physics Workshop Projects

  • • Physics Workshops for the 21st Century Project

    • BH01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
    • by Thomas O'Kuma,
    • Type: Invited
    • From 1991 to 2016, there was a series of nine National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education sponsored projects known as the Physics Workshops for the 21st Century Project. This project provided a series of faculty professional development workshops and conferences for high school and two-year college faculty who teach the core physics courses for technology and other programs. These workshops/conferences covered many of the major developments in teaching and learning strategies that have emerged in the last thirty years. In this talk, I will mention some of the many outcomes and teaching/program impacts that resulted from the over 100 workshops/conferences and many ancillary projects conducted during this endeavor.

  • • Reflections on TYC Workshop Project: Why I Am

    • BH02
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Dwain Desbien,
    • Type: Invited
    • I will be sharing how the TYC workshop project has helped shape me, my teaching and my professional career. In addition other workshop attendees will be sharing their experiences and thoughts about this 20+ year project. If you attended any of the TYC Workshop Projects directed by Curt Hieggelke, Tom Okuma and Dwain Desbien, we invite you to come and share your thoughts and experiences as we reflect on the multiple individual instructional impacts and the larger TYC and PER impacts the project has had during its tenure.

  • • TYC Physics Workshop Projects Impact and Reflections

    • BH03
    • Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
    • by Todd Leif,
    • Type: Invited
    • I will be sharing how the TYC workshop project has helped shape me, my teaching and my professional career. In addition other workshop attendees will be sharing their experiences and thoughts about this 20+ year project. If you attended any of the TYC Workshop Projects directed by Curt Hieggelke, Tom Okuma and Dwain Desbien, we invite you to come and share your thoughts and experiences as we reflect on the multiple individual instructional impacts and the larger TYC and PER impacts the project has had during its tenure.

  • • Impact of TYC Physics Workshop Project on Instruction and PER

    • BH04
    • Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:30PM
    • by Krista Wood,
    • Type: Invited
    • I will be sharing how the TYC Workshop Project has helped shape me, my teaching and my professional career. In addition, other workshop attendees will be sharing their experiences and thoughts about this 20+ year project. If you attended any of the TYC Workshop Projects directed by Curt Hieggelke, Tom O'Kuma, and Dwain Desbien, we invite you to come and share your thoughts and experiences as we reflect on the multiple individual instructional impacts and the larger TYC and PER impacts the project has had during its tenure.

• 30 Demos in 60 Minutes

  • • 30 Demos in 60 Minutes

    • CB
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
    • by Wendy Adams
    • Type: Panel
    • Our panel of physics teachers will present at least 30 dynamic demonstrations that will engage students in the wonder of science. Presenters will share tips on the setup, materials, procedure, and underlying science concepts so the audience can integrate these demos into their own classrooms.

• Avenues for Publishing in Astronomy Education

  • • Avenues for Publishing in Astronomy Education

    • TOP01
    • Mon 07/24, 12:00PM - 1:00PM
    • by Tim Slater
    • Type: Topical
    • Astronomy faculty are always looking for more information on how best to help their students learn. For those who want to share their best teaching ideas or classroom research results with the broader astronomy education and outreach community, there are a dizzying array of avenues available. In this 90-minute tutorial, you will have a chance to meet editors, reviewers, and authors for several publishing vehicles. We will provides insights about how to get your ideas disseminated through The Physics Teacher - AstroNotes, ASTRO EDU, and Journal of Astronomy & Earth Sciences Education, among others pathways available to you.

• Citizen Science and International Collaboration

  • • Participating in Scientific Discovery: The Role of Place-based Science Education

    • EL01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
    • by Karl Schneider,
    • Type: Invited
    • Participatory approaches in science are increasingly relevant. Among others, they provide access to environmental data that otherwise might be unavailable. More importantly, they help bridge the often perceived gap between scientists and citizens, making science more tangible, understandable and relevant. Today’s ubiquitous availability of smartphones is particularly helpful to engage a broad audience in scientific discovery. Using NASA’s GLOBE program as an example, this talk discusses opportunities of citizen science approaches in an international context. We discuss procedures to communicate scientific methods, to ensure data quality, and to develop proficiency in drawing conclusions using a set of simple analysis tools. With more than 110 countries participating, and a vast range of satellite data available through NASA, the GLOBE approach offers a unique opportunity to link local measurements to regional/global processes. International experience is increasingly important also in schools. The GLOBE community provides an excellent platform to internationalize teacher education.

  • • Smartphones as Mobile Pocket-Labs: Examples and Effects on Learning

    • EL02
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM

    • by Jochen Kuhn,, Pascal Klein

    • Type: Invited
    • Smartphones and tablets have increasingly become everyday tools, particularly for the younger generation. Until now, various articles have been published about smartphones and tablets as experimental tools in the physics classroom, making use of the manifold sensors such devices are equipped with. Although much conceptual work has been done, there are only few studies analyzing the effects of the use of these Pocket-Labs as experimental tools on learning (compared to best possible ‘traditional’ ways in physics classrooms settings). In this talk, a survey of examples using smartphones and tablets as experimental tools related to different topics in physics classrooms and in introductory physics courses will be presented. Finally an overview of the results of different studies with quasi-experimental treatment-control group design will be presented and their results will be discussed.

  • • German-American Cooperation in Physics Education for Citizen Science

    • EL03
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
    • by Eduard Krause,
    • Type: Invited
    • An important educational task for physics lies in the raising of awarenessfor a responsible handling of our planet. Therefore it is important to campaign for environmental-physical questions. With citizen science a broad public is supposed to make a contribution to research and to discuss related questions. The basic idea of the science labs presented, is to give an introduction in measuring technologies to a broad interested public. In this way it is possible to create means to collect large amounts of data. However, the theoretical foundations as well as the implementation of related activities require the expertise of several disciplines. International cooperation on these issues has proved to be beneficial. During the talk interdisciplinary and international citizen science-projects of the University of Siegen and Cologne (Köln) will be presented aiming to provide a differentiated view on issues of environmental physics.

• Climate Change

  • • Climate and Energy Education for Physical Science and Physics Classrooms

    • BE01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
    • by Jason Cervenec,
    • Type: Invited
    • Global climate change is a wicked problem. By taking part in our everyday activities, each of us emits a gas called carbon dioxide that spreads far from its source, impacting the lives of others for hundreds to thousands of years. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is now more abundant than it has been in 3 million years, causing a panoply of environmental impacts. World governments have agreed to adopt energy policies to keep temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius, but reaching such a target is becoming increasingly difficult. While often seen as belonging in the Earth sciences, which few students study beyond middle school, climate and energy literacy require content knowledge from biology, chemistry, and physics in addition to understanding the nature of science and argumentation. Many ways to strengthen both climate and energy literacy within physical science and physics classrooms will be presented.

  • • What Glaciers Really Tell Us About Climate Change?

    • BE02
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Umesh Haritashya,
    • Type: Invited
    • Glaciers play a major role in our Earth system. Looking back at many yearsof Earth’s existence ice ages have had massive impact in shaping our modern history and mesmerizing landscape. However, last the few decades have provided us a different reality where glaciers are retreating faster than ever and contributing heavily to the sea level rise. Although glaciers contain environmental history from many thousands of years, they also serve as a climatic marker and most visible evidence by responding directly to the climate change. Fortunately, they are much sturdier than ice cubes which melt fast when introduced to a warmer environment. Glaciers do not melt slowly, but when they start to melt and break down they generally represent major underlying issues. This presentation will highlight these issues and reflect on glacier sensitivity and its complex relationship with topography, glacier hydrological network, and climate system coupling involving the westerlies, the monsoon, the ocean circulations, and so forth.

  • • Effectively Scaffolding Critical Thinking about Politicized Science

    • BE03
    • Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
    • by Erin Hennes,
    • Type: Invited
    • As climate change has become politicized in the U.S. and around the world,physics educators have been confronted with the need to develop strategies for not only effectively teaching the science but addressing the unique psychological factors that lead to heightened skepticism in this domain. Information deficit models predict that education should increase acceptance of climate science, yet a large body of work demonstrates that education is ineffective in reducing skepticism and can even increase it. We take a social psychological approach to examining the motivations that underlie resistance to climate change information and how these motivations bias how scientific information is processed. We discuss strategies for addressing these motivations in the classroom in order to facilitate objective and accurate scientific information processing. Finally, we provide suggestions for scaffolding critical thinking about scientific evidence in order to empower the public to critically evaluate the evidence of anthropogenic climate change themselves.

  • • Physics of Clouds

    • BE04
    • Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
    • by Celia Chow,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Facing the global weather changes so drastically, one needs to find basic roots to understand the changes. The basic changes come from the variations in cloud formation, pressure, and temperature, etc. it is hard to put specific equations to describe these complex phenomenons. Yet, one can refer to tables, diagrams, plus some analytical equations to obtain more understanding. Hopefully, one can cope with our changing weather with deeper understanding.

  • • Using Climate Data to Teach Statistics

    • BE05
    • Mon 07/24, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
    • by Joseph Kozminski,
    • Type: Contributed
    • In this age of big data, sets of climate data are easily obtainable and freely available for use in the classroom or lab. Students seem to find working with real data more appealing than using toy data sets when learning statistics, and the wealth of climate data available is an especially valuable resource. It can be used for teaching basic statistics like mean and standard deviation to teaching more advanced topics like least squares fitting and correlations. These data are also useful for teaching various plotting techniques. Moreover, there is a positive social impact in using these data. When students are able to generate the climate plots they see in the news from these large datasets or to calculate the correlation coefficient between carbon dioxide emissions and average global temperature, for example, there is the opportunity for good conversation about climate disruption to arise.

  • • Climate Science Across the Liberal Arts Curriculum at Gustavus Adolphus College

    • BE06
    • Mon 07/24, 3:10PM - 3:20PM

    • by Charles Niederriter,, Julie Bartley, Thomas Huber, James Dontje, Jeff Jeremiason

    • Type: Contributed
    • At Gustavus Adolphus College, the Climate Science Project aims to help non-geoscience faculty introduce climate science content in their courses in order to increase climate science literacy among students. We assembled an interdisciplinary team of faculty with climate science expertise to develop climate science modules for use in non-geoscience courses. Faculty from the social sciences, humanities, arts, education, and natural sciences attended workshops in which they developed plans to include climate science in their courses. Based on these workshops, members of the development team created short modules for use by participating faculty that introduce climate science concepts to a non-specialist audience. The Climate Science Project at Gustavus Adolphus College aims to increase climate science literacy in both faculty members and students by creating accessible climate science content and supporting non-specialist faculty in learning key climate science concepts. In this way, climate science becomes embedded in current course offerings, including non-science courses.

• Coping Mechanisms for Physics Students from Underrepresented Groups

  • • Coping Mechanisms for Physics Students from Underrepresented Groups

    • BC
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
    • by Simone Hyater-Adams
    • Type: Panel
    • This session focuses on methods for thriving as a marginalized student in physics. This will be an alternative session that involves discussion with a panel as well as amongst attendees. There will also be a speaker who does research on the common experiences of underrepresented students in STEM in order to frame the panel and discussion. There will be a panel of students discussing their experiences in the field, and coping methods they used when facing hurdles, and some sort of activity that encourages attendees to come up with a toolkit of methods to cope with the hurdles they, or their students may be facing.

• Creating Inclusive Diverse Classrooms

  • • Making Graduate Education in Physics More Inclusive

    • DJ01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 9:00AM

    • by Geraldine Cochran,, Theodore Hodapp, Erika Brown

    • Type: Invited
    • Historically, access to education in the U.S. has not been equitable. Furthermore, intersectionality, the interaction of multiple identities, results in educational experiences that vary widely for diverse groups of students with implications for both the retention of current students and the recruitment of future students. In this talk, current literature on inclusion and intersectionality in graduate physics programs will be discussed. To better understand barriers to ethnic/racial minority students participating in graduate education a study has been conducted through the APS Bridge program, a program designed to increase the number of ethnic/racial minorities earning PhDs in physics. In this study, we analyzed student responses to an application question regarding why they chose not to apply to graduate physics programs. To further understand the barriers identified in the first phase of this study, we interviewed participants in the 2016 Cohort of the APS Bridge program. This work will be presented.

  • • Día de la Física: Working with Diverse Student Populations

    • DJ02
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Ximena Cid,
    • Type: Invited
    • In October 2016, the National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP) and UCIrvine held a one-day conference in conjunction with the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) annual conference. Día de la Física invited students from local Southern California institutions, including California State Universities (CSUs), and Universities of California (UCs) to participate in faculty seminars and lab tours. They were provided lunch and other refreshments throughout the day and any non-local students participating in the SACNAS conference were then transported to Long Beach, CA hotels. The goal of the Día de la Física was not only to introduce students to various subfields of physics, but also to provide an environment to foster mentoring and networking amongst participants and faculty. This session will highlight some successes as well as areas of improvement for future conferences.

  • • Using Student Reflection and Instructor Feedback to Combat Weed-out Culture

    • DJ03
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by Dimitri Dounas-Frazer,
    • Type: Invited
    • Twenty years ago, Seymour and Hewitt described many reasons why science students switch majors or drop out of college altogether. They identified weed-out culture as particularly salient to attrition of men of color and all women. According to Seymour and Hewitt, weed-out culture is partially characterized by professors’ lack of personal attention to students’ academic challenges. To combat this culture, my colleagues and I developed an activity through which students submit weekly reflections about their learning. In turn, instructors provide personalized responses to each student, ideally positioning themselves as people on whom students can depend while also encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning. In this presentation, I characterize student and instructor engagement in the activity, and I discuss how it may unintentionally reinforce ableist and racist ideologies that locate "fault" within students rather than educational structures. Finally, I describe a vision for student-teacher dialogue about institutional barriers to learning.

• Cultural Perspectives on Educational Technology

  • • Effects of Video-based Motion Analysis in University Recitations (Mechanics)

    • AA01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM

    • by Pascal Klein,, Jochen Kuhn, Müller Andreas

    • Type: Invited
    • In this contribution we report the results of a quasi-experimental, intervention-control-group studies concerning undergraduate physics courses. In the setting of weekly recitations, students adapted their theoretical knowledge to application-oriented problems. Traditional paper-and-pencil based exercises have been extended with video-based experiments that can be analyzed quantitatively (so-called video-based motion analysis tasks, VBMA tasks). This allows a deeper connection between theory and experimentation. After students gained first experiences with VBMA tasks, they conducted hands-on experiments themselves, recorded them and analyzed them with mobile devices (mobile VBMA tasks). Within the scope of this research and development project, we (1) designed instructions referring to such video-experiments, (2) investigated the feasibility of our approach for large lecture courses (N > 50), (3) investigated students' learning and motivation with standardized instrument with intervention- and control-groups, and (4) developed and validated new assessment instruments (focusing on representation competency and authenticity).

  • • The Electron Gas Model: A German-American Perspective on Teaching Electricity

    • AA02
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM

    • by Jan-Philipp Burde,, Thomas Wilhelm

    • Type: Invited
    • Understanding the basic concepts of electricity represents a major challenge to most students. In particular, most learners do not succeed in developing a robust understanding of voltage or potential and instead tend to reason exclusively with current and resistance. Similarly to the CASTLE curriculum, the proposed teaching concept links students’ everyday experiences with air pressure (e.g. bicycle tires) to the concept of “electric pressure”, which serves as a prototype conception of the electric potential. By using the air analogy, the teaching concept seeks to provide students with a powerful mental model of basic electrical quantities and enable them to qualitatively reason about electric circuits. After comparing German and US approaches to teaching electricity, the presentation will give an introduction to the key ideas of the teaching concept. Additionally, it is planned to reflect upon the research methods used in its development and assessment from a cultural perspective.

  • • Investigating Student Motivation and GTA Teaching Beliefs Towards Smartphone Technology

    • AA03
    • Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 9:40AM

    • by Sam Sridhar,, Colleen Countryman

    • Type: Contributed
    • The NC State Physics Department has developed a new type of lab course forintroductory mechanics courses. One aspect of this new lab course is to provide students with the option of using their own smartphones’ internal sensors for data collection. Our ongoing project—titled “MyTech,” or “Measurements using everydaY TECHnologies”—involved developing a new curriculum, creating a mobile app, and investigating the impact of students’ smartphones on their learning of physics concepts. The purpose of this pilot study is twofold: to qualitatively evaluate the impact of implementing the MyTech app on GTA (Graduate Teaching Assistant) teaching beliefs towards smartphone technology, and to establish a correlation between student motivation to use the MyTech app and graduate TA teaching beliefs towards smartphone technologies. We utilized a mixed method approach consisting of a five-point Likert assessment to quantitatively measure student motivation in introductory mechanics labs, as well as one-on-one interviews with GTA’s.

• Current Space/Astronomy/Physics News Used in the Classroom

  • • From Conceptual Frameworks to Mental Models for Astronomy

    • GF03
    • Wed 07/26, 1:20AM - 1:30AM

    • by David Pundak,, Ido Lieberman, Miri Shacham

    • Type: Contributed
    • This research investigated conceptual frameworks and mental models for astronomy held by college students, with regard to four areas of astronomical knowledge: ‘sky observations’, ‘the earth and its orbit’, ‘the solar system’ and ‘stars’, using the Conceptual Frameworks in Astronomy (CFA) new research instrument (Pundak, 2016). The responses of 537 students from three colleges were classified according to four mental models: pre-scientific, geocentric, heliocentric and stellar/scientific. The research findings indicate the existence of significant differences between the four mental models. Most of the students adopted a mix of these models and employed different conceptual frameworks with regard to different astronomical phenomena. Students with a scientific engineering background tended to employ the stellar/scientific model more in comparison with students from liberal arts colleges. The stellar/scientific model is an advanced model, which includes coherent astronomical conceptual frameworks. The research identified three variables: ’physics background’, ‘mean academic grade’ and ‘academic discipline’ that contribute to the adoption of the stellar/scientific model.

  • • Student Submission of News Articles for Extra Credit

    • GF01
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 1:10PM
    • by Richard Gelderman,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Once every week of the semester, the students in my introductory astronomycourse are encouraged to submit news articles for extra credit. We talk about each news item immediately after the extra credit submissions are collected, occasions are often the best moments of the semester. To receive extra credit, all that is required is that the source and date of the news story is clearly indicated and that they list the section(s) and/or page(s) in our text where that topic is presented. The process is designed to be easy for the students and easy for the instructor.

  • • Eclipse 2017: Through the Eyes of NASA

    • GF02
    • Wed 07/26, 1:10PM - 1:20PM
    • by Louis Mayo,
    • Type: Contributed
    • This year's August 21st, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Across America provides a unique opportunity to teach event-based science to nationwide audiences. NASA has spent the last three years planning science education programs for both formal and informal audiences to bring this celestial event to the public through the eyes of NASA. This talk will outline how NASA plans to use its unique assets including mission scientists and engineers, space based assets, citizen science, educational technology, science visualization, and its wealth of science and technology partners to bring the eclipse to the country through multimedia, cross-discipline science activities, curricula, and media programing.

  • • UWRF Astrophysics Research: Cosmic Opportunities for TYC Students and Beyond

    • GF04
    • Wed 07/26, 1:30PM - 1:40PM

    • by Jim Madsen,, Lowell McCann, Surujhdeo Seunarine

    • Type: Contributed
    • A challenge of integrating undergraduates into research is the need for foundational skills and knowledge. At UWRF, we have successfully involved students with as little as one year of introductory physics and no prior programming experience in national and international research projects. The key is to develop appropriate projects and provide just-in-time training to develop programming proficiency and other skills needed to carry out meaningful research. This talk will describe how we utilize our connections with the South Pole IceCube Neutrino Observatory and neutron monitors to provide 10 week summer astrophysics research opportunities. Our approach enables us to provide motivating research experiences earlier in students’ college careers, and thus work with a broader array of students, including those from two-year colleges.

• Decorator Set-up in the Exhbit Hall

  • • Decorator Set-up in the Exhbit Hall

    • EXH01
    • Robert Finnegan
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall

• Defining Units: Old and New

  • • An Introduction to the New International System of Units (SI)

    • AC01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Peter Mohr,*
    • Type: Invited
    • Physical science is based on measurements, and the results of measurementsare expressed in terms of units. Even though a majority of people in the U.S. still use units such as inches and pounds, the official standards for these units are linked to the International System of Units (SI). For example, the U.S. definition of the inch is that it is exactly 2.54 cm. The Treaty of the Meter that specifies exactly how units are defined was established in 1875 with 17 nations initially signing on, including the U.S. The SI, established within the treaty in 1960, is more recent and continues to evolve; plans have been made to redefine the SI around 2018. This talk will describe the new SI, review the reasons for the change, and show how units will be based on assigned values of certain physical constants.

  • • The New Definition of the Kilogram in the Revised International System of Units

    • AC02
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Stephan Schlamminger,
    • Type: Invited
    • A change to the International System of Units (SI) is currently under discussion and might become effective in 2019. This revision will change the foundation of the SI from base units to fundamental constants. For example, the definition of the unit of mass, the kilogram, which is presently given via an artefact, will be realized by using fixed values of three fundamental constants, the speed of light, the hyperfine structure of Cesium, and the Planck constant. Researchers at NIST have built a Kibble balance, formerly known as watt balance, to measure the mass of an object using these three defining constants. During this talk the principle of the Kibble balance will be explained using a working model, the NIST DIY watt balance.

  • • Using History to Take the Mystery Out of Units

    • AC03
    • Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
    • by Robert Morse,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Units in physics in the U.S. are trickier for introductory students than in most of the world as our “homely and familiar” units differ from our physics units. For years I have taken time to do a quick review of the history of units (a fascinating study in itself) in the context of providing practice with unit conversion, and tying values of units to familiar objects. I will give a quick overview of some of the units and their stories I have used in this endeavor.

  • • What I Want Students to Know About Units

    • AC04
    • Mon 07/24, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
    • by Charles Holbrow,
    • Type: Contributed
    • I argue it is more useful for students to know the historical definitions of SI units --- a kilogram is the mass of a liter of water, a meter is 1/10,000,000 of a quadrant of Earth's circumference, and a second is about a heartbeat or the half-period of a 1-meter long pendulum on Earth --- than to know the IUPAP definitions of SI mass, length, and time. Students need to understand the difference between units and dimensions: why the speed of light can be in tablespoons per barn-weekend and to check equations for dimensional consistency. I want them to know SI multipliers and to use them efficiently. I will tell you how to answer students who ask: What does it mean to have the speed of light or Planck's constant or Avogadro's number defined by international agreement?

  • • The Origin of the Metric System in Revolutionary France

    • AC05
    • Mon 07/24, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
    • by Chad Davies,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The metric system was born out of the economic and cultural forces that gave rise to the French Revolution. These factors, along with the ideals of the Revolution, led to an idea to create a national system of units based on that thing that was common to all humanity, the Earth. I will examine the methods and technologies, specifically the refinement of surveying instruments, that led to making the measurements necessary to define a length unit based on the size of the Earth itself. This will mark a shift from a hodge-podge of anthrocentric units to an attempt to establish a unit system based on standards available to all natural philosophers. While the effort would fall short of the aspirations of its primary proponents, the data used to determine the length of a meter played an important role in developing a method for characterizing experimental uncertainty.

• Designing Labs with Low-Cost Embedded Computers: Raspberry PI, BeagleBone, and Galileo

  • • Low-cost Embedded Computer: BeagleBone Black in the Lab

    • FB01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Leonardo Saunders,*
    • Type: Invited
    • The BeagleBone Black (BBB) platform is a low-cost, single-board embedded computer with impressive support from a community of developers, professional scientists and engineers, and hobbyists. Its tin-box size, affordability, and powerful features make it a formidable option for numerous projects ranging from web-based experiments to real-time data acquisition and control. The exciting range of applications of single board computers has encouraged a growing cohort of students at our campus to integrate such devices into applications both in the lab and in everyday life. As a specific example, the BBB has become the preferred prototyping platform for a complex microscope project. This talk will then 1) provide a summary of the BBB features and capabilities, 2) discuss current BBB projects in the CU Denver and Metropolitan State College of Denver physics programs, and 3) present the use of the BBB in developing a low-cost confocal microscope and low-cost 3D microscope stage.

  • • A Low-Cost Approach to Computerizing Hands-on Physics*

    • FB02
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM

    • by Clayton Coutu,, Andrzej Czarnecki,, David Fortin,, Lindsay LeBlanc,, Mark Freeman,

    • Type: Invited
    • Nothing grabs the interest of students like hands-on demonstrations that bring equations and problems off the paper. My goal is to show that by using small single-board computers, it is easy to assemble engaging experiments that do not empty your funds in the process. At the University of Alberta, we have been using Raspberry Pi's™ to up-keep our undergraduate physics labs; from tasks as simple as connecting to a camera and/or various sensors, to things more demanding like running an entire experiment using Python script. These computers provide an easy-to-use interface that helps students acquire valuable transferable skills that are also essential to any career in physics. Our recent focus has been on applications of the Raspberry Pi™, but there are many related products available that can get you and your class up and running.

  • • Measuring Alpha Particles with a PiCamera

    • FB03
    • Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
    • by Ian Bearden,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Using a PiCamera and RaspberryPi it is possible to build an alpha particledetector and rudimentary data acquisition system in somewhat less than an hour. This system allows one to "see" alpha particles in real time as well as to do simple qualitative experiments. More quantitative counting experiments can also be performed, but require basic programming skills. Such experiments will be discussed together with possibilities of employing such systems at the secondary school level.

  • • Using an Arduino to Monitor a Radiation and CO2 Sensors

    • FB04
    • Wed 07/26, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
    • by Timothy Duman,
    • Type: Contributed
    • This talk will present the use of an Arduino to read and record data from a micro Roentgen radiation monitor (Aware Electronics) and K-30 CO2 sensor (CO2METER.COM). The radiation monitor can be used in radioactive decay experiments and launched on our high-altitude balloon (HAB) platform. The CO2 sensor has been used to measure the atmospheric concentration on HAB launch. The data from this device can be recorded by a computer or SparkFun’s OpenLog module.

  • • Arduino-based Data Acquisition into Excel, LabVIEW and MATLAB

    • FB05
    • Wed 07/26, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
    • by Daniel Nichols,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Data acquisition equipment for physics can be quite expensive. As an alternative, data can be acquired using a low-cost Arduino microcontroller. The Arduino has been used in physics labs where the data is acquired using the Arduino software. The Arduino software however, does not contain a suite of tools for data fitting and analysis. The data is typically gathered first, and then imported manually into an analysis program. There is a way however, that allows data gathered by the Arduino to be imported in real time into a data analysis package. Illustrated in this article are add-ins for Excel, MATLAB, and LabVIEW that import data directly from the Arduino and allow for real-time plotting and analysis.

  • • Studying the Relation Between the Pressure and Temperature Using the Dot-39 Cylinder and a Wireless Temperature Sensor

    • FB06
    • Wed 07/26, 10:00AM - 10:10AM
    • by Mohammad Alshahrani,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The relation between the volume, pressure, and temperature is one of the most important concepts in thermodynamics. The following activity is an attempt to introduce the student to the idea of learning by doing. In fact, they do what was taken in class on the white board in a practical way. Simply, it is by using the Dot 39 cylinder, a wireless temperature sensor, a tablet, refrigerator compressor, and other cheap stuff such as tubes and tapes. Through doing this activity the student will be able to answer the following question. What happens to the inner tank’s temperature when its air is removed. This activity expands the students' horizon by making them think, imagine, discuss, and even ask: what if? This also helps to achieve one of the NGSS standards.

  • • Redesign of Third-Year Physics and Engineering Physics Laboratory Courses

    • FB07
    • Wed 07/26, 10:10AM - 10:20AM

    • by Bei Cai,*, Robert Knobel

    • Type: Contributed
    • The department of Physics at Queen’s University offers both physics and engineering physics programs, and the yearly term-long laboratory courses are an important part of the curriculum. As part of a multi-institution network called TRESTLE, we have recently started to revisit all our laboratory courses using a backward design strategy. Existing laboratory learning outcomes are tabulated. They are compared to the recommendations from the American Association of Physics Teachers for undergraduate physics laboratory curriculum, and evaluated by a faculty panel. A subset of learning outcomes missing from our current program have been identified. We are in the process of mapping the learning outcomes to our lab courses, in hope to scaffold and foster student learning throughout their undergraduate studies. Our third-year lab courses serve an important role in helping students to master the desired learning outcomes before graduation. Rather than having students follow detailed instructions and carry out a list of set experiments, we plan to implement activities where students design the experiment, exploiting the flexibility of modern low-cost technology. We have implemented a new pendulum experiment using Arduino microcontrollers and are considering possibilities of using Raspberry Pi for data acquisition to replace the old multi-channel analyzers in our nuclear experiments. We plan to develop some hands-on, supportive activities throughout the course to familiarize students with these processing and control units, and to better help them in their design projects. In this talk we will report our progress of these lab redevelopment efforts.

• Developing Successful Mentoring Relationships

  • • Role Model, Mentor, or Friend?

    • DD01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Nancy Easterly,
    • Type: Invited
    • Why did YOU stay in the classroom? The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future estimates that one-third of all new teachers leave after three years, and 46 percent are gone within five years. Did you have a formal mentor, friend, or colleague that made a significant difference in the first years of teaching? How did you come by these relationships that helped you over the 1-5 year “hump”? Have you thought about how you might help a new teacher stay in the classroom? Even after MANY years of teaching, do you still have a mentor? In preparation for this paper, I realized that my first physics mentor was my high school physics teacher, Edwin Paul Heideman. He did “cool” things almost every day. He initially attributed the explanation in a whispery voice, saying, “its magic”, but later developed a full blown physics explanation.

  • • Mutual Mentoring: What Works and Why It Is So Valuable*

    • DD02
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:30AM

    • by Anne Cox,, Cindy Blaha, Linda Fritz, Barbara Whitten

    • Type: Invited
    • We were part of an NSF ADVANCE grant mutual mentoring project for senior women faculty in chemistry and physics that began in 2007. We have continued our bi-monthly mentoring meetings for the past 10 years (well beyond the initial grant funding) because of the surprising value we found in having peer mentors. This talk will discuss what seems to have made our mentoring group so long-lasting as well as our initial work to spread this approach to others in the physics community through a new NSF-ADVANCE project: eAlliances- Uniting Isolated Physicists and Astronomers, http://ealliances.aapt.org.

  • • Lessons Learned from Facilitating Faculty Online Learning Communities

    • DD03
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 9:40AM

    • by Andy Rundquist,, Gillian Ryan, Adrienne Traxler, Jeremy Bailin, Melissa Dancy

    • Type: Contributed
    • We have facilitated six Faculty Online Learning Communities (FOLCs) in thelast two years and have learned many valuable lessons about how best to support, mentor, and cheer on faculty in their first few years of teaching. These FOLCs run for a year after each New Physics and Astronomy Workshop. We'll share some best practices for facilitating online synchronous meetings along with how to couple those effectively with asynchronous communications with the group. We'll talk about issues related to building and sustaining a robust community, helping faculty become more reflective about their teaching, and providing timely support.

  • • The Magic of Mentoring

    • DD04
    • Tue 07/25, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
    • by Michael Ponnambalam,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Teaching is a rare privilege and it offers plenty of opportunities to touch and transform the lives of countless students. And, mentoring is an integral part of teaching. The author's experience in this connection in several countries will be discussed.

  • • Framing the Use and Over-use of Part-time Faculty Positions

    • DD05
    • Tue 07/25, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
    • by Dennis Gilbert,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Given both the importance and the strong opinions about part-time positions in Two-Year Colleges, productive discussion requires care and thoughtfulness. This paper outlines some productive ways of framing the use and over-use of part-time faculty positions that contribute to faculty unity and make use of data and analytical resources, including the AAPT TYC Guidelines.

• Developing and Using Next-Generation Simulations

  • • Next-Generation PhET Simulations: New Opportunities for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment

    • CE01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:30PM

    • by Katherine Perkins,, Emily Moore the PhET Team

    • Type: Invited
    • From the diversification of educational devices to the adoption of the NGSS to the emergence of personalized and adaptive learning environments, physics education, and education technology are in a period of rapid change and unprecedented opportunity. In this session, we will highlight our efforts to create next-generation simulations – a suite of simulations that are more flexible, more interoperable, more engaging, and importantly, more accessible to students with disabilities. We will introduce PhET-iO simulations which bring new capabilities to flexibly customize and fully integrate the simulations into an instructional wrapper, and then capture data on student interaction. We will also describe our approach to bringing science inquiry to students with disabilities. Throughout, we will ground the talk in examples of what next-generation sim-based learning and assessment can look like in the classroom and online.

  • • Next Generation Open Source Physics Simulations

    • CE02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
    • by Wolfgang Christian,
    • Type: Invited
    • HTML-5 with JavaScript has become the platform of choice for computer-based interactive engagement teaching and curriculum development. This talk describes innovative uses of the Easy Java/JavaScript Simulations (EJS) modeling and authoring tool to enable students, teachers and curriculum developers to bridge the gap between desktop computers and mobile devices. Examples will include HTML-5 based simulations of physical systems that respond to the orientation of a mobile device, captive portals that mirror an instructor’s simulation on student mobile devices while simultaneously collecting student responses, and new curricula packaged in ComPADRE books, as EPubs, and as stand-alone mobile apps. Our tools and many ready-to-run examples are freely available from the Open Source Physics Collection hosted on the AAPT-ComPADRE digital library.

  • • Interactive Video Vignettes for Introductory Physics Courses*

    • CE03
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:30PM

    • by Robert Teese,, Priscilla Laws, Kathleen Koenig

    • Type: Invited
    • Interactive Video Vignettes (IVVs) are web applications that combine videowith required interactive elements such as video analysis, graphing, and questions. Vignette Studio, the free software developed in this project for authoring IVVs, can be downloaded from ComPADRE (www.compadre.org/IVV). Related projects for advanced physics labs and introductory biology developed new interactive elements. For example, with question-based branching, each possible answer to a multiple-choice question can link to a different subsequent page for individualized remediation. Nine sample IVVs on ComPADRE illustrate several styles and teaching techniques. They were based on research-validated curricular frameworks and student misconception research. Through a partnership with Cengage, six additional IVVs have been completed and others are in production. These IVVs will be available on WebAssign later this year. Pre/post data on over 3000 students of 17 faculty shows that these materials are effective at teaching hard-to-learn physics concepts.

  • • Real Time High-Performance Physics Simulations Over the Web Using WebGL

    • CE04
    • Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM

    • by Flavio Fenton,, Abouzar Kaboudian

    • Type: Contributed
    • Relatively fast and effective simulations and demonstrations of physics problems, that were easily accessible over the web, took off in the early 90s thanks to the use of Java applets. However in 2013 security concerns made the access to applets very difficult to the average user. Java Scripts and VPython/GlowScripts have become the answer to this problem. However they are still too slow for some large complex physics problem. WebGL also allows to run simulations over the web using a browser, however it performs simulations in parallel using the GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) of the local machine. This allows to perform, visualize and interact with very complex physics simulations in 2 and 3D domains extremely fast. Furthermore the codes are independent of machine and operating system, they only depend on the GPU, so they can even run on a cell-phone. We demonstrate various ODE and PDE physical systems.

  • • A Game-Centered, Interactive Approach for Using Programming Exercises in Introductory Physics

    • CE05
    • Mon 07/24, 5:40PM - 5:50PM

    • by Chris Orban,, Chris Porter,, Richelle Teeling-Smith,, Joseph Smith,, Nash Brecht,

    • Type: Contributed
    • Incorporating computer programming exercises in introductory physics is a delicate task that involves a number of choices that may have a strong affect on student learning, especially for absolute beginner programmers. We present a set of hour-long activities for classical mechanics that resemble well-known games such as "asteroids," "lunar lander," and "angry birds" as well as more sophisticated interactive visualizations. These activities use a browser-based programming framework called p5.js that provides a game-like environment to give students a feel for the physics. This framework can also be used to highlight the physics part of the code and to obscure physically uninteresting aspects of the program. We discuss experiences from using these programming exercises freshman physics classes at OSU’s Marion campus. In the future, we plan to assess learning gains quantitatively using an animated version of the Force Concept Inventory originally developed by M. Dancy.

  • • An Interactive Textbook on the Physics of Sound

    • CE06
    • Mon 07/24, 5:50PM - 6:00PM

    • by Kyle Forinash,, Wolfgang Christian

    • Type: Contributed
    • The bulk of the information provided to students in most courses is staticin nature, consisting of PDF or PowerPoint versions of lecture notes, sample tests, syllabus and supplementary material. This is in spite of a trend for more interactive teaching methods such as group work, online chats, clickers, and Socratic dialog to mention only a few. So are there ways to make the assigned reading material more interactive? In this talk we will demonstrate the features of an interactive book on the physics of sound, which we published recently on iTunes. This book was used this past semester in an introductory physics of sound class and uses interactive simulations, sound clips and YouTube links to present a much more interactive text to students.

• Effective Practices for Integrating Computation in Undergraduate Physics

  • • PICUP Framework for Integrating Computation into Undergraduate Physics Courses

    • BB06
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:10PM
    • by Kelly Roos,
    • Type: Invited
    • The Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (PICUP), an informal group of physics faculty from around the country, is committed to building a community of STEM educators dedicated to integrating computation into the undergraduate curriculum. PICUP seeks to impact the undergraduate physics curriculum by facilitating the inclusion of computer-based, algorithmic problem solving in such a way that it plays a role that is as important as non-computational mathematics. Such computational inclusion can providing a deeper conceptual understanding of physical principles, and enhance students’ problem-solving abilities. In this presentation, I shall describe the framework behind PICUP’s unique educational materials development effort.

  • • Our Department Journey towards Computational Competency

    • BB07
    • Mon 07/24, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
    • by Marty Johnston,
    • Type: Invited
    • In this talk I will describe the process of curricular revision at the University of St. Thomas, an averaged sized bachelor degree granting program. For over a decade we have been working to infuse computational skills throughout our curriculum. As our understanding of physics education evolves, our curriculum changes with it. It has been a slow but steady process involving the entire department – experts and non-experts alike. By building a holistic vision for our program and making it a departmental effort we have made lasting changes to our curriculum.

  • • Integrating Computational Activities Vertically into the Physics Curriculum

    • BB08
    • Mon 07/24, 2:20PM - 2:30PM
    • by Jay Wang,
    • Type: Invited
    • Students benefit from computation in the classroom in multiple ways, including better understanding through hands-on engagement, solving more realistic problems, learning deeper insight via model building, increasing computational thinking, and gaining a central skill set for careers recommended in the Phys21 report. In this panel presentation we describe vertical integration of computational modeling activities into physics courses from introductory to graduate levels. We discuss specific examples from all core areas of physics such as projectile motion with drag, planetary simulations, electromagnetics and waves, Boltzmann distribution and Brownian motion, visualizing quantum mechanics, and so on (see http://www.faculty.umassd.edu/j.wang/ for select examples). These examples can be used as actual projects or as ready-to-use demos in the classroom. They are given in Jupyter notebook format, but can be adapted to any programming environment. For active participation, please bring your own device with Python, Jupyter (and optionally VPython) installed (see installation instructions at above link).

• Effective Practices in Educational Technology

  • • Competency-based Approach to Teaching Physics in College: The Philosophy and the Practice

    • GI01
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 1:10PM
    • by Ajith Rajapaksha,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The discipline of physics has performed a historical role in providing insights and apprenticeship in critical thinking and problem solving skills for those who mastered the discipline of physics as well as for others who sought mastery in scientific or non-scientific disciplines. The skills earned through an apprenticeship in physics are transdisciplinary in nature and therefore, applicable independent of a discipline’s context. However, the standard practices of physics instruction does not intentionally monitor nor evaluate these skills. This undermines the relevance and value of learning physics to its learners. In a competency-based (CB) learning model, the skills (competencies) are clearly defined and evaluated. Learners strive to achieve competencies throughout the learning process. The CB method directly communicates to learners, the expectations of a particular learning experience and strictly shift the responsibility from the instructor (or instructions) towards the learner. We developed and practiced a CB course curriculum to teach introductory physics to learners who are majoring in the technology disciplines at Purdue University. The method was practiced for five consecutive semesters. In addition to providing enhanced physics conceptual learning outcomes, the CB method provided a mean to encapsulate a learner as a whole within the learning process. The method and the underlying pedagogy has the potential for direct applicability in all the levels of physics instruction as well as in all the STEM disciplinary instructions.

  • • An Investigation on On-off Line Hybrid Teaching Strategy

    • GI02
    • Wed 07/26, 1:10PM - 1:20PM

    • by Hana Jung,, Jhun Youngseok

    • Type: Contributed
    • The main purpose of elementary school physics education is to grow students’ inquiry skill with which they could investigate nature phenomena and solve problems in the real world by the scientific way. Inquiry learning includes some processes such as making hypothesis, designing and performing experiments, collecting data, and making a conclusion. The effective way to develop inquiry skill of students in an elementary level is doing an experiment on authentic nature phenomenons. However, the school education system has trouble with lack of time, resource and non-individual environment as they conduct real experiment activities especially in the physic class. So, an online web-based teaching strategy has become a highlighted alternative way to complement an off-line physics experiment, covering weak points of it. Even though web-based teaching has good points, it also has shortcomings. Students have to face a machinery interface instead of human being, being lack of emotional and implicative touching with class colleagues and teacher. This study would investigate an on-off-line hybrid teaching strategy to take advantage of online and off-line teaching skill and minimize their shortcomings.

  • • Customizing Computer Coaches to Align with My Preferred Pedagogy

    • GI03
    • Wed 07/26, 1:20PM - 1:30PM
    • by Andrew Pawl,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Since 2010 I have been struggling to get my students to use a structured approach to problem solving in mechanics: the “System, Interactions, Model” or “S.I.M.” strategy. One of the greatest difficulties is the fact that standard web-based homework systems are usually too limited to teach or even reinforce structured problem solving behavior among students. When I learned about the “C3PO” customizable computer coach software system developed in 2014 by the University of Minnesota Physics Education Research group*, I felt I had finally found a system that could be adapted to teach the SIM approach. Beginning in fall 2016 I have deployed 5 tailored computer coaches as part of the homework in my introductory mechanics courses. I will present what I learned from the process of customizing these coaches and how they have affected the performance of my students.

  • • Using Interactive Video Vignettes to Change Student Conceptions

    • GI04
    • Wed 07/26, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
    • by Jonathan Engelman,*
    • Type: Contributed
    • Changing student conceptions in physics is a difficult process and has been a topic of research for many years. In this session, we will explore how two different structures of online videos changed student conceptions of Newton’s second and third laws in distinct ways. A framework of elicit, confront, resolve, reflect was used to analyze student experiences with two Interactive Video Vignettes using a fully integrated mixed methods research design. While watching these videos, students experienced the framework in qualitatively different ways and these differences had unique impacts on conceptual change. Implications for design and structure of online videos will be discussed.

  • • Lab Without a Lab: An IOLAB-centered Alternative to the Traditional Lab Experience

    • GI05
    • Wed 07/26, 1:40PM - 1:50PM

    • by Stephen Mecca,, Seth Ashman, Eric Gust, Nicole Boyd, Colby Anderson

    • Type: Contributed
    • An alternative approach for the traditional General Physics lab (TL) is outlined. The Lab Without a Lab (LWL) includes hardware, software and procedures for an e-intensive yet hands-on active learning lab program and overcomes the need for lab space, an inventory of apparatus and the presence of an overseeing instructor. The hardware features the IOLAB and a component kit to enable a student to complete the experiments one finds in a TL lab program. The soft elements of the system include: flip videos for the usual instructor-led preparation that normally precedes a lab, a structured set of questions for each lab, and an innovative configured APP for student reports. Proof of concept has been effected and a full scale pilot to assess the LWL system versus the TL is planned for the 2017-2019. The impacts for TL physics, distance learning including MOOCs and for developing world rural schools are discussed.

  • • Online Inquiry Learning with Pivot Interactives

    • GI06
    • Wed 07/26, 1:50PM - 2:00PM

    • by Peter Bohacek,, Matt Vonk

    • Type: Contributed
    • Pivot Interactives are online learning activities that combine matrices ofDirect Measurement Videos with interactive measurement tools, instructions, and data tables and graphing. The combination allows teachers to create complete web-based inquiry learning cycles. Students observe systems and events, develop questions, make predictions, then design and execute experiments to build knowledge, and report their findings -- all in a single webpage. These activities can be used to teach or assess lab skills, or even conduct flipped learning for students to learn lab skills.

  • • Interactive Video Vignettes Target Student Understanding of One-Dimensional Motion*

    • GI07
    • Wed 07/26, 2:00PM - 2:10PM

    • by Kathy Koenig,, Robert Teese, Priscilla Laws

    • Type: Contributed
    • Two new interactive video vignettes (IVVs), developed by the LivePhoto Physics Group, target student understanding of whether velocity and acceleration are negative or positive when an object changes direction or speed in one-dimensional motion. Each IVV allows the user to make a prediction about some motion and then use video analysis to develop a general rule for deciding whether an object is slowing down or speeding up. As part of our evaluation to determine the impact of the IVVs on student understanding of these ideas, each IVV was assigned as homework across 7 sections of introductory calculus-based physics. Concepts involved in the IVVs were later assessed using exam questions. Results will be presented that demonstrate the impact each IVV had on student understanding of one dimensional velocity and acceleration.

  • • Project Accelerate: Blended SPOC Bringing AP Physics to Underserved Students

    • GI08
    • Wed 07/26, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
    • by Mark Greenman,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Boston University is in the second year of a pilot program, Project Accelerate, partnering with 11 high schools in Massachusetts and West Virginia to bring a College Board approved Advanced Placement® Physics Small Private Online Course to schools not offering this opportunity to students. Project Accelerate students (1) outperformed peer groups in traditional AP Physics classrooms on the College Board AP Physics exam, and (2) were more inclined to engage in additional Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs than they were prior to participating in Project Accelerate. Project Accelerate combines supportive infrastructures from the students' traditional school, a highly interactive private edX online course and small group laboratory experiences. Project Accelerate offers a replicable solution to a significant problem of too few underserved high school students having access to high quality physics education, resulting in these students being ill prepared to enter STEM careers and STEM programs in college.

  • • Programming a Computer-based Tutor for Rotational Dynamics*

    • GI09
    • Wed 07/26, 2:20PM - 2:30PM

    • by Vasudeva Aravind,, Kevin Croyle

    • Type: Contributed
    • Teaching and learning is only useful when students are able to retain knowledge, and apply the lesson learned at appropriate circumstances. Employing a tutor is well known to improve student learning and retention. However, due to the personnel time and costs involved, very few students are able to get access to a tutor. In this project, we attempted to program a computer-based tutoring system that will teach the students problem solving in rotational dynamics, and challenge them on the concepts learned. We used a user-friendly, non-technical programming tool called the Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tool (CTAT) hosted by Carnegie Mellon University. The goal of this tutor was to achieve robust student learning through appropriate hints and feedback in the process of solving a problem. We demonstrate that first year university physics students were able to achieve learning goals with this programmed tutor. We discuss the lessons learned from deploying this tutor, and possible future improvements.

  • • Modeling the Fluid Dynamics that Shape a River's Ecosystem

    • GI10
    • Wed 07/26, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
    • by Andre Bresges,
    • Type: Contributed
    • In Cologne's Competence Labs, we use a Game engine to model the Rhine River ecosystem. In the river, the fluid dynamics of the streaming water shapes a set of interconnected habitats. In the boundary layer at the riverbanks, plants, mossels and biofilms exist. Crabs and Barbels navigate the turbulent border areas of the river, harvesting the biomass of the boundary layer, while avoiding the high-flow area of the center stream. This is the habitat of sleek predators like pike and salmon that are able to navigate in the flow of 1 m/s to 3 m/s at the center while hunting for prey in the border areas. Data from the river authority is used to model this as virtual environment in Unreal Editor. No programming knowledge is required. The visible influence on the animal’s movement is exploited and contextualized with physics experiments in the Competence Lab.

  • • Exploring Dark Matter Density Distributions in Introductory Courses

    • GI11
    • Wed 07/26, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Alex Barr,, Kathleen Hamilton, Dave Eidelman

    • Type: Contributed
    • Galaxy rotation curves offer an accessible entry point for physics and astronomy students to begin learning about dark matter. At the introductory level, discussions of galaxy rotation curves often focus on how rotation curves offer support for the theory of dark matter and leave unaddressed questions of how the dark matter may be distributed throughout a galaxy and what percentage of galactic mass may be due to dark matter. In this presentation, I will share an Easy Java Simulation that allows students to experiment with different hypothetical dark matter density distributions as well as vary the amount of dark matter and the halo scale length. Students vary the density distribution and its parameters as they attempt to match the resulting theoretical rotation curve to actual experimental measurements for three different spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way. The simulation allows students to explore dark matter in more detail without getting tied down in tedious calculations.

  • • Smartphone-Based Stereoscopic Virtual Reality in Introductory Physics

    • GI12
    • Wed 07/26, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by Joseph Smith,*, Christopher Orban, Christopher Porter

    • Type: Contributed
    • The use of virtual reality (VR) in instruction has been difficult due to high-cost headsets or “caves”, and the challenge of serving an entire student population with only one or a few such devices. This has changed with the advent of smartphone-based stereoscopic VR. Inexpensive cardboard headsets and smartphones already in students’ pockets are the only elements needed for a virtual reality experience. We have designed short VR training sessions and have studied the utility of this training in the context of charge and electric fields in an introductory physics course at the Ohio State University. We compare performance on pre-post tests between students trained using VR, those trained using a video of the VR content, and those trained using static 2D images as in a traditional text. Although data are preliminary in this growing study, we comment on possible reasons for differences among student groups.

• Electricity, Energy, and Particles: Squishy Circuits, Scribble Bots, and the Particle Zoo

  • • Electricity, Energy, and Particles: Squishy Circuits, Scribble Bots, and the Particle Zoo

    • CA
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
    • by Tommi Holsenbeck
    • Type: Panel

  • • PTRA: What is Squishy, Moves and Is Really, Really Small?

    • CA01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
    • by Elizabeth Holsenbeck,
    • Type: Panel
    • Experience the world from a different view point. See how K-8 science has evolved and how PTRA can help you. Participants will engage in three inquiry activities.

• Engineering Education

  • • Productive Intersections between PER and Engineering Education: Ethics Education

    • AI01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Ayush Gupta,
    • Type: Invited
    • In this talk I will focus on ways in which physics education research and engineering education research can come together, in particular in developing ways to educate our next generation of STEM graduates to think carefully about the ethical implications of their work. Engineering education has long had a focus on professional ethics, with the principal effort directed towards developing innovative curriculum. I will discuss trends within engineering ethics education, what has been learned and what are the current pursuits of research and development. I will discuss how these advancements can help physics education researchers forge a new direction of research in PER focused on the ethical education of physics majors and how the current tools (theoretical and methodological) within PER can help us make progress in this direction.

  • • Broadening Contexts to Broaden Participation in Engineering

    • AI02
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Morgan Hynes,
    • Type: Invited
    • Much work has been done and is being done to increase the number and diversity of students choosing an engineering career pathway. The evaluation of various curricular and programmatic interventions aimed at improving students’ attitudes and beliefs about engineering have documented success in the form of increased positive gains. However, the numbers of students choosing engineering career pathways has not seen any significant change. In this interactive presentation, Dr. Hynes will present his hypothesis that current engineering education outreach activities have done a great job at appealing to students’ situational interests, but not such a great job at appealing to diverse students’ personal interests. The presentation will include discussion of data from a study on students’ interests and understandings of engineering, a framework for engineering activities that integrate students’ personal interests, and rich examples of such activities.

  • • Revolutionizing Engineering Education: New Directions for an Evolving Discipline

    • AI03
    • Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by Monica Cox,
    • Type: Invited
    • The first departments of engineering education in the United States were established in 2005 followed by the creation of several new engineering education departments varying in mission, scope, student populations served, and university type. This talk highlights lessons the presenter learned as a faculty member and as a department chair in two newly created engineering education departments at research universities in the United States. Framed within the context of business, engineering education, and education literature, the talk identifies ways for leaders within any organization to connect interdisciplinary faculty and staff representing diverse backgrounds, to build cohesive communities of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) researchers, and to introduce appropriate modes of communication inside and outside of an organization.

• Exhibit Hall Open

  • • Exhibit Hall Open (Sunday)

    • EXH03
    • Sun 07/23, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
    • Robert Finnegan
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall

• Exhibit Hall Open (Monday)

  • • Exhibit Hall Open (Monday)

    • EXH04
    • Mon 07/24, 10:00AM - 5:00PM
    • Robert Finnegan
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall

• Exhibit Hall Open (Tuesday)

  • • Exhibit Hall Open (Tuesday)

    • EXH07
    • Tue 07/25, 10:00AM - 4:00PM
    • Robert Finnegan
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall

• Exhibitor Set-up

  • • Exhibitor Set-up

    • EXH02
    • Sun 07/23, 10:00AM - 6:00PM
    • Robert Finnegan
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall

• Friday Registration

  • • Friday Registration

    • REG01
    • Fri 07/21, 4:00PM - 7:00PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Registration

• Frontiers in Astronomy

  • • Building Supermassive Black Hole Binaries

    • AE01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Kelly Holley-Bockelmann,
    • Type: Invited
    • Astronomers now know that supermassive black holes reside in nearly every galaxy. Though these black holes are an observational certainty, nearly every aspect of their evolution -- from their birth, to their fuel source, to their basic dynamics -- is a matter of lively debate. In principle, gas-rich major galaxy mergers are key to generate the central stockpile of fuel needed for a low mass central black hole "seed" to grow quickly and efficiently into a supermassive one. When the black holes in each galaxy meet, they form a supermassive binary black hole, the loudest gravitational wave source in the Universe, with the energy to transform its galactic host. This talk will touch on some current and ongoing work on refining our theories of how supermassive black hole binaries grow, evolve within, and alter their galaxy host.

  • • Finding Planets by Chemical Signatures in their Host Stars

    • AE02
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Eileen Friel,
    • Type: Invited
    • Over 3000 extrasolar planets have been confirmed and an equal number of candidates await confirmation. The many systems discovered are diverse and the relationships between their properties are key to informing theories of planetary formation. Among the earliest and most surprising results was the apparent correlation between the frequency of planetary systems and the overall abundance of heavy elements, or the metallicity, of the host star. More recent work has taken advantage of the ability to measure extremely precise stellar elemental abundances to reveal an unexpected and intriguing correlation between the detailed chemical abundance pattern in the host stars and the presence of rocky planets. These abundance patterns may, themselves, offer another pathway to identifying Earth-like planets around other stars as well as shedding light on the formation and evolution of both these planetary systems and their host stars.

  • • Globular Clusters, Galaxy Formation, Dark Matter, and Black Holes

    • AE03
    • Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by Katherine Rhode,
    • Type: Invited
    • Globular clusters are spherical star clusters with thousands to millions of stars packed into a region only a few light years across. These clusters are extremely luminous and are among the oldest objects in the Universe. Globular clusters exist in all types of galaxies, from low-mass dwarfs to giant elliptical galaxies. Together these properties make globular clusters valuable “fossil records” that provide crucial clues about the formation history of their host galaxies. I will describe results from a wide-field optical imaging survey of the globular cluster populations of giant galaxies and explain what they tell us about how galaxies formed and evolved in the first few billion years after the Big Bang. I will also show how the globular clusters identified in the survey are being used to investigate the dark matter distribution of their host galaxies, and how they helped us discover the first black holes in globular clusters.

• Going Public: How to Get Published

  • • I've got a Great Idea for a Book -- Now What?

    • DB01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Diandra Leslie-Pelecky,
    • Type: Invited
    • Most scientists know the steps to publishing in a scientific journal, but what if you want to write for the public? Using my experience with The Physics of NASCAR and my current book project, I’ll share a roadmap for pitching, selling, and surviving your science book. I’ll focus on the initial stages: evaluating, ,and refining your idea; identifying your audience and competition; getting your idea ready to pitch to an agent; and getting your book proposal ready for your agent to pitch to a publisher. I’ll briefly talk about similarities between books and other forms of public outreach including speaking, podcasting, radio, television, and movies. I’ll finish with a list of questions you should be able to answer before you start telling everyone “I’m going to write a book”.

  • • The Joy and Challenge of Writing for a Broad Audience

    • DB02
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Carl Mungan,
    • Type: Invited
    • Traditionally, faculty job descriptions involve three legs of a stool: teaching, research, and service. I suggest the stool is missing a leg - pedagogy - the scholarship of better understanding the foundations and applications of physics even if they are not directly tied to a course one is teaching or to one's research. Many physicists are interested in pedagogy and have clever ideas they would like to share. However they are not very good at presenting those ideas, especially to nonspecialists. In this talk I will share some opinions about: *motivations for writing broadly*; *sources of inspiration*; *nature of the audience*; *organizing a paper along a storyline*; *the contrast between research and pedagogical articles*; *use of effective diagrams, applications, and demonstrations*; and *making time and energy to write*.

  • • Publishing in Traditional and Non-traditional Formats: Lessons Learned

    • DB03
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by Cindy Schwarz,
    • Type: Invited
    • Since 1992, I have published four different titles. Two were with traditional publishers; A Tour of the Subatomic Zoo: A Guide to Particle Physics (three different publishers) and Interactive Physics Workbook (2 editions with Prentice Hall). I self- published Tales from the Subatomic Zoo (print and e-books) and Adventures in Atomville: The Macroscope ( a children’s book in print, e-books and also in Spanish). Navigating self-publishing, including how to get an isbn and how to do it the most cost effective way can be a challenge. I have lots of advice. I have been through many processes including most recently getting rights back from Springer to publish my Tour of the Subatomic Zoo: A Guide to Particle Physics in a third edition with Morgan Claypool through IOP Concise Physics (in color print and ebooks). In this talk I will share what I have learned along the way.

• Graduate Student Topical Discussion

  • • Graduate Student Topical Discussion

    • TOP03
    • Mon 07/24, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
    • by Daryl McPadden
    • Type: Topical
    • This session is the primary opportunity for members of the PER graduate students and undergraduate communities to meet and discuss common issues.

• High School

  • • Lessons from an Online Course Preparing Students for AP Physics 1

    • EI01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
    • by Andrew Duffy,
    • Type: Contributed
    • For the past three years, Boston University has offered an online course on edX to help prepare students for the AP Physics 1 exam in May. In this talk, I will discuss our experiences, comment on the AP Physics 1 exam results, and lay out future plans.

  • • Using Ranking Tasks, TIPERS and nTIPERS in HS Physics

    • EI02
    • Tue 07/25, 1:40PM - 1:50PM
    • by Kathleen Willard,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Physics Education Research has put out several books that can be used to facilitate student learning. I will talk about how I use these in the classroom to get a snapshot of student understanding while helping them transition their thinking from their other classes to their physics class.

  • • Assessing Modeling Instruction’s Impact on Representational Use in Lab Situations

    • EI03
    • Tue 07/25, 1:50PM - 2:00PM

    • by Kathleen Harper,, Lin Ding, Ted Clark, Matthew Kennedy

    • Type: Contributed
    • Workshops in Modeling Instruction for physics have been offered in centralOhio for 14 years. Their evaluation has largely focused on changes in the conceptual understanding of the participating teachers, as well as of their students, using the Force Concept Inventory. Previously, we reported on using a “lab question” from a recent AP exam as a way of determining the impact of the workshop on the participating teachers. It was found that the workshop influenced the teachers’ responses, particularly that they employed representational skills gained in the workshop. In this continuation study, the same question was given to students taking AP physics from Modeling teachers. These teachers varied in the number of years since they took the workshop, as well as the degree to which they employed Modeling techniques. The analysis and results will be discussed.

  • • Weight vs. Mass, What's the Big Deal?

    • EI04
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:10PM
    • by Matthew Kennedy,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Many high school science students struggle with the concepts of weight andmass and often harbor many misunderstanding and misconceptions surrounding both terms. Historically students memorize definitions without true conceptual understanding. Here I will present a "mini-model" that was developed to augment the AMTA's (American Modeling Teachers Association) Modeling Instruction materials in the Physical Science Curriculum, but can be applied in middle school science, high school physics or even high school chemistry classes. By the end of the "mini-model," students will have a deeper understanding of both weight and mass, and a richer understanding of when we use these each of these concepts in the physical sciences.

  • • Helping Students with AP Physics Paragraph-Length & Qualitative-Quantitative-Translation Questions

    • EI05
    • Tue 07/25, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
    • by Paul Lulai,
    • Type: Contributed
    • This talk will address methods to practice and improve student responses on paragraph-length response, and qualitative-quantitative-translation questions. These question types are required of students on the free response portion of the Advanced Placement Physics 1 & 2 exams.

  • • Developing Literacy in the 9th Grade Physics Classroom

    • EI06
    • Tue 07/25, 2:20PM - 2:30PM

    • by Austin Hauser,, Rachelle Klinger

    • Type: Contributed
    • The development of literacy skills are often lost in the physics curriculum. At Herron High School, a public charter high school in Indianapolis, physics is taught as a first science course. Because of these two factors, we have gradually introduced literacy as an emphasis in our skills-based curriculum. We have developed materials, content, and instructional methods through close cooperation with our English and Social Studies departments. We will share our successes, challenges, and future goals for science literacy in physics.

  • • Lise Meitner and Nuclear Fission: Gender, Trajectory, and Nobel in Physics Classrooms

    • EI07
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 2:40PM

    • by Isabelle Lima,, Maria Cristina Penido

    • Type: Contributed
    • The aim of this paper is to present a didactic strategy used in a high school classroom in order to address ideas present in the Nuclear Fission theory in a historical perspective focusing on the role of Lise Meitner in the development of this theory. With this strategy, we intended students to know her contributions, from studying her published articles and aspects of her academic trajectory. This way, we attempted to promote a discussion about peculiar characteristics to a woman's trajectory in the academy and the reasons for her absence among Nobel Prize winners. At the end of the intervention, it was possible to see, through the discussions, that the students identified aspects that characterize the development of science, such as unequal opportunities experienced by women at that time, and their relation to the development of a theory.

  • • The New CPEP History and Fate of the Universe Chart

    • EI08
    • Tue 07/25, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
    • by Katrina Brown,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP) has revised its History and Fate of the Universe chart. The chart helps students find some answers to the questions we have about where we’ve been and where we’re going. We discuss how this chart can be used not only to bring interest to the classroom but also how it can be used to teach elements of cosmology. The chart is complemented by The Universe Adventure which is online and accessible in several languages. We will show the original and updated versions of the chart, and introduce teaching activities that can be used to accompany it.

  • • Teaching Vector Mathematics with a Three Wheeled Robot

    • EI09
    • Tue 07/25, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by James Lupton,, Damian Khan

    • Type: Contributed
    • We have built and tested a three-wheel robot with independent drives in order to facilitate teaching vector concepts. Students will use a robot driven by three servo motors with wheels which provide push only the corners of an equilateral triangle. They will be required to discover how to drive the vehicle in the horizontal x-y plane. The vector transformation matrix reinforces algebraic concepts at a critical time in the physics students learning. The lesson will be tested with High School Honors and Calculus based Physics classes in the fall of 2017. The goal is to facilitate student understanding of orthogonal vector components and give them practice in performing vector transformations.

  • • High Altitude Ballooning in Two Days

    • EI10
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
    • by Eric Strong,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The School for the Talented and Gifted High School (TAG), Dallas ISD, has embarked on a “TAG to the Stratosphere” flight test program to develop the processes and technology to carry an instrumented payload to an altitude of 125,000 feet. For each flight, a student team spent one school day to design and build the payload and associated hardware and a second day to launch, track, chase, and recover. The first two flights of the program have been completed. With the first flight of the program focused on a proof-of-concept goal and the second flight of the program focused on a subsystem testing, a well-developed knowledge base is available for subsequent flights. This knowledge base includes flight path prediction, camera (still and video) selection and reprogramming, payload suspension methods, radar reflector construction, GPS data recording, recovery location determination, balloon inflation procedures, balloon chase procedures, and FAA regulations.

  • • Modeling with Chinese Students

    • EI11
    • Tue 07/25, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
    • by Igor Proleiko,
    • Type: Contributed
    • While Chinese students are famous for their dedication to studying and responsibility, Modeling instruction is not a familiar way of learning for them. Challenges and accomplishment with the students in AP Physics are discussed and analysed.

• Highlights of TYC New Faculty Experience

  • • Highlights of TYC New Faculty Experience

    • EG
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
    • by Todd Leif
    • Type: Panel
    • The New Faculty Experience for Two-Year College faculty is an 18-month immersion and mentoring program offered to faculty in their first five years of teaching full-time at a two-year college in the United States funded by NSF grant # 1225603. This is the commencement of the fourth cohort of faculty to go through the experience. The presentation will consist of an overview of the 18-month experience, some statistical data on the participants, and the impact the project is making. It also includes a group of participants who will share their experiences from the conference.

  • • Introduction to the Two-Year College New Faculty Experience

    • EG01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
    • by Scott Schultz,
    • Type: Panel
    • The New Faculty Experience for Two-Year College Physics Faculty is a comprehensive program to improve student learning through faculty professional development. The 18-month experience uses both online and face-to-face sessions to encourage and support faculty in their first five years of full-time instruction to transform their pedagogical approach to use research-based active engagement strategies. This is the fourth cohort to complete the program. A complimentary program is the Alumni-in-Residence program where several past participants return to help lead sessions and to engage in leadership development. The program has been very successful over the last decade in impacting new physics faculty to improve classroom learning, but through retirements, the ranks of two-year college physics leaders were being depleted. We created a program to support the professional development to build the next generation of leaders for the community.

• History and Philosophy in Physics Courses

  • • Albert Michelson and the Dichotomy between Megaprojects and Table-top Science

    • FC01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Philip Taylor,
    • Type: Invited
    • During the past 130 years the range of sizes and costs for scientific apparatus has expanded enormously. While some groundbreaking science is still done at modest cost, other experiments now require several billions of dollars to achieve their goals. A description of some significant milestones in the career of Albert Abraham Michelson illustrates how in this one individual's life this divergence may have had its first exemplar, as his vision expanded beyond the exquisitely precise interferometer used in the Michelson-­Morley experiment to the mile-­long vacuum tube used in his later measurements of the speed of light.

  • • Adventures with Lissajous Figures

    • FC02
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Thomas Greenslade, Jr.,
    • Type: Invited
    • When you see a circle, you probably think of a plane figure that is everywhere distant from a point. I see a Lissajous figure, formed by two simple harmonic motions of the same frequency and amplitude, added together at right angles with a 90° phase difference. As in the case of Wheatstone, who did not invent his eponymous bridge, Lissajous did not invent the figures. We ought to call them Bowditch Figures after the late 18th century polymath who first described them in 1815 in The American Journal of Science. I will show examples of Harmonographs, the mechanical devices that are used to draw the figures.

  • • Entropy as Disorder: History of a Philosophical Misconception

    • FC03
    • Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by Daniel Styer,
    • Type: Invited
    • The concept of entropy originated as a quantifiable entity for finding thepeak efficiency of a heat engine, and has morphed into a catch-all title for anything bad. The story of this transformation is as intricate as any Brayton cycle. Henry Adams (grandson of John Quincy Adams) plays a prominent role.

  • • Using History of Science to Enrich Your Teaching

    • FC04
    • Wed 07/26, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
    • by Cameron Reed,
    • Type: Invited
    • As students, most of us probably had the idea that the theories and experiments described in our texts sprang fuly formed from the minds of their creators. But as our careers mature we come to realize that the real history was often a much more muddled series of events than our texts let on; leading physicists were themselves frequently in states of confusion not unlike students encountering a complex idea for the first time. In this talk I will relate a few examples of how my own appreciation and teaching of physics has been enriched by exploring its roots. I will also describe some human-interest episodes from the lives of physicists from Kepler through Oppenheimer. Some of these stories are tragic, some are funny, and some are inspiring, but all remind us that even great physicists are human and subject to the circumstances of their times.

• Improving Student Learning With the Use of Popular Media

  • • The Best Physics Examples from Superheroes and Science Fiction

    • EE01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
    • by Rhett Allain,
    • Type: Invited
    • There are countless movies that focus on superheroes or science fiction and these can be quite popular. Although we all understand that they contain fictional events, this doesn't stop us from using physics to analyze different situations. In this talk, I will take examples from my favorite movies and present interesting physics models to address important questions from both Star Wars and Marvel movies.

  • • Open the Door with Superheroes and Bits of Science Fiction

    • EE02
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Richard Gelderman,
    • Type: Invited
    • References to popular media are an incredibly important way to capture a moment of attention from this generation of students constantly watching screens and blocked away from the world by earbuds/headphones. Marvel and DC comics have been consistently dominating the cinematic box office, so using references from these movies is a way to connect your lessons to these students' interests. Technological innovations make it easy to share clips within the protection of copyright law. Mechanics, E&M, thermodynamics, waves, optics, and physics of atoms are all available ready to be tapped for helping learning. Just-in-time lessons, and student centered group activities are excellent platforms for working with these topics.

  • • Practical Strategies to Use Popular Media in Your Teaching Effectively

    • EE03
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
    • by Timothy Slater,
    • Type: Invited
    • Popular media has never before been more frequently accessed by students. For many, mobile cell phones, tablets, computers, and Internet-linked smart televisions makes access a nearly daily activity. As a result, students naturally expect video and popular media to be a part of the contemporary learning experience. At the same time, discipline-based science education research clearly shows that it is irresponsible simply to turn to popular media as a classroom babysitter and hope that learner will gain something transformative from the experience. Instead, media needs to have a clearly specified and explicitly specific purpose that is explained to students. One approach to highly structure the learning experience is to pose three different styles of questions: 4-8 factual questions (How far away from Earth is Hubble?); 2-4 synthesis & evaluation questions (Which observations were most scientifically useful?); and 1-2 self-reflection questions (Which 12 HST images would you pick for a calendar & why?).

  • • Current Space and Astronomy Events which Help Teach Physics

    • EE04
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
    • by John Cise,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Current Space and Astronomy events have excellent fundamental physics applications at their core. For 10 years I have been using current physics-based events to help teach physics. About 1000 current event applications exist in my file. I use these recent physics based events for: Introduction to physics concepts, Quiz and test questions, make up quizzes, extra credit. I will present a few current (2015 – 2017) Space and Astronomy events that help teach introductory physics.

  • • Promoting Phun in Conceptual Physics: Physics in Movies and Everywhere

    • EE05
    • Tue 07/25, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
    • by DJ Wagner,
    • Type: Contributed
    • In the spring of 2013, our department re-evaluated the one-semester surveyconceptual physics course we offer as part of our core curriculum. Based on feedback from students in the course, we added a very successful “Physics of Movies” component starting in fall, 2013. I also add a discussion board, “There’s Physics in That” in the fall offerings, in which students post on where they have seen physics outside of the classroom and commented on classmates’ posts. Many students fully embrace the spirit of this activity, and excellent on-line discussions have taken place. This talk will summarize my efforts in the class and describe the results of assessment.

  • • Exploring Impacts of Popular Culture References within Physics Teacher Education

    • EE06
    • Tue 07/25, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
    • by Richard Hechter,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Do you integrate varying popular media sources and popular culture references as the context for experiential, inquiry-based advanced learning in pre-service physics teacher education classes? If so, that’s awesome! If you do not, have you ever wanted to but was not sure how to do it? Perhaps you have wondered if using these unique references makes a substantive difference in terms of student learning? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, join me as I share examples of how and why I use this approach in my classes, and the insights gained through a mixed-methods study designed to evaluate the impact of this approach on pre-service teacher learning and pedagogical knowledge development.

• Inclusion and Equity

  • • Fixed and Growth Mindset in Physics Graduate Admissions*

    • CH01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:10PM

    • by Rachel Scherr,, Monica Plisch, Theodore Hodapp

    • Type: Contributed
    • We are conducting research to learn how physics faculty evaluate students for admission to their graduate program, especially how they evaluate members of underrepresented groups (women and racial/ethnic minorities). Admitting people to graduate school means judging the likelihood that they will successfully contribute to the research mission of the department and the field. This is a judgment of intellectual potential. Through analysis of faculty interviews, we find that many faculty seek to admit students that they judge to have innate physics talent; we interpret these faculty members as applying a “fixed mindset,” in which intelligence is understood as an inherent capacity or potential. An alternative is for faculty to seek to admit students who they believe can grow into physics achievement with effort; we interpret these faculty members as applying a “growth mindset,” in which intelligence is understood in terms of acquired knowledge and effort. These two mindsets are associated with markedly different admissions practices. Cultivating a growth mindset in faculty might promote equity in graduate admissions.

  • • Impact of Learning Assistants on First Generation Students’ Success

    • CH02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:10PM - 4:20PM

    • by Jessica Deane,*, Diane Jammula

    • Type: Contributed
    • First generation students, i.e. students whose parents did not complete a four-year college degree, are a growing demographic at universities. The status of “first gen” often intersects with marginalized racial, ethnic, and class identities due to persistent barriers to higher education. Academic programming is typically designed for students of a dominant social and cultural background. This puts first gen students at a disadvantage. This case study explores the experiences of first-generation STEM majors enrolled in an introductory physics course with Learning Assistants at a minority serving institution. The research questions were: 1) How can LA support be characterized from students’ perspectives? 2) What impact do LAs have on first-generation STEM majors, from their viewpoints? 3) What additional supports do first-generation STEM majors need and want? Interviews were analyzed using open coding. Findings discuss themes with implications for how to better support first-generation students in STEM.

  • • Inequitable Physics: Developing Curricula to Emphasize a Need for Change

    • CH03
    • Mon 07/24, 4:20PM - 4:30PM

    • by Sierra Decker,, Abigail Daane

    • Type: Contributed
    • In an introductory university physics course, we taught a unit about racial inequity, explicitly highlighting the glaring underrepresentation of people of color and women in the physics community. The weeklong equity unit emphasizes that while physics is often described as objective and uninfluenced by racial and cultural differences, in reality, both current and future physicists are affected by their personal experiences. The development and teaching of physics is impacted by the people who participate (or do not participate) in the community, yet this issue has been left out of most physics curricula. We provide a description of an equity unit appropriate for introductory university physics that aims to increase awareness of racial inequity and empower students to become agents of change.

  • • Investigating Physics Faculty’s Reasoning About Equity in Undergraduate Physics Education

    • CH04
    • Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 4:40PM

    • by Chandra Turpen,, Chandra Turpen

    • Type: Contributed
    • We report on a pilot interview study to investigate how junior physics faculty reason about equity in the undergraduate physics student experience. In these interviews, we asked faculty about their knowledge of student experiences with bias, discrimination, and hardship. Faculty were also invited to reflect on the fairness of various common classroom instructional practices. There was a wide range of faculty background and experience in considering equity-related topics. Some faculty described employing innovative strategies to make their classroom environments more inclusive. Other faculty noted struggles with connecting the dots between diversity and research-based instructional practices, despite being on-board with both. The insights gained through this study suggest ways to infuse discussions of inclusive pedagogical practices into professional development focused on research-based instructional strategies.

  • • Measuring Equity in Small Groups

    • CH05
    • Mon 07/24, 4:40PM - 4:50PM

    • by Benjamin Archibeque,, Florian Genz, Eleanor Sayre, Mary Bridget Kustusch, Scott Franklin

    • Type: Contributed
    • This project investigates how to measure equity in small student groups. We follow several student groups to operationalize how discourse may be equitable or inequitable. The groups came from the IMPRESS program, a two week, pre-college program that prepares first generation and deaf/hard-of-hearing students to major in a STEM field. At IMPRESS students focus on improving their metacognitive skills and cultural preparation for college life within a context of model building. We use three methods to measure equity. First, we look at speaking time: who talks, when, and to whom. Second, we look for moments when individuals are included or excluded and the prevalence of those moments. Third, we look at the comparative "inchargeness" – how much control an individual has over the direction of conversation – of the group members. We compare all three methods to see how effective and consistent they are at capturing equity in group’s discourse.

  • • Researching Emotional Classroom Discourse on Race

    • CH06
    • Mon 07/24, 4:50PM - 5:00PM

    • by Katelin Corbett,, Konstantinos Alexakos

    • Type: Contributed
    • Content in teaching and learning is only one component of the knowledge produced and/or reproduced as part of a classroom experience. These other experiences are inevitable and essential aspects of formal education, but are often overlooked because they are difficult to simply reduce to data or quantify. The research presented will be based on a personal narrative by a participant in the class who was also a researcher, student and a co-teacher in the course. It will explore the emotions (hers and of other participants) that emerged during a discussion on the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the summer of 2016 in a physics class for graduate inservice and preservice teachers.

  • • Scientific Inquiry: Let's Discuss Diversity and Inclusion in STEM

    • CH07
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
    • by Carolina Alvarado,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The Next Generation Science Standards, the current guidelines for K-12 science instruction, establishes both the content to be covered and the scientific practices students should engage in. In this investigation, we explored how in a course for pre-service teachers on scientific inquiry the activities designed to develop evidence-based argumentations skills can also be used to trigger conversations about the lack of diversity in STEM fields. We leveraged students’ abilities to engage in evidence-based scientific practices developed in class as well as being able to respond to counter-arguments while discussing the data provided and make an interpretation. The aim of this presentation is to begin a conversation about data-based strategies to create a dialog on inclusive teaching strategies.

  • • Researching Emotional Classroom Discourse on Race

    • CH08
    • Mon 07/24, 5:10PM - 5:20PM

    • by Katelin Corbett,, Konstantinos Alexakos

    • Type: Contributed
    • Content in teaching and learning is only one component of the knowledge produced and/or reproduced as part of a classroom experience. These other experiences are inevitable and essential aspects of formal education, but are often overlooked because they are difficult to simply reduce to data or quantify. The research presented will be based on a personal narrative by a participant in the class who was also a researcher, student and a co-teacher in the course. It will explore the emotions (hers and of other participants) that emerged during a discussion on the Alton Sterling shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the summer of 2016 in a physics class for graduate inservice and preservice teachers.

  • • Arting Physics - Creativity in Learning

    • CH09
    • Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:30PM
    • by Tamralipta Patra,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Science is an intellectual search involving inquiry, rational thoughts, and generalizations. But a lot of pre-high school kids think that Science is a body of knowledge, a collection of facts they need to memorize (Survey by Bill Wallace). This is a big misconception and students drop or rather ignore science for the same. Arting Physics is a creative way of looking at science. We don't know what makes a student choose science. It may or may not be his or her own interest. As every child born has his/her own creative mind, why not use it in learning science (physics). It is very important for a learner to know, why he/she is learning a particular content, the answer lies in nature, not in the textbook. For me, my approach would be teaching creatively and making things dynamic. So, it is more likely understanding concepts through paintings, music, role play, dance, and so on. This will lead to healthy relation with the subject!

• Innovative Models of Physics Teacher Preparation

  • • Flexible Pathways to Licensure for Physics and Engineering Majors

    • EC01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

    • by Kathleen Koenig,, Helen Meyer, Eugene Rutz

    • Type: Invited
    • The large number of requirements necessary for earning both an undergraduate degree in physics or engineering, along with a physics teaching license, is nearly impossible for students to complete under a reasonable course load. The required courses offered across colleges is challenging for academic advisers as well. At the University of Cincinnati, these two barriers resulted in essentially no undergraduate physics or engineering majors earning a teaching license. However, by leveraging PhysTEC funding, we were able to create two more flexible pathways to high school teaching careers for these students. This presentation will showcase the two programs of study along with the conversations and administrative support that were needed to make them happen. The challenges and successes of these programs, which have been in place since 2013, will also be discussed.

  • • The Teacher Education Alliance, Mines-UNC Partnership (TEAM-UP): Evolution and Activities

    • EC02
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM

    • by Kristine Callan,, Wendy Adams

    • Type: Invited
    • To help battle the shortage of highly qualified science and math teachers,Colorado School of Mines (Mines) and University of Northern Colorado (UNC) have recently created a unique partnership that plays on each institution’s strengths to produce highly-qualified STEM teachers. Mines prepares students with a strong understanding of STEM subjects, and UNC provides the coursework in education and pedagogy necessary to become a secondary science or mathematics teacher in Colorado. TEAM-UP began enrolling students in the fall semester of 2015, with additional students adding each semester. In this talk, we will describe: the evolution and structure of TEAM-UP; strategies we have employed to recruit students and improve the program; and challenges we have overcome as a collaboration.

  • • None Traditional Students, Training Teachers of K-12 Physics

    • EC03
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
    • by Duane Merrell,
    • Type: Contributed
    • We may have to look for nontraditional ways to help teachers learn physicsand receive physics teacher licensure. With university prepared physics teaching students being hired before they even complete their physics teaching degrees, the need to work with other teachers to help with teaching physics is acute. Where do we make an impact in K-12 physics education that is not the students in our physics preparation programs. Who are these teachers and where and how do we encourage, support, develop their ability to teach physics.

  • • Teachers Teach Teachers: Physics Professional Development for Elementary In-service Teachers in an Urban District

    • EC04
    • Tue 07/25, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
    • by Katya Denisova,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Federal emphasis on high-stakes testing in ELA and math have led elementary schools to disregard science. Elementary educators report that science, and especially physics, is the area in which they feel least prepared to teach. A disproportionate number of the students who we don’t reach are students of color, students who are frequently found in underserved, urban, or rural environments with little access to high quality lab equipment, academic experiences, or discipline-specific professional development for their teachers. NSF-funded five year project SABES* (STEM Achievement in Baltimore Elementary Schools) has developed and implemented a solution to this crisis in the form of a 45 hour professional development for K-6 teachers. The course is focused on conceptual physics content and is taught by Master Teachers who receive coaching from physics pedagogical content experts. I will illustrate this work with videos from the workshops, interviews with Master Teachers and participants, and research data.

  • • Practicum-based Professional Development

    • EC05
    • Tue 07/25, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by Karen King,, Deborah Hanuscin, Delinda Van Garderen, Cathy Thomas, Zandra de Araujo

    • Type: Contributed
    • Field experiences have long been recognized as important to preservice teacher education; however, professional development (PD) experiences for in-service teachers rarely include opportunities to practice teaching new content and using new pedagogies before returning to the classroom. The Quality Elementary Science Teaching program (QuEST), funded by an NSF DRK12 grant, embeds a week-long summer camp experience for elementary students as a ‘practicum’ for inservice and preservice elementary teachers. The first week of the institute puts teachers in the role of learner, as they explore new concepts using a physics curriculum designed for adult learners, and learn about the 5E learning cycle and coherent conceptual storylines. The second week provides teacher participants an opportunity to collaborate as colleagues to develop their expertise in implementing what they learned through the summer camp. Topics addressed include Magnetic Forces & Interactions, Electrical Circuits & Energy, and Properties and Structure of Matter.

  • • Using RTOP to Facilitate Student Generated and Critiqued Videos for Developing Reformed Teaching

    • EC06
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM

    • by Kathleen Falconer,, Andre Bresges, Florian Genz, Daniel MacIsaac

    • Type: Contributed
    • We describe the use of pre-service and in-service teacher generated videosin physics teacher preparation and professional development programs in Cologne, Germany and Buffalo, NY. These videos are used both to learn physics content and physics pedagogy, and to promote students’ self-reflection upon provided exemplar and their own physics instruction using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) rubric.

  • • New Instructor Training at the United States Military Academy

    • EC07
    • Tue 07/25, 3:10PM - 3:20PM

    • by Corey Gerving,, David Kashinski, James Trimble

    • Type: Contributed
    • The United States Military Academy (USMA) is a perennial leader in rankings of its faculty. The Princeton Review rated USMA as the #1 most accessible professors. This is despite the fact that every year we rotate out one third of our junior faculty and receive inexperienced faculty in their place. Of the new instructors each year in the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, the majority are active duty Army officers fresh out of a Master's degree program, and have no teaching experience of any kind. Over the course of six weeks, we transition these new instructors from military leaders to novice instructors of introductory physics. This talk will highlight the unique requirements of our faculty, and some of the techniques we use to develop the attributes expected of an instructor at USMA.

  • • Education Majors in Physics Classes: A Collaborative Course Design Approach

    • EC08
    • Tue 07/25, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
    • by Laura Kinnaman,
    • Type: Contributed
    • In the spring of 2016, Morningside College offered a new course, Investigations in Science, aimed at elementary education majors. The course was developed via conversation with the Education Department, based on their practical needs, such as Iowa state requirements, as well as objectives such as raising future elementary educators’ confidence in bringing science to their own classrooms. These goals were achieved with three key features: a broad scope of content, accessible laboratory sessions, and a “teach yourself” paper. This collaborative approach to course design is applicable to the integration of any STEM field with education curricula.

• Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Whats New? ILDs Using Clickers and Video Analysis

  • • ILDs in Electric Circuits and Optics: Active Learning in Lecture Including Clickers and Video Analysis

    • DK01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 9:00AM

    • by David Sokoloff,, Ronald Thornton

    • Type: Invited
    • The results of physics education research and the availability of microcomputer-based tools have led to the development of the Activity Based Physics Suite. (1) Most of the Suite materials are designed for hands-on learning, for example student-oriented laboratory curricula such as RealTime Physics. One reason for the success of these materials is that they encourage students to take an active part in their learning. This interactive session will demonstrate through active audience participation Suite materials designed to promote active learning in lecture—Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) (2), including those using clickers and video analysis. The examples of ILDs in this session will be from electric circuits and optics.

  • • Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Effectiveness in Teaching Concepts

    • DK02
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:30AM

    • by Ronald Thornton,, David Sokoloff

    • Type: Invited
    • The effectiveness of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) in teachingphysics concepts has been studied using physics education research based, multiple-choice conceptual evaluations. (1) Results of such studies will be presented, including studies with clicker ILDs. These results should be encouraging to those who wish to improve conceptual learning in their introductory physics course.

• Introductory Courses

  • • The Joy of an Experiential Final Exam

    • CI01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
    • by Donald Smith,
    • Type: Contributed
    • I present an alternate approach to an introductory undergraduate physics final examination. Instead of requiring students to demonstrate what they have learned through written articulation of their solutions to word problems, I have tried in several classes (including a new IPLS course) asking students to demonstrate their knowledge gain by tackling a simple experiment, in a small group, that demands understanding of course topics, but not an experiment they have seen. Students have 90 minutes to complete the experiment, and then they report on their findings for the last hour of the exam through ten-minute oral presentations. I will explain how I organized the exam and give examples of student work. Students reacted very positively to this kind of exam, showing enthusiasm, engagement, and creativity. I will reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of this approach for different populations of introductory physics students.

  • • The Class Story

    • CI02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
    • by Carolyn Martsberger,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Newton’s three laws provide the foundation for an introductory physics course. However, the third law often confuses students and can challenge their understanding of laws one and two. In this talk, I will introduce an interactive in class activity that will articulate the differences between Newton’s second and third law. This activity will lead to the development of a class story that can be recalled throughout the semester to help students differentiate between what forces an object exerts on its environment versus the forces that are applied to an object. The activity is applicable to large or small class sizes. Furthermore, the story creation portion promotes team building skills and solidifies a positive class culture at a time in the semester where students are becoming connected with their physics community and invested in the course itself.

  • • Amusement Park Data Collection with an Arduino

    • CI03
    • Mon 07/24, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
    • by Timothy Stiles,
    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a three-week summer research program, undergraduate students designed and built Arduino-based data collection devices. Each device included a three-axis accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, three-axis magnetometer, barometric pressure sensor (used to record altitude), and GPS receiver to record position. These devices were tested on playground equipment and then used at an amusement park to record the acceleration, rotation rate, orientation, and position while on the rides. These devices have several advantages over commercial systems. The ability to record rotation, orientation, and position allows for a more thorough investigation into the physics of the amusement park ride. The sensors (other than GPS) can operate at 100 Hz and record data very quickly to an SD card. The overall cost of each device is $150. Results from the rides were aligned with video from the ride to provide a visual representation of the forces acting on the riders. Results will be available publicly for use in high school or undergraduate courses at other institutions.

  • • EPA Mileage - Curb Weight Internet Activity for Introductory Physics

    • CI04
    • Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 4:40PM

    • by Brenda Skoczelas,, David Ober

    • Type: Contributed
    • Two two-hour laboratory periods are used to provide students with an opportunity for collaborative learning and making professional meeting-type presentations of data. Students will first work in partners and use the internet to research technical information on vehicle Fuel Economy ratings and Curb Weight for a variety of EPA Class Sizes. This is an important topic that is relevant to any person that might be looking to purchase a vehicle. Each group’s small data sets will then be shared with all groups in much the same way that real scientists communicate findings. During the second week, groups will organize a larger set of data, draw conclusions, set up mathematical relationships in many different ways, and present their findings in a professional meeting format. In this activity, students will have a chance to apply their textbook physics concepts to explain the real world relationships.

  • • Comparing Jumping Rings Powered with AC and DC

    • CI05
    • Mon 07/24, 4:40PM - 4:50PM

    • by Rondo Jeffery,, Farhang Amiri

    • Type: Contributed
    • The DC powered jumping ring was discussed in a recent TPT article (Feb. 2016, pp. 112-16). In the impulse stage, the ring lifts first on the side closest to the iron core. This is highly suggestive that it is the Lorentz force that acts on the ring to give it lift. With AC power, if the ring moves over the coil as well as the iron core, the force decreases towards the middle of the coil. If the ring is placed on the iron core with DC applied, it falls at constant velocity. With AC power applied, a ring placed on the iron core will float or levitate, showing there is a non-zero time-averaged upward force over the full AC cycle. This requires a finite phase shift of ring current with respect to the induced Emf (cf. TPT Sept. 2008, pp. 350-57). There is no phase shift for the DC powered ring.

  • • Some Surprising Facts About Heat Transfer Through a Window

    • CI06
    • Mon 07/24, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
    • by A. James Mallmann,
    • Type: Contributed
    • I will present examples of common errors in and incomplete treatment of end-of-chapter textbook problems involving heat transfer through a window. I will also tell about a puzzle I present to my students for which they suffer from the idea that: A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. The solution to that puzzle is a guide to design of high quality windows.

  • • Remembering the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald

    • CI07
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:10PM

    • by Gregory DiLisi,, Richard Rarick

    • Type: Contributed
    • November 10, 2015 marked the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes bulk cargo freighter that suddenly and mysteriously sank during a severe winter storm on Lake Superior. With this presentation, we describe how we commemorated the anniversary of this tragedy by bringing it to the attention of a new generation of students, namely those enrolled in our introductory physics courses. Since most of our students were not yet born when the ship sank, we first established a historical context for them by providing detailed information about the ship’s final voyage and wreckage site. We then focused on “rogue waves” and the principle of superposition to produce a simple simulation of the conditions that might have resulted in the giant freighter’s sudden sinking.

  • • Setting the Academic Bar for IPLS Students

    • CI08
    • Mon 07/24, 5:10PM - 5:20PM

    • by Duane Deardorff,, Alice Churukian, Colin Wallace, Laurie McNeil, David Smith

    • Type: Contributed
    • Instructors of introductory physics for the life sciences (IPLS) need assessment questions that 1) probe students’ physics fluency at an appropriate level, 2) present authentic applications of physics for the life sciences, and 3) engage students’ higher-order thinking skills. Developing questions that satisfy these requirements is non-trivial. In this talk, we will share a sample of assessment questions we have created and utilized in the two-semester IPLS sequence at UNC-Chapel Hill. We will describe how these questions meet the above criteria and report on student performance.

  • • Successes & Challenges in Transitioning to Large Enrollment NEXUS/Physics IPLS Labs

    • CI09
    • Mon 07/24, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
    • by Kimberly Moore,
    • Type: Contributed
    • UMd-PERG’s NEXUS/Physics for Life Sciences laboratory curriculum, piloted in 2012-2013 in small test classes, has been implemented in large-enrollment environments at UMD from 2013-present. These labs address physical issues at biological scales using microscopy, image, and video analysis, electrophoresis, and spectroscopy in an open, non-protocol-driven environment. We have collected a wealth of data (surveys, video analysis, etc.) that enables us to get a sense of the students’ responses to this curriculum in a large-enrollment environment and with teaching assistants both ‘new to' and 'experienced in' the labs. In this talk, we will provide a brief overview of what we have learned via student perception then and now using a variety of comparisons of our large-enrollment results to the results from our pilot study. We will close with a discussion of the acculturation of teaching assistants to this novel environment and suggestions for sustainability.

  • • Teaching Thermodynamics to Life Science Students Using Osmosis

    • CI10
    • Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM
    • by Peter Nelson,
    • Type: Contributed
    • A solute-blocking model has recently been published that provides a kinetic explanation of osmosis and ideal solution thermodynamics. While it directly contradicts current physics textbooks, it provides theoretical support for the descriptive explanation found in most life science and chemistry textbooks. It validates a diffusive model of osmosis that is distinct from the traditional convective flow model of osmosis. Osmotic equilibrium occurs when the fraction of water molecules in solution matches the fraction of pure water molecules that have enough energy to overcome the pressure difference. Solute-blocking also provides a kinetic explanation for why Raoult's law and the other colligative properties depend on the mole fraction (but not the size) of the solute particles, resulting in a novel kinetic explanation for the entropy of mixing and chemical potential of ideal solutions. http://rdcu.be/nify

  • • Incorporating Computation into a Physics Course for Life Science Students

    • CI11
    • Mon 07/24, 5:40PM - 5:50PM
    • by Vashti Sawtelle,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences (IPLS) courses are gaining momentum in the physics education community, with the creation of multiple curricula for a variety of implementation strategies. At Michigan State University, we have designed an integrated lab-lecture (studio style) introductory physics course that meets the needs of life science students. Our design of this course focuses on incorporating computational simulations that model complex biological phenomenon. We will present on a unit on diffusion in which we incorporated a series of computational tasks designed to build up students’ understanding of collisions and random motion. Our research investigates how this focus supports students in seeing physics as a relevant to the biology they care about.

  • • Realistic Problems in Electrostatics for the Life Sciences

    • CI12
    • Mon 07/24, 5:50PM - 6:00PM
    • by Ulrich Zurcher,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Redish and collaborators make a compelling case to include chemical energy in the introductory physics course for the life sciences [AJP 82, 403 (2014)]. Chemical energy is partially due to electrostatic interactions between ions and molecules. We discuss how relatively simple examples from chemistry can be used to give students a sense of the order of magnitude of the electrostatic interactions. We discuss the water dimer to discuss hydrogen boding [Eur. J. Phys 38, 015206(2017) and the interaction of a diatomic molecule [HCl] to discuss oscillations relevant for vibrational spectroscopy. We use kJ/mol and kJ/mol/A for the units of energy and force.

  • • Application of Team-based Learning to a First Semester IPLS Course

    • DG01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Brokk Toggerson,, Heath Hatch, Christopher Ertl, Paul Bourgeois

    • Type: Contributed
    • We present the current status of an effort at UMass, Amherst to transitionthe first semester of our large IPLS course to a team-based learning format following Michaelsen et al while simultaneously adjusting the topics and skills covered to apply to our population. We will present our motivations for the transition, key features of our course’s structure, and an overview of the largest departures in content from a typical algebra-based introductory course. Future data analysis plans and sharing through the IPLS portal will also be touched upon.

  • • Project-based Learning in Introductory Physics

    • DG02
    • Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
    • by Gabriela Popa,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Project based learning have caught the attention of science educators. I have used this approach in the introductory physics classroom by offering the students this option as an extra credit. After the laboratory techniques and software used for data analysis are introduced in the classroom for several weeks into the semester, students design and carry on a project for several weeks. They use the same data analysis steps as in previous laboratory experiments. Students check their progress with the instructor from time to time. At the end of the semester students will present their experiments in a 10-minute presentation. By working on projects, students started to improve participation and motivation during the introductory physics laboratories and to appreciate the importance of the scientific process. This also helped students take ownership and learned not only the physics concepts but also to present their results.

  • • Using an Explore-first Strategy in Introductory-level Courses

    • DG04
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by Raymond Chastain,, Joanna Weaver, Marci DeCaro, Daniel DeCaro

    • Type: Contributed
    • One instructional practice we use in engaged classrooms is having studentswork with a conceptual exercise that allows them to wrestle with their understanding of a certain topic after they have received instruction on the concept. Over several semesters, we have investigated how the same activity could be used before instruction, giving students the opportunity to explore a concept prior to receiving explicit instruction over it. We will present theoretical reasons supporting this practice, both from the perspectives of cognitive psychology and course development. We will also discuss some of the lessons we have learned in using an explore-first approach and summarize the data we have collected to analyze its utility.

  • • Using Discourse Analysis to Inform Design of Introductory Physics Tutorials

    • DG05
    • Tue 07/25, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
    • by Hannah Sabo,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Students benefit from the use of PhET interactive simulations in their physics classes. However, research-based tutorials that incorporate PhET simulations might help students learn even more. This project seeks to develop, test, and iteratively refine tutorials for introductory physics that pair with PhET simulations. Our “testing” includes videorecording small groups of students using the tutorials. In this presentation, I argue that using tools from discourse analysis to get a sense of how students are framing their activity as they work through the tutorial can inform productive modifications in the tutorial—modifications that pre-post testing alone would not have suggested.

  • • Investigating the Effects of Learning Assistant - Supported Active Learning Environments

    • DG06
    • Tue 07/25, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Mary Nyaema,, Idaykis Rodriguez, Hagit Leshem, Laird Kramer, Oscar Diaz

    • Type: Contributed
    • Our expanded multi-site study on active learning classrooms supported by Learning Assistants (LAs) aims to understand the connections between three classroom elements: the activity, student learning, and how LAs support the learning process in the classroom. At FIU, LAs are used in a variety of active learning settings, from large auditorium settings to studio classroom with movable tables. With an emphasis on the amount of time spent on active learning in class, we considered factors such as classroom activities, instructional practices, patterns of student engagement and student outcomes. Preliminary results show that LAs spend more time interacting with students in some classes, regardless of the classroom setting, while in other classrooms, LA-student interactions are mostly brief. We will discuss to what extent do activities and instructional practices contribute to student engagement and help them learn.

  • • First-Year Research and Writing Course for Physics Majors

    • DG07
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
    • by Briana Fiser,
    • Type: Contributed
    • We have developed a yearlong one-credit course called Research and Scientific Writing in Physics to give first and second year physics majors the opportunity to “do” science at the start of their college careers and to establish a scientific learning community among our majors. Students learn to search for, read, and analyze scientific literature; write concisely and scientifically; collaborate in teams to develop a research question and design an experiment; prepare research proposals; carry out their experiments; present their results in poster and oral presentations; and write research articles. For the experimental component, students are assigned one of five physics faculty members as a mentor, further fostering relationships between our first year majors and physics faculty. Additionally students use their learning experiences in this course as a springboard for future opportunities in research. The structure of this course and growth in our program as a whole will be discussed.

  • • Estimating Error from False Positives of the Force Concept Inventory

    • DG08
    • Tue 07/25, 9:40AM - 9:50AM

    • by Michael Hull,, Jun-ichiro Yasuda, Masa-aki Taniguchi, Naohiro Mae

    • Type: Contributed
    • We are interested in quantifying the validity of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) as a systematic error and analyzing its behavior. A modified version of the FCI was administered to 513 university students in Japan in 2015. In addition to the 30 original questions, subquestions were introduced for three questions that, according to prior research, elicit false positives from students (6, 7, and 16) as well as for question 5. Using logistic regression with the results of question 5 and its subquestions, we estimate the systematic error arising from the remaining 26 questions. Our results indicate that true score can be lower than half of the raw score for the Japanese students. In this presentation, we will elaborate on our methodology and research findings, and present our preliminary data from students in the U.S. with the recent English version of this modified FCI.

  • • The Physics of Music

    • DG09
    • Tue 07/25, 9:50AM - 10:00AM

    • by Stephen Parker,, Darrell Born

    • Type: Contributed
    • Last year at Saint Martin’s University, we developed a new general education course for our curriculum entitled “The Physics of Music.” The class, co-taught by both a music professor and a physics professor, gave students the option of taking the course to fulfill either a core requirement in the Fine Arts or a core requirement in the Laboratory Sciences. Although our first run through the class had a relatively small population, we had approximately equal numbers of music and science students taking the class. We were very pleased with the outcomes from the class and plan to offer this course again in the future. I will talk about some of the lessons learned during our first experience with this class and comment about some of the interdisciplinary discussions that occurred in the course.

• Introductory Labs/Apparatus

  • • A Comparative Study of Discovery Learning Scientific Community Laboratories and Traditional Laboratories in Physics

    • CC01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:10PM

    • by Muhammad Riaz,, Thomas Marcinkowski

    • Type: Contributed
    • Background and introduction: A comparative study to determine the relationship of two different instructional approaches – Discovery Learning Scientific Community Laboratories (DL-SCL; experimental) and non-DLSCL laboratories (control) – to students’ conceptual understanding, and achievement in a physics-1 lab was conducted during fall semester 2016, at private scientific and technical university, at Melbourne, FL. Moreover, within the context of this study, students’ conceptual understanding is measured as the change in students’ pre- and post-test scores on the Mechanics Baseline Test (MBT) for the members of each group. The students’ lab score in each lab is used to define student achievement and success in the course. Objective: The purpose of this study is to transform traditional content of physics-1 lab into discovery-based learning and taught through DL-SCL approach. Traditional physics laboratory content has great potential, particularly when that content is taught through the DL-SCL for guiding students to adopt scientific conception. Method: A quasi-experimental study design was used to conduct a comparative study of the treatment (DL-SCL) and control group (non-DL-SCL) in the Physics Department. I used a convenient sample of lab sections selected from the accessible population. The accessible population was all students’ who registered for Physics Lab 1 (PHY 2091) in Fall 2016. Out of thirteen physics-1 lab sections, nine sections were selected for this treatment and control groups, having four sections in control and five sections in treatment group. The remaining three section were used for comparison purposes by making an additional traditional group. Results: The total sample size was 184 samples in which 69% male and 31% female. The average age of the population was M = 19.92 years with SD = 2.32. Eighty-nine percent of the population was 18 to 23 years old. Twenty-five percent were Freshman, 57% Sophomore, 13% Junior, and 5% Senior. Comparing students conceptual understanding between treatment and control groups by MBT scores: (a) the difference in MBT pretests between treatment and control were not statistically significant, while, (b) the difference in MBT post test scores were statistically significant F (1, 35) = 4.29, p < 0.05 between treatment and control groups. Comparing students achievement using average lab scores before, during, and after treatment between the group membership: (a) the average difference in lab scores before treatment were not statistically significant, (b) the average difference in treatment and control group lab scores on selected labs taught through DL-SCL were statistically significant F (1, 113) = 10.42, p < 0.05, and (c) the students’ average difference in lab scores for labs taught after treatment were not statistically significant between treatment and control group. Conclusion: The students who were taught physics-1 lab experiments through DL-SCL approach have higher conceptual understanding and better achievement in their labs as compared to those students who were taught by traditional physics lab instruction. Key words: DL-SCL, conceptual understanding, and achievement.

  • • Development of an Online Lab Course for Introductory Physics

    • CC02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:10PM - 4:20PM

    • by Nicole Cronin,, Thomas Hemmick, Anthony Bassante, Aneta Iordanova, Christopher Zangler-Scaduto

    • Type: Contributed
    • At Stony Brook University, there has been an increased push in the development of online courses. For the past three years, the introductory physics lecture course has been successfully implemented online, but students are still required to physically be on campus for labs. With the help of the iOLab device developed at the University of Illinois, there is an ongoing effort to change this. A total of 20 labs were produced for both semesters of the two-course lab sequence, with a total of eight being unique to Stony Brook. A pilot class, with 30-40 students, was held for both lab courses. Lab manuals and introductory videos were delivered to the students through the associated iOLab software. The success of this class, in terms of student performance and motivation, was assessed through surveys, focus groups and lab quizzes. Full implementation of the course, with 250 students, is currently ongoing.

  • • Effects of a Design-style Lab in Introductory Algebra-based Mechanics

    • CC03
    • Mon 07/24, 4:20PM - 4:30PM

    • by William Evans,, Mats Selen

    • Type: Contributed
    • At the University of Illinois, we have piloted a new design-style laboratory that focuses on sense-making and the acquisition of scientific skills. These reforms were previously piloted in our calculus-based introductory mechanics course for physics and engineering majors. This is the first year we piloted the same reforms in our algebra-based introductory mechanics course, which primarily serves life science students. We collected data on both students’ attitudes and conceptual learning using traditional instruments. We compare these data from students in the reformed laboratory sections with data from students in the more traditional step-by-step guided labs. We will also report a comparative analysis of these students with students in calculus-based introductory mechanics, both in the traditional and reformed labs, and with published results from other course reforms serving life science students in introductory physics.

  • • Supplemental Instructional Laboratory Activities in Introductory Physics

    • CC05
    • Mon 07/24, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
    • by Sara Callori,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Historically, our department’s introductory labs could easily be describedas “cookbook”, with an outsized emphasis on quantitative error propagation that makes it difficult to reinforce the concept knowledge from the lecture portion of the course. In an effort to combat this, we have been piloting different types of supplemental lab activities, done both as pre-lab exercises and as open-ended hands-on tasks. Pre-lab activities ask students to use PhET or other simulations in order to investigate the concepts they will see in the coming session. In lab, students are given “Challenge Questions” in additional to the regular lab activity. These questions ask students to use the outcomes and skills learned in the first part of the session in order to answer an open-ended question. Here I will discuss motivations for incorporating these activities into the curriculum, show examples of these tasks, and reflect on their implementation.

  • • Identifying Three Common Difficulties in Causal Reasoning Using Think-Aloud Protocols

    • CC06
    • Mon 07/24, 4:50PM - 5:00PM

    • by Lindsay Owens,, Kathy Koenig, Lei Bao

    • Type: Contributed
    • Students use causal reasoning in their everyday lives to generate hypotheses as to why an event occurred, or to create predictions about future events based on personal experience and/or data. Yet, students in introductory physics labs quickly demonstrated difficulties in causal reasoning when interacting with story-based scenarios and data. Qualitative think-aloud interviews were conducted with a variety of both algebra-based and calculus-based students; students verbally reasoned through causal scenarios which featured causal mechanisms, covariation data, or both. The most commonly identified difficulties were (1) interchanging causation with correlation, (2) interchanging forward and reverse causality, and (3) difficulty in identifying necessary causes. These difficulties will be discussed within the talk.

  • • Constructing 3-D Models of Electric Felds and Potentials

    • CC07
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:10PM

    • by Nathan Powers,, Anna Bell, Will Oldroyd

    • Type: Contributed
    • For years we have used conductive boards as a way of mapping electric fields from equipotential lines. While this exercise can be useful for illustrating the effect of different configurations on the electric field map, it has been less effective at helping students develop a concrete understanding of the somewhat abstract concepts of voltage, electric fields, and electric potentials. I will discuss a conceptual model building activity in which students take measurements and make predictions about a 3-D gravitational representation of the 2-D board. The students then compare and contrast the gravitational analogue with the abstract electrical concepts. We expect that the cognitive effort required to identify correlations between what at first appears to be two unrelated experiments will improve conceptual understanding.

  • • Redesign of Introductory Physics Labs Using Arduinos

    • CC08
    • Mon 07/24, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
    • by Troy Messina,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The Arduino microprocessor platform has made possible inexpensive prototyping and experimentation. The simplicity of programming the Arduino makes it a great tool for introducing students to computer programming, experimental design, sensor calibration, and data acquisition. We will explain the Arduino platform and show how it can be used in a variety of traditional introductory physics labs as well as some less typical introductory physics experiments.

  • • Incorporating Arduino Applications into Coding and Magnetism Curriculum

    • CC09
    • Mon 07/24, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
    • by Deborah Roudebush
    • Type: Contributed
    • Coding is an important skill for our 21st century job market. To that end,incorporating coding into the curriculum using arduino technology will help prepare high school physics students for university studies and the future job markets. Examples of activities that incorporate arduino use will be discussed.

  • • Writing and Deploying Your IOLab Software (Python) and Firmware (C++)

    • DI01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
    • by Mats Selen,
    • Type: Contributed
    • IOLab is an inexpensive wireless data acquisition tool, developed by physics education researchers with the goal of enabling high quality experimentation anywhere. Both the pedagogy and content being developed for IOLab are discussed in other session of this meeting. In this presentation I will describe a recently developed open source Python library that allows users to control all aspects of the IOLab hardware. I will also discuss how users can modify the IOLab C++ firmware using freely available development tools, and how this can be loaded into the device using a simple over-the-air reprogramming tool.

  • • A Fan-tastic Quantitative Exploration of Ohm’s Law

    • DI02
    • Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Robert Ekey,, Brandon Mitchell,, Andrea Edwards,, Roy McCullough,, William Reitz,

    • Type: Contributed
    • Recently, we demonstrated small computer fans are a suitable replacement of tungsten filament bulbs for qualitative analysis of simple circuits where the current is related to the rotational speed of the fan (footnote 1). In this presentation, we demonstrate that fans can be used for quantitative measurements as well. Ohm’s law can be verified from measurements of the voltage across and current through the fan, which exhibits a linear relationship enabling an effective resistance of the fan to be calculated. These can then be verified for series, parallel and combination circuits containing one or two fan models. Though the fan is a complex circuit element, these results demonstrate both the qualitative and quantitative benefits of using fans as an effective tool to teach simple circuits. As bulbs do not allow for these simplistic quantitative measurements, fans are arguably a suitable, if not better, replacement for light bulbs.

  • • Designing Earthquakes for a Low-Cost Shake Table*

    • DI03
    • Tue 07/25, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by Frederick Thomas,, Robert Chaney, Marta Gruesbeck

    • Type: Contributed
    • A servo-powered shake table can be programmed to produce one-dimension scale versions of either real or user-designed earthquakes. Programmed using Excel-like algebraic functions, the table can replicate earthquakes with varying amplitudes (i.e., original Richter magnitude), different maximum accelerations (the primary basis for building codes), varying frequencies, alternative waveforms and more. In addition to teaching about the differences among displacement, velocity and acceleration, the table can assist in teaching about periodic and non-periodic motions. A sample two-part activity asks students to (1) design and build a structure that can withstand a Richter magnitude 5 earthquake, then (2) design a magnitude 4 earthquake to destroy the structure. Since the Arduino family board incorporates a micro SD card, the system can store and replay thousands of alternative motions. Plans for building the table are provided, along with an executable LabVIEW control program and the necessary sketch for implementation via a ChipKIT WF32 board.

  • • Inquire into Optical Tunneling in Introductory Physics Lab of Fudan

    • DI04
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by Shihong Ma,, Zeben Xiong

    • Type: Contributed
    • In this paper, theoretical evidences of the evanescent field and its properties field are analyzed. Through the review and the analysis, the corresponding evanescent wave transmittance formula is obtained. Theoretically, the relationship between transmittance and the thickness of the gap, the one between the wavelength of the incident light and the angle of incidence, are simulated in the computer. Experimentally, the relationship between the transmittance and the thickness of the gap is proved to exist.

  • • Using Lab Notebooks to Examine Students’ Engagement in Modeling in an Upper-Division Electronics Lab Course

    • DI05
    • Tue 07/25, 9:10AM - 9:20AM

    • by Heather Lewandowski,, Jacob Stanley, Weifeng Su

    • Type: Contributed
    • We demonstrate how students’ use of modeling can be examined and assessed using student notebooks collected from an upper-division electronics lab course. The use of models is a ubiquitous practice in undergraduate physics education, but the process of constructing, testing, and refining these models is much less common. We focus our attention on a lab course that has been transformed to engage students in this modeling process during lab activities. The design of the lab activities was guided by a framework that captures the different components of model-based reasoning, called the Modeling Framework for Experimental Physics. We demonstrate how this framework can be used to assess students’ written work and to identify how students’ model-based reasoning differed from activity to activity.

  • • The Paschen Curve - A Culminating Project for a Vacuum Lab

    • DI06
    • Tue 07/25, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Dallin Durfee,, David Allred, Nathan Powers

    • Type: Contributed
    • BYU’s advanced lab aims to develop in students the habits of applying logical, systematic thinking to experimental work; the same skills they use in conventional classrooms. While there are many specific skills they could learn, optics, data capture, and vacuum technology are widely used in physics. In physics 245 (advanced lab), pairs of students design and build a turbo-pumped high vacuum system from components. Skills developed include: asking how can I heard this equipment and how can it hurt me, finding leaks logically, using pressure transducers, understanding the difference between absolute and relative transducers, the techniques for zeroing and spanning meters, and computer data collection. Determining the Paschen curve for various pure gases and gas mixtures provides a good opportunity to bring together the various skills they have been learning as a unit final project, since they must also learn to use high voltage safely.

  • • Construction of Comprehensive Experimental Platform Based on Spatial Light Modulator*

    • DI07
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 9:40AM

    • by Raohui Feng,, Han Shen, Deju Liao, Xintu Cui, Yizhong Fang

    • Type: Contributed
    • With the development of mirco/nano-photonics, optics experiment teaching has encountered much more challenge in instructional design for college physics experiment. In traditional optical experiments, a variety of optical elements such as lens, wave plate, diffractive elements and spatial filters are needed and most of the parameters of these elements are fixed. We propose a plan to construct the comprehensive experimental platform based on spatial light modulators (SLMs), which are used extensively in the field of optical information processing, such as optical imaging and displaying, adaptive optics, and computer-generated hologram. We replace the traditional optical elements by SLM, and demonstrate the design more flexible in adjusting the variable quantity parameters and enrich content for experiment projects. These experiment projects can be extended easily and integrated into a module. Therefore our comprehensive experimental platform has the characteristics of flexibility, expansibility, innovation and frontier to practice.

• Jupyter: VPython/GlowScript

  • • The Architecture of Jupyter VPython

    • CF01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:30PM

    • by Bruce Sherwood,, Ruth Chabay

    • Type: Invited
    • Jupyter VPython (vpython.org) makes it easy to display real-time navigable3D animations in a Jupyter notebook, which is an increasingly popular programming environment for Python users, including computational scientists and students in advanced computational physics courses. The VPython program running in a local server sends instructions to the notebook, running in a browser, to create or modify a 3D object. These instructions are passed to the GlowScript graphics library (glowscript.org), which uses the GPU-based WebGL library that is built into current browsers. Examples of Jupyter VPython capabilities will be shown.

  • • Jupyter VPython Visualization in Quantum Mechanics

    • CF02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
    • by Steve Spicklemire,
    • Type: Invited
    • Jupyter VPython is presented as a platform that enables students to engagein computational thinking and visualization of quantum theory using projects aligned with what might otherwise be a purely analytical course. Quantum Mechanics is a particularly difficult subject for students in part because of its inherently abstract mathematical formalism. Jupyter VPython projects allow students to "play" with the math computationally and to visualize what the math is saying in a way that's simply not possible without a computer. A novel 3-D representation of 1-D complex wavefunctions is described and multiple examples of its use in student projects will be demonstrated.

  • • Python Across the Curriculum: From Glowscript to Jupyter and Beyond

    • CF03
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:30PM
    • by Matthew Craig,
    • Type: Invited
    • The introductory calculus-based physics course at Minnesota State University Moorhead uses glowscript vpython. Later courses, including a computational physics course, use python, and some faculty use Jupyter notebooks for research. This talk provides an overview of how the department uses python and Jupyter notebooks, and the reasons notebooks are challenging for novice programmers. We will cover the transitions from glowscript vpython, to writing python files that are run in a command-line interpretor using Spyder, to using notebooks. We will include some suggestions for best practices to use in glowscript to make the transitions easier. A couple of promising options for using notebooks without a local python installation that are free and low-effort will also be discussed.

  • • Electronic Laboratory Notebooks Using Jupyter Notebook

    • CF04
    • Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM
    • by Alan DeWeerd,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Students in the upper-division electronics course at the University of Redlands have been keeping electronic laboratory notebooks using Jupyter Notebook. The training and resources provided to help students include equations, figures, and graphs in their notebooks will be discussed. Student feedback about the use of electronic notebooks will also be presented.

  • • Interactive Visualizations with Jupyter/GlowScript for Quantum Mechanics Courses

    • CF06
    • Mon 07/24, 5:50PM - 6:00PM
    • by Craig Wiegert,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Jupyter notebooks with GlowScript can help students visualize and manipulate quantum mechanical model systems, using free/open-source tools with simulation capabilities comparable to products like Mathematica. The visible running code in the notebook encourages tinkering and modification. I will demonstrate some of the Jupyter/GlowScript notebooks that I use when discussing topics such as Rabi flopping, the variational method, and time-dependent perturbation theory.

• K-12 PER

  • • Conceptual Problem Solving in High School Physics*

    • BL01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

    • by Jennifer Docktor,, Jose Mestre

    • Type: Invited
    • Problem solving is an important part of physics, yet can prove challengingfor instructors to teach and students to learn. In spite of our best efforts, beginning students often focus on equations and mathematical procedures rather than considering the conceptual underpinnings of the solution process. In this talk, I will describe an instructional framework called Conceptual Problem Solving which guides students to identify principles, justify their use, and plan their solution in writing before solving a problem. I will also highlight the findings of a study where the approach was implemented in three different high school settings.

  • • Connecting Three Pivotal Concepts in K-12 Science State Standards and Maps of Conceptual Growth to Research in Physics Education

    • BL02
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM

    • by Chandralekha Singh,, Christian Schunn

    • Type: Invited
    • We discuss three conceptual areas in physics that are particularly important in K-12 science. These conceptual areas are force and motion, conservation of energy, and geometrical optics, which were prominent in the U.S. national and four U.S. state standards that we examined. The four U.S. state standards that were analyzed to explore the extent to which the K-12 science standards differ in different states were selected to include states in different geographic regions and of different sizes. These three conceptual areas that were common to all the four state standards are conceptual building blocks for other science concepts covered in the K-12 curriculum. As key conceptual building blocks, they are also important in the NGSS. We discuss the nature of difficulties in these areas along with some PER-based approaches that have been found to be effective to help students learn these concepts. Some general PER-based approaches that can improve student learning in K-12 classrooms will also be discussed. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

  • • Sparking Curiosity: Physical Science for Elementary Teachers

    • BL03
    • Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 2:40PM

    • by Wendy Adams,, Heather Taffe, Ansel Foxley, Kui Chen, Adrianne Larson

    • Type: Contributed
    • PhysTEC support has allowed three new faculty members to adopt our research-based curriculum in the Physical Science Concepts for Elementary Teachers course at the University of Northern Colorado. This curriculum frames the material in contexts that students are personally interested in and uses several different interactive engagement techniques including Peer Instruction, Just in Time Teaching, and devotes nearly half the instructional time to hands on activities appropriate for the elementary classroom. In this poster we will share pre/post conceptual data as well as CLASS results for the course before and after this new curriculum. The new instructors are showing student normalized learning gains between 64% and 76% and their students’ personal interest in physics, as measured by the CLASS, increases between 6% and 22% as compared to decreasing by 13% when taught traditionally.

  • • When We Teach Rays of Light?

    • BL04
    • Mon 07/24, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Jung-Bog Kim,, Gyeong Jin Lee

    • Type: Contributed
    • In order to compare elementary school students' understandings about "light ray" according to the grades, we developed the teaching materials for elementary school students. The subjects of the study were total 162 students in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. The results of this study show that understanding about light rays according to the shapes of light sources is very high in both 5th and 6th grades. 

  • • Curricular Resources for NGSS Implementation: PER in an NGSS-aligned Classroom

    • BL05
    • Mon 07/24, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by Julian Martins,, William Lindsay, Shelly Belleau, Valeri Otero

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) seek to combine disciplinary and cross-disciplinary science concepts with scientific practices. However, in contemporary or historical the literature, few examples actually illustrate what such a course looks like in practice. The NGSS-aligned Physics and Everyday Thinking-High School (PET-HS) curriculum is designed to foster an environment where students induce physics principles from their observations utilizing scientific practices, such as making inferences from evidence and engaging in argumentation. Through an in-depth, mixed-methods research study in eight high school classes using the PET-HS curriculum, we illustrate ways in which the NGSS are embraced and enacted by students and teachers. Student outcomes, class observations, student/teacher interviews, and video recordings are used to distill a set of principles that guide the socio-cognitive and socio-emotional considerations that are critical to successful implementation of the NGSS. These principles will be illustrated and discussed and implications for instruction will be made.

  • • Learning Physics by Practicing It: A Peak into a Classroom

    • BL06
    • Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:10PM

    • by Danielle Bugge,, Eugenia Etkina

    • Type: Contributed
    • Recommendations of the Next Generation Science Standards and Advanced Placement Physics 1 and 2 guidelines have necessitated change in high school physics classrooms. High school students are expected to achieve proficiency with the science practices but what does this proficiency look like in the classroom? The goal of this talk is to share how a group of high school physics students achieved proficiency on the standards set by NGSS and AP when learning physics through the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) method. When learning physics through ISLE, students regularly design their own experiments. They work collaboratively in teams and then share their findings in either individual or group reports. The students consistently revise their work and self-assess and reflect on what they have learned. We will present and analyze examples of student work to show how all of the above activities connect to NGSS.

  • • Gender and Context Choice Influence on Student Performance and Attitude

    • BL07
    • Mon 07/24, 3:10PM - 3:20PM

    • by Samuel Wheeler,, Margaret Blanchard

    • Type: Contributed
    • This study investigates the role that student choice and gender stereotypes have on student interests, beliefs, conceptual understanding, and motivation toward learning physics in a high school unit on Newton’s Laws. Seventy four student participants in high school physics classes, from five U.S. states, took part in this study. WebAssign homework problems were designed to investigate whether the context of a physics question, based on gender preferences, will influence students’ choices. Three question contexts were used: traditional physics, biological health, and sports. Students were given a pre post Force Concept Inventory to evaluate conceptual knowledge, and a pre/post CLASS survey to measure changes in attitudes. Female participants showed greater gains in conceptual understanding compared with males and showed improvements in sense making and applying conceptual understanding. The findings suggest that given a choice of context, students are more engaged and interested in the physics and show growth in understanding the concepts.

  • • Socio-Cultural and Socio-Cognitive Curricular Expectations: Tensions in PET-HS Implementation

    • BL08
    • Mon 07/24, 3:20PM - 3:30PM

    • by William Lindsay,, Julian Martins, Shelly Belleau, Valerie Otero

    • Type: Contributed
    • Tensions often arise in the implementation of novel curricula or teaching philosophies. This may result from incongruences between curricula expectations and the realities of diverse schooling environments. The PET-HS curriculum supports “three-dimensional learning” promoted in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and encourages a shift from the pedagogies and practices used by teachers before implementing PET-HS. Using a Cultural Historical Activity Theory framework, our physics education research team documented tensions that occurred when implementing the Physics and Everyday Thinking-High School (PET-HS) curriculum in seven high schools. Preliminary findings indicate that misalignment of explicit and implicit socio-cultural and socio-cognitive expectations of the PET-HS curriculum for students and teachers often led to tensions surrounding group work, evidence usage, and facilitation of consensus discussions. From our findings, we have established mechanisms for preparing teachers for managing such tensions when attempting to engage in three-dimensional learning.

• Lab Recommendations Focus Area 5: Technical and Practical Skills

  • • Framework for Developing and Assessing Physics Student Technical Competencies

    • CD01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
    • by Randall Tagg,
    • Type: Invited
    • The AAPT Recommendations for the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Curriculum identify several aspects of technical and practical knowledge that are important to students at both introductory and advanced levels. From simple instruments like Vernier calipers and digital multimeters to complex instruments like lockin amplifiers and specialized detectors, students gain professionally important knowledge through operation and modeling of scientific equipment. Equally important is student capacity and self-confidence in the design and fabrication of apparatus of increasing levels of sophistication, including the use of various types of computers for data acquisition and experiment control. A systematic framework is possible for identifying, assessing, and potentially certifying technical competencies across the incredibly broad arena of instruments and technologies accessible to physics students. This opens up many opportunities for collaboration and student contribution in bringing this framework to fruition.

  • • Progress Towards New Experimental Techniques Subject for Second-Year Physics Majors

    • CD02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
    • by Sean Robinson,
    • Type: Invited
    • I will report on progress towards developing a new elective subject aimed at second-year physics majors at MIT on the broad topic of experimental techniques. The course will employ hands-on laboratory exercises tightly coordinated with classroom instruction. Subject matter will focus on foundational techniques and tools common to modern experimental physics: materials, vacuum, cryogenics, magnets, high voltage, beams and radiation, analog and digital electronics, data acquisition and controls, signal processing, and visualization. A secondary goal is to promote a positive image of the "hands-on physicist" to students, empowering them to take on this identity themselves, and dispelling the illusion that success in physics requires becoming a "black board physicist". The new subject will complement our existing "Junior Lab" modern physics advanced lab subject, whose primary emphasis is the professional and personal development of the student as a scientist through the medium of experimental physics.

  • • Developing Technical Laboratory Skills in an Upper Division Optics Course

    • CD03
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:30PM
    • by Paul Arpin,
    • Type: Invited
    • The AAPT Lab Guidelines recommend that a learning goal of physics lab courses should be that students develop the ability to make measurements with a range of standard lab equipment and understand the limitations of their measuring devices. In this talk, I will discuss the modification of labs in an upper division optics course aimed at giving students more opportunities to develop these skills and demonstrate them in a way that an instructor can assess. Examples include changes such as incorporating CCDs into existing imaging labs to enable students to perform a quantitative analysis of the limitations of both the optical system and the detector and incorporating additional design focused labs where students must choose appropriate optical components for their experiment and align the optical system.

  • • Practical Skills: Using Pop-Up Classes to Augment Student Know-How

    • CD04
    • Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 6:00PM
    • by Linda Barton,
    • Type: Invited
    • An informal survey of physics majors conducted over several years at RIT reveals some stunning deficiencies in students' practical and technical skills. Students need many of these hands-on skills as they move into experimental research projects. Pop-up courses are non-credit bearing short courses outside the regular curriculum. Pop-ups provide a fun and easy way to address practical skills development. We have developed and delivered several pop-up courses and are looking forward to bringing forward more in the near future. Strengths, as well as difficulties, with the implementation of pop-ups will be discussed.

• Labs/Apparatus

  • • Developing Items for Physics Identity Survey Applied to Laboratory Settings

    • EJ01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 1:40PM

    • by Kelsey Funkhouser,, Vashti Sawtelle, Marcos Caballero

    • Type: Contributed
    • There is an abundance of work showing that students generally do not have positive views of physics, or see themselves as part of physics. Physics lecture courses can make those views even worse. One tool for improving student experiences is to engage students in authentic science practices. Laboratory courses are intended to be an opportunity for students to engage in activities that reflect the practices of a physicist. We are developing a survey that can be used to systematically determine students’ views toward physics and where they position themselves with respect to physics (physics identity). Using the communities of practice framework, we are designing a study to measure how students’ physics identities are affected by physics laboratory courses. We will be presenting on the development of items for the survey through student interviews and classroom observations.

  • • Experimenting with Investigative Labs with the IOLab

    • EJ02
    • Tue 07/25, 1:40PM - 1:50PM
    • by Louis Leblond,
    • Type: Contributed
    • I will describe our recent transition at Penn State to newly designed introductory labs that are inspired by the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE). The labs use almost exclusively a single versatile tool, the IOLab. We did a gradual pilot phase going from small classes (~40) to our large enrollment course (~1000 students). I will report on conceptual learning gains and on attitude toward physics and toward physics labs. For every semester of the pilot, we have tweaked and improved the labs. We find that the new labs are just as good for learning the physics concepts as the old procedural lab but they now promote and assess critical thinking learning objectives. I will discuss difficulties we have faced and possible improvements.

  • • Reducing the Performance Gap Between Majors in Introductory Physics Laboratory

    • EJ03
    • Tue 07/25, 1:50PM - 2:00PM

    • by Yuri Piedrahita,, Raul Portuondo

    • Type: Contributed
    • There is an assumed belief about the differences in performance between students from different disciplines. For example, engineering students are expected to perform better in the Physics Lab than students from Biology or Pre-med. With the aim of collecting evidence to challenge such assumption, a quasi-experiment was developed with undergrad students pursuing different majors in an introductory physics laboratory at a U.S. university. During one semester students of engineering, biology, and pre-med were part of both experimental and control groups. The intervention consisted in a pedagogy explicitly combining elements of physics, mathematics, and experiments. Different students’ scores were used to compare performance across disciplines. While there were significant differences between students of different disciplines in the control group, there were no differences for students in the experimental group. It suggests that the assumed differences in performance between majors could be an issue of methodology rather than default deficiencies.

  • • Peer Assessment and Learning Attitudes

    • EJ04
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:10PM

    • by Scott Douglas,, Edwin Greco, Shih-Yin Lin, Mike Schatz

    • Type: Contributed
    • Georgia Tech has developed the "Your World is Your Lab" curriculum centered around inquiry-based, out-of-clasroom laboratory activities with peer assessment, and has deployed this curriculum in many classroom contexts. Our previous work has found an improvement in expert-like student behavior through quantitative and qualitative analysis of peer assessments. Our current work includes an analyses of student responses to the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS), which we fit into a larger metacognitive framework about student engagement with peer assessment.

  • • Categorizing Student Online Responses to Dorm Room Prelab Experiment Questions

    • EJ05
    • Tue 07/25, 2:10PM - 2:20PM

    • by Katherine Ansell,, Mats Selen

    • Type: Contributed
    • At the University of Illinois, we have been engaged in lab reform at the introductory level which includes prelab assignments where students do simple physics experiments in their dorm rooms. In these assignments, students answer free-response questions in an online system and receive email feedback from their lab instructor. The free-response format is necessary to capture both the natural variation in experiment materials available to students outside of the classroom and the nature of the mistakes students make in their experiments. However, providing feedback for each student is not scalable to the staffing needs of a large-enrollment course. We have observed that student responses that require feedback tend to fall into a small number of outcome categories, in which each response can be addressed using the same feedback. In this talk we will present data supporting these outcome categories and discuss the implications for scalability solutions.

  • • Coding Scheme for Comparing Among Research-based and Instructor-designed Activities

    • EJ06
    • Tue 07/25, 2:20PM - 2:30PM

    • by Amin Bayat Barooni,, Myat Pho, Ibraheem Robins, Jacquelyn Chini, Joshua Von Korff

    • Type: Contributed
    • Many research-based curricula have integrated laboratory activities; for instance, Realtime Physics, Workshop Physics, the Investigative Science Learning Environment and others. These curricula emphasize “minds-on” student interaction in contrast to stereotypical “cookbook” lab activities, in which students are expected to perform procedural steps without any emphasis on student-led design or analysis. Physics teachers may have goals and ideas about using labs that do not coincide with the thoughts of the designer of a published activity. Therefore, a teacher may find that no PER-based activity exactly meets his/her instructional goals. In this situation, teachers could use features of different lab activities to create an activity that does respond to their goals. We have analyzed both research-based and cookbook activities to find reliable codes for categorizing their properties. Additionally, we have used these codes to classify research-based design labs to help instructors to select those that match their instructional goals.

  • • Physics Students’ Use of Algodoo in Modeling

    • EJ08
    • Tue 07/25, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Elias Euler,, Bor Gregorcic

    • Type: Contributed
    • Electronic devices are ubiquitous in today's society and their inclusion in the classroom alongside traditional laboratory equipment may allow students to interact with physics content in ways that supplement more formal approaches to doing physics. We investigate how one digital tool, Algodoo (a sandbox software with a user-friendly interface that allows users to create simple models of physical phenomena in a quick and intuitive way), promotes communication among students as they complete a physics task using both physical equipment and the Algodoo software on an Interactive WhiteBoard (IWB). While students recreate the physical laboratory setup in Algodoo, they move between physical, ‘semi-formal,’ and formal domains with an expanded set of resources for communication. We show that tracking the information that students transduct into, out of, and within the Algodoo environment is a means of gaining insight into what students consider relevant in a physics context.

• Learning Outcomes and Assessment in the IPLS Course

  • • Learning Outcomes and Assessment in the IPLS Course

    • GG
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Patricia Soto and Benjamin Geller
    • Type: Panel
    • The goal of the panel is to engage IPLS instructors in a wide conversationon the design, implementation, and adoption of IPLS course assessment tools. The session will include discussion of instruments (or potential instruments) that measure student learning in the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, and presenters will describe initial challenges and successes in attempting to implement such assessments. While much work has already been done to develop engaging and authentic IPLS curricula, we as a community need to evaluate how best to assess the learning goals of IPLS courses. We expect that the panel discussion will contribute to sustainable course transformation and validation across institutions.

  • • Integrated Introductory Science for Major: Assessment of Outcomes

    • GG01
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Scot Gould,
    • Type: Panel
    • Accelerated Integrated Science Sequence, (AISS) is a year-long double course for students majoring in the natural sciences at the W.M. Keck Science Dept. of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps colleges. AISS has been a major recruiting tool by the colleges. AISS satisfies the requirements for completing introductory biology, chemistry, and physics by integrating topics from these disciplines along with topics from calculus and computer science. Since most students in this program will not major in physics, we have attempted to assess the impact of the program in comparison with the students who completed the introductory sciences through traditional discipline specific courses using a variety of metric. We will report our preliminary results related to student retention, discipline selection, performance both immediately after completing AISS, at graduation and post-graduation.

  • • Learning Outcomes and Assessment of Pre-Health Student Projects

    • GG02
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Nancy Donaldson,
    • Type: Panel
    • At Rockhurst University, we have made a concerted effort to help our students see the wonderful value of taking physics through a focus on the application of physics principles to students’ career goals in the medical and healthcare field. Our student learning objectives address the relevance of physics to students' pre-health interests, communication skills, and integration of concepts in the development of student projects. In this session, student projects in Physics for the Life Sciences will be shared with examples of student presentations and assessment results.

  • • Impact of IPLS Course Materials on Attitudes of Pre-health Students Toward Physics Instruction*

    • GG03
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM

    • by Elliot Mylott,, Warren Christensen, Ralf Widenhorn

    • Type: Panel
    • We developed modular multimedia educational material for a reformed pre-health focused IPLS course at Portland State University. The modules include videos of biomedical experts detailing the core physics behind devices in clinical use. Original text and online homework problems expand on the material presented by the biomedical experts. Our research on the course explored (1) whether students’ opinions on the relevance of physics to medicine was impacted by the biomedical focused physics instruction, (2) how that influenced their interest in physics, and (3) whether students in the IPLS course were able to make conceptual links between physics content and biomedical technology. Shifts in attitudes were collected through student surveys in both the reformed IPLS course and a concurrent traditional course. Interviews from students in the IPLS course were used to elucidate responses from the surveys. Conceptual understanding and biomedical contextualization of physics topics by students in both the traditional and reformed courses were assessed through open-ended prompts using diagrams often encountered in physics courses.

  • • Physics for Life Science Majors: A 1-Semester Approach?

    • GG04
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Jason Puchalla,
    • Type: Panel
    • Nationwide, courses in physics for life science majors have undergone substantial changes in the past decade. A primary objective of these changes has been to increase life science “appeal” while not compromising on valuable learning goals. Achieving this objective is complicated by the need to serve students with a broad range of educational backgrounds (e.g. no background, AP credit, summer programs) and widely varying expectations (e.g. premedical preparation, course requirement for major, general interest in subject). Factors such as these coupled with ongoing modifications to medical school requirements have led us to investigate a survey-style, 1-semester course intended to better meet the needs of students at Princeton University. Here we present the course structure, pedagogy and assessment results of the 2017 class offering. In this third offering, class enrollment reached capacity (45 + wait list) and included students from all life science departments.

  • • Assessment of Learning Outcomes in a Competency-based IPLS Course

    • GG05
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Nancy Beverly,
    • Type: Panel
    • At Mercy College the course grades for students in the IPLS course are based directly on the assessment of their competence in the learning outcomes, which incorporate students’ integration of physics with life phenomena within larger critical skills such as inquiry, investigation, modeling, quantitative analysis, communication, and creativity. The curriculum is project-based with students defining and solving their own problem scenarios, so the assessment is aligned with student guidelines and self-assessment checklists as well as the learning outcomes. There is tension between the assessment providing detailed enough feedback for effective revision of individual project efforts and time management issues. The learning outcomes, the supporting curriculum, and the assessment itself are continually re-evaluated as part of the reiterative assessment process. As student weaknesses are unearthed, curricular and learning outcomes changes are made, followed by a new assessment, only to uncover new areas rising to the surface needing attention.

  • • Learning Outcomes and Assessment in the IPLS Course

    • GG06
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Brian Jones,
    • Type: Panel
    • In the past year, we have changed the style of instruction in our large IPLS course to include small group work guided by learning assistants. This has measurably increased student engagement and has allowed us to significantly increase the time spent on applications of physics concepts to life science topics. In this talk, I’ll share some of the results we’ve achieved and some of the lessons that we’ve learned.

• Make, Play, Learn

  • • Make, Play, Learn

    • GB
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Gene Easter
    • Type: Panel
    • Make, Play and Learn Join in the fun as we construct science equipment exemplifying one of the most effective ways for K-12 students to learn: Active Engagement. Our crackerjack panel will kick-off this round-robin style share-a-thon with engaging “make n take” projects complete with excellent support activities. Participants will construct their own apparatus with the materials provided. Also, participants are highly encouraged to contribute their favorite classroom activities. Please bring sufficient materials and instructions to share with 25 other teachers.

• Making Change through Science Policy

  • • Making Change through Science Policy

    • FE
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 10:30AM
    • by Ramón Barthelemy
    • Type: Panel
    • Advocating for education and science literacy in our classrooms and institutions is important, but the broader national landscape is shaped by policy. Speakers at this panel will discuss both the general framework of science policy and issues specific to physics. Bring your questions and your ideas--the 2018 summer AAPT meeting is coming to Washington, D.C., and would be a great opportunity for lobbying.

• Modeling Instruction at All Levels

  • • Modeling From K-15? Considering a Hopeful STEM Educational Future

    • BA01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
    • by Jeffrey Hengesbach,
    • Type: Invited
    • Modeling Instruction (MI) began as a teaching method supporting high school physics in the early 1990’s. The framework it provided substantively shifted the instructional focus from the teacher’s presentation to the student’s engagement in scientific process. Its success motivated continued developments over the past 25 years. Today, a student could begin learning science through MI in the 6th grade and continue through their college career. Modeling fades the boarders between science disciplines as foundational skills and key content knowledge strands are both remembered and reapplied to successive classes. This discussion will focus on how MI’s start in the physics class has since expanded, the benefits and challenges to student’s and teacher’s experiences, and potential developments ahead.

  • • Reflections on 22 years of Modeling Instruction with 9th Graders

    • BA02
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Rex Rice,
    • Type: Invited
    • A course in physics has been taught to high school freshmen at Clayton High School since the early 1960s. In the early 1990's we changed the science curriculum and sequence to make an introductory course in physics for all freshmen, followed by chemistry for sophomores and biology for juniors. In 1995 the author of this paper was trained in Modeling Instruction, and began to transform the physics program based on Modeling methodology for his physics classes at the school. As of the early 2000's, all four physics instructors at the school had been trained in Modeling Instruction and each member of this team has been teaching physics to freshmen using Modeling Instruction ever since. This paper will highlight the path that led us to Modeling Instruction, the process of developing a ninth grade version of the Modeling instructional materials, and the successes of the program.

  • • A Modeler's Journey, or Why I Drank the Kool-Aid

    • BA03
    • Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
    • by Charles Deremer*,
    • Type: Invited
    • Maybe you feel that your students aren't grasping the material like they should. Maybe you feel like what you're doing in the classroom isn't working. You're working hard, but it just isn't working. That was me, too. This is my journey from a struggling novice teacher to becoming a modeler. Modeling saved my students' learning and it redeemed my career. My course enrollment tripled. My students objectively perform better than they ever had. This is how I went from there to here. You can get here, too.

  • • Vocabulary and Experiences to Teach a Center of Mass Model

    • BA04
    • Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:30PM

    • by Michael Lerner,, Taylor Kaar, Linda Pollack, Robert Engels

    • Type: Invited
    • Teaching with a systems-focused approach is new to many teachers, as it was to us. We worked together to devise experiences and problems that deepened our practice of teaching open and closed systems. In this session, we will share the vocabulary and definitions that help our students understand systems. We will also demonstrate, and let you participate in, activities that build a model of how systems work and activities that allow students to use that understanding.

• Monday Afternoon Break in the Exhibit Hall

  • • Monday Afternoon Break in the Exhibit Hall

    • EXH06
    • Mon 07/24, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall
    • Stop by the exhibit hall and enjoy an afternoon snack.

• Monday Morning Break in the Exhibit Hall

  • • Monday Morning Break in the Exhibit Hall

    • EXH05
    • Mon 07/24, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall
    • Visit the exhibit hall and enjoy some bagels and coffee.

• Monday Registration

  • • Monday Registration

    • REG05
    • Mon 07/24, 7:00AM - 5:00PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Registration

• Multi-Messenger Astronomy in the Age of GR and Gravitational Waves

  • • Gravitational Waves, LIGO, and Gravitational-Wave Astronomy

    • FF01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Amber Stuver,
    • Type: Invited
    • About 1.3 billion years ago, two black holes merged into one releasing more energy than all of the stars in the universe for a brief instant. On Sept. 14, 2015, the gravitational waves from these black holes reached Earth and resulted in the first direct observations of gravitational waves. By observing the universe with this new medium, the new field of gravitational-wave astronomy began. In this talk, we will present an overview of what gravitational waves are, how LIGO detected them, and what we’ve learned so far. We will also discuss the educational tools that are prepared for the development of educators as well as materials and activities that can be used in the classroom.

  • • Examining the Observational Toolbox of Future Astronomers

    • FF02
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Shane Larson,
    • Type: Invited
    • A vast amount of what we have learned about the Cosmos has been gleaned from telescopes. The advent of gravitational wave astronomy, from LIGO to LISA to Pulsar Timing Arrays, is expanding the suite of tools available to us for probing astrophysical phenomena. Astronomers today, and the students in our classrooms, will only know a Universe that is simultaneously defined by data from the electromagnetic and gravitational wave spectrums. In this talk we'll take a broad view of the Universe, in observation technique, source class, and wavelength regime (both photon and gravitational wave). Our goal is to examine the opportunities and challenges with integrating these traditional and new ways of detecting the Universe into our science and classrooms.

  • • PER on Gravitational Waves with Astronomy 101

    • FF03
    • Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 10:00AM

    • by Gabriela Serna,, Joshua Smith, Michael Loverude, John Tillotson, Edward Prather

    • Type: Invited
    • Recent LIGO discoveries in the field of gravitational-wave astronomy have opened up a new window into the universe. A multi-institutional team of physics and astronomy education researchers and gravitational-wave scientists are developing new active learning and assessment materials designed to help college-level introductory astronomy students make sense of these recent discoveries. In this talk, I will highlight key findings from our recent work to develop, and test the effectiveness of a suite of new active learning activities designed to increase students’ awareness of, appreciation for, and fundamental understanding of gravitational-wave astronomy.

  • • Unpacking General Relativity - Choosing Representations for Teaching Novice Learners

    • FF04
    • Wed 07/26, 10:00AM - 10:30AM

    • by Timothy Chambers,*, Colin Wallace, Edward Prather

    • Type: Invited
    • Teaching introductory astronomy is uniquely challenging; many students find the material interesting but lack the quantitative skills commonly associated with scientific thinking. Instructors must therefore find ways to engage these students in sophisticated and meaningful scientific reasoning that do not rely on mathematical formalism. One important way is thoughtful selection and construction of the representations used to both teach and assess astronomy content knowledge. In this talk we share our experiences teaching general relativity to Astro 101 students via modern, exciting topics such as exoplanet detection by gravitational microlensing. We have chosen and created pedagogical discipline representations of physical phenomena that our students can unpack and manipulate to engage in sophisticated, robust thinking about cutting-edge gravitational phenomena. We hope to encourage and support other instructors in considering how the theory of representations may be applied to their own teaching and curriculum.

• Multiple Career Paths in PER

  • • Multiple Career Paths in PER

    • FD
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 10:30AM
    • by Alexandru Maries
    • Type: Panel

• Neutrino Physics Investigations for Students and Teachers

  • • Probing the Secrets of the Universe Using Neutrinos

    • AB01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Sowjanya Gollapinni,*
    • Type: Invited
    • In the world of subatomic physics, neutrinos form the most bizarre tiny entities known to date. Scientists study these elusive particles to understand the biggest puzzles in the universe, from the structure of the atom to the formation of a star. Although more than a trillion of these particles pass unnoticed through our bodies every second, neutrinos still remain largely mysterious given how rarely they interact with normal matter. In your entire lifetime, perhaps one neutrino will interact with an atom in your body. Furthermore, their ability to morph into one another makes it even more challenging to detect them. Despite all this, researchers have managed to capture a handful of neutrinos by building large and sensitive detectors in some of the remote places on Earth. This talk will review the current status of neutrino physics and will highlight some of the exciting experimental endeavors taking place around the world.

  • • Neutrino Experiments Inspire Students

    • AB02
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Marla Glover,
    • Type: Invited
    • Many students in high schools have misconceptions about frontier science experiments. They may think that there is nothing new for them to discover or that they do not have the background necessary to understand what is happening in these experiments. Yet students can use classical physics to analyze neutrino experimental data and draw conclusions. This talk will describe my students' analysis of neutrino data through conservation of momentum. The audience can participate as students for a very brief time to get the feel of being the investigator. I will also share the reaction of my students to using this activity.

  • • Neutrinos: Just Passing Through

    • AB03
    • Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
    • by Margaret Norris,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The Sanford Underground Research Facility housed the first underground solar neutrino experiment more than 50 years ago. Construction will begin soon for the Long Baseline Neutrino Facility, which will house the most advanced neutrino experiment in the future - the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. The Education and Outreach Department has been reaching students across the region, at all grade bands, with programs that convey the promise and excitement of neutrino studies at Sanford Lab.

• New Developments in Introductory Physics for Life Science Dissemination

  • • New Developments in Introductory Physics for Life Science Dissemination

    • CG
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
    • by Nancy Beverly
    • Type: Panel

  • • IPLS-Portal: Resources for Faculty Professional Development

    • CG01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
    • by Juan Burciaga,
    • Type: Invited
    • IPLS-Portal represents a fundamental rethinking of how we as a community develop, test and disseminate curricular materials. One key element of IPLS-Portal is that faculty in IPLS courses will be active users, developers and reviewers of new curricular packages. But how do faculty take the step from preparing course materials for their own courses to developing curricular materials for the IPLS community? How do faculty critically, effectively evaluate the scholarship of others in a way that advances teaching/learning in IPLS courses? How do curricular developers submit their materials and receive feedback from the community? The talk will focus on a general overview of the IPLS-Portal in terms of motivation, resources for developers/users/reviewers, and the review process.

  • • Designing an Online Portal for Introductory Physics for Life Sciences

    • CG02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
    • by Mathew Martinuk,
    • Type: Invited
    • Educators routinely use the internet to search for teaching resources. However it’s often difficult to find resources that fit their own class and students. Many excellent resources are held in specialized databases that are hard to find and harder to use, and conversely many curriculum developers have spent a lot of time developing databases that sit silent. These challenges are especially dire for IPLS educators due to specialized topics, diverse student populations, and the need for supplementary information on life sciences topics. In this talk we’ll give an overview of how IPLS Portal is deploying a user-centered design process to build an online database of relevant IPLS resources and a community of educators and contributors. We’ll give an overview of the planned portal components, and share some ideas on models for nucleating and nurturing contribution and community.

  • • Supporting Community Interactions Within and Around the IPLS Portal

    • CG03
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:30PM

    • by Chandra Turpen,, Remy Dou, Adrian Madsen

    • Type: Invited
    • Although high-quality curricula exist and faculty are largely aware of them and motivated to try them, faculty use is not pervasive. Prior work has established that faculty often do not persist in using curricula due to challenges implementing them and issues determining if their instruction is working. These needs, concerns, and struggles of faculty inform our team’s design of social experiences within and around the IPLS Portal. From a Vygotskian perspective, the portal’s social artifacts and social organization will enable and constrain possibilities for collective learning. In this presentation, I will describe our team’s preliminary research findings on where, when, and for what purposes faculty seek out other people for accomplishing tasks around the planning, designing and teaching of IPLS courses. Understanding circumstances that encourage faculty to pursue collaborations helps us develop an account of how the world is now from the vantage point of physics faculty and informs our dreaming and designing about how the world could be.

  • • IPLS- Portal: An Online, Open-source, Peer-reviewed Collection of Teaching Materials

    • CG04
    • Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 6:00PM
    • by Mark Reeves,
    • Type: Invited
    • The IPLS-Portal will be a website that combines already existing materialsfrom multiple NSF-funded projects with a structure that allows developers to submit new work for peer review, evaluation, and inclusion. Its course-building interface will allow instructors to create innovative and individualized courses tuned to their needs, mixing and matching from multiple sources, contents, and pedagogies. For it to serve a spectrum of user communities who teach life science students, types of users must be identified and their needs must be represented in the structure and content of the portal. We will describe research and present preliminary results from surveys, focus groups, and site visits that have framed the initial conception of the portal. The broader community will be invited to participate in upcoming research to iteratively improve the portal to create a resource that will enable instructors to create and improve their IPLS courses easily and effectively.

• Optics Labs at All Levels: Rainbows to Raman Spectroscopy

  • • Inexpensive Optics Apparatus for Lecture Demonstration, Outreach, or Laboratory

    • AD01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
    • by David Sturm,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Simple and reasonably inexpensive demonstration apparatus for optics can be created or purchased inexpensively. These can be used at the introductory level from even outreach to elementary schools right up through high schools and into the first-year college course laboratories. This short contributed talk will highlight some of those methods with both pictures and the actual demonstrations.

  • • Scads o' SPADs (Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes)

    • AD02
    • Mon 07/24, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
    • by Gabriel Spalding,
    • Type: Contributed
    • This talk discusses some (currently) expensive technologies that are relevant to teaching quantum optics, as well as the early stages of thinking about how to leverage high-tech mass-market technologies into affordable options for instructional labs (here, focusing on labs Beyond the First Year of university). -- On the back of my iPhone, between the camera and the flash, is a small dot. That dot is a single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD), with integrated electronics for Time-Correlated Single-Photon Counting (TCSPC). The phone can autofocus by sending out a pulse of infrared light and determining the time required for reflection. Similar technology is now used in some golf-course range finders, and may soon find a mass market in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). More generally, the emerging ADAS market is likely to be a rich source of tools for the instructional lab, for which I hope to assemble an ongoing discussion group.

  • • Simple Setup to Teach Optical Alignment

    • AD03
    • Mon 07/24, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
    • by Ashley Carter,
    • Type: Contributed
    • One of the most important skills for an optical engineer or physicist is to be able to quickly and precisely align optical components. A simple laboratory to teach this skill is to align a laser beam to two irises and then to a series of two lenses that act like a telescope. A pinhole can also be added to the system to spatially filter the beam. However, this simple lab is hard to do correctly. Students often rush through the alignment or have trouble figuring out what to do. Here, we walk through the basics of the laboratory, identify student pitfalls, and discuss keys to success.

  • • Smartphone-based Projects for Modern Optics Class

    • AD04
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
    • by Yiping Zhao,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Smartphones, with their advances in opto-electronic sensing, motion sensing, and geo-referencing capabilities, provide unique opportunities to significantly increase students’ interest in optics education, as well as improve their experimental and data analysis skills. Since 2014, smartphone-based optics projects have been incorporated into a one-semester modern optics course. I will demonstrate how within two months, with proper guidance and a broad selection of topics, students can use smartphones to go from demonstrating basic optical principles, to work through instrument design and optimization, and ultimately to realize applications in environmental sensors, biomedical imaging, and astrophysics. These projects evolve from smartphone-only designs, to combining LEGO blocks, and then incorporating 3D printing. This stimulates more interest from the students, and, by including state of the art manufacturing, also improves their career training. I argue that these optics projects can also be used in K-12 education and disseminated via social media to promote public interest.

  • • The Optics Involved in the Debye-Sears Experiment

    • AD05
    • Mon 07/24, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
    • by Karen Williams,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Optics is used in many medical, chemical, industrial, athletic, and other areas. We all come into contact with and use optics every day. I teach an ultrasound physics lab where students may be pre-medical, pre-physical therapy, pre-engineering, medical physics, or physics majors. Due to the diversity of backgrounds in the course, I have my students do an optics lab that utilizes the Debye-Sears Effect with ultrasound and a laser to measure the velocity of sound in saltwater and compare it to a theoretically calculated value. The students describe other ways that this apparatus or experiment may be used. The optics in this sound experiment will be discussed.

  • • Using a Michelson Interferometer to Detect Sounds

    • AD06
    • Mon 07/24, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
    • by Timothy Grove,
    • Type: Contributed
    • We present a laser experiment for students beyond their first year in physics. This experiment not only gives students experience with laser interferometry, it also provides cross course learning (electronics) and play. The experiment is based upon a Michelson interferometer; a sound source vibrates one of its reflecting mirrors to produce a time changing signal. Usually the sound source is a radio connected to a small speaker, but students are free to play with other sound vibrating schemes. The interference fringes vibrate with frequencies similar to the sound source. A photodetector then detects the changing fringes and a simple computer program converts the photo signal into an audio file. Simple electronics circuits provide access to the radio signal sent to the sound speaker. Then by comparing the "true" radio signal with the signal recorded via the photodetector, we can analyze the performance of our sound recording system.

  • • Inquiry Activities in a Light and Color Course

    • AD07
    • Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
    • by Robert Hobbs,
    • Type: Contributed
    • We have implemented a light and color course aimed at Arts and Science students with an emphasis on those in the visual arts (theater, photography, interior design). This talk will present several unique activities along with samples of student work stimulated by these activities. The focus is activities that generate productive discussion or those that appear to reliably lead to developing appropriate concepts (e.g. color addition or subtraction rules, image formation, etc).

  • • Teaching Effective Visual Observation Skills in the Optics Lab

    • AD08
    • Mon 07/24, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
    • by Catherine Herne,
    • Type: Contributed
    • A significant skill in all optics research is effective observation, from illustrating research findings to drawing conclusions based on visual observations. Instructors in lab courses expect students to be able to draw good diagrams and get useful information from them, but students typically aren’t taught how to make independent and effective observations. We show our technique for training students in observational skills through self-reflection and instructor feedback. In our advanced physics laboratory course, students draw diagrams of their experimental arrangements and of their optical images and data, and reflect on their drawings repeatedly throughout the semester. They build on feedback they receive on the usefulness of their diagrams. In this session, we will demonstrate this visual observation skills technique that the students used, show a selection of our data, and report our outcomes. Participants will try a visual observation exercise, and apply their insights to their own disciplinary teaching.

  • • Optics: A Bridge from Introductory Physics to Advanced Courses

    • AD09
    • Mon 07/24, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
    • by Marta Dark,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The optics course at Spelman College is a laboratory-based course for physics and dual-degree engineering majors. We replaced our traditional Physics III course (optics and modern physics), with two separate courses, “Oscillations and Waves” and “Optics”. The department saw a need to further develop the intellectual maturity and critical thinking skills of our majors before they moved to advanced courses. Along with introducing geometrical and physical optics, the intent of this course is to aid physics majors with the transition from the introductory sequence to the upper level curriculum. Optics emphasizes experimental design, the development of practical lab skills, data analysis, and communicating physics to varied audiences. I will present some of the pedagogy and assessment tools used in this bridging course.

• PER Innovations for Reducing DFW Rates and Improving Retention in Introductory Physics Sequences

  • • Reducing the DFW rate by Design in Calculus-based Physics

    • EB01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
    • by Suzanne White Brahmia,
    • Type: Invited
    • This talk considers that there may be unintended bias in the culture of a typical physics course which favors the current majority by repelling the minority(1). I will describe a course designed to empower students who may feel they don’t belong by: developing community, valuing naïve ideas, creating a collaborative social climate, including broad and diverse worldviews, and broadening access through scaffolded activities and targeted interventions (2). I share results from a course for mathematically underprepared engineering students, many coming from socioeconomically disadvantaged school districts, in which the curriculum and community structure has helped drive more equitable success rates in addition to significant CLASS and FCI gains.

  • • How a Simple Metacognitive Exercise Improved the Bottom Quartile 15-22%

    • EB02
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM

    • by Charles Atwood,, Brock Casselman, Braden Ohlsen

    • Type: Invited
    • To improve success rates in large general chemistry sections at the University of Utah, we realized we must improve the bottom two student quartiles performance. We implemented educational research in metacognition as well as the Dunning-Kruger effect into our homework system. In fall semester 2016 we required students in one general chemistry section to predict their scores prior to taking practice tests for each midterm exam and the final exam. Students were given feedback on topics that they did well on as well as topics where they performed poorly. They were required to make a study plan. Comparison between our treatment and control sections shows that all student quartiles improved but for the bottom quartile there was a 15-22% improvement. Using the American Chemical Society nationally normed final exam our treatment section students scored on average at the 82nd percentile (median 89th percentile) while the lowest quartile scored 53rd percentile.

  • • Parachute Courses: Reducing DFW Rates in Introductory Calculus-based Physics?

    • EB03
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
    • by Jeff Saul,
    • Type: Invited
    • Often calculus-based physics courses have relatively high failure to pass rates (DFW rates), particularly the first course in the sequence (EP1). Often EP1 courses can inadvertently act as a filter preventing students from entering STEM degree programs of their choice. To reduce this high DFW rate and improve retention, physics faculty at a southwestern HSI developed a parachute course. Students not doing well in EP1 can switch into this course mid-semester when it begins and the original course is dropped from their records. The course has two goals: help students maintain their GPA to keep their scholarships and help them learn skills and knowledge needed to be successful on their next attempt at EPI. Although the course was successful in helping students maintain their GPA; students retaking EP1 after the parachute course did no better than students retaking EP1 who did not take it. Reasons for this will be discussed.

  • • The Tangled Web we Weave - Interact to Not Leave!

    • EB04
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM

    • by Justyna Zwolak,, Eric Brewe

    • Type: Contributed
    • A major challenge for universities is to increase student persistence in continuing through a sequence of courses or the major area of study. Persistence through introductory courses is of particular importance since almost half of first-time students who leave their initial institution never come back to college. Past research indicates that a student’s community and interactions likely influence whether they remain in a class/major or in school overall. Using a network analysis approach, centrality measures for the students’ in-class networks were found to be fairly robust and accurate predictors of student persistence. Building on this study, we expand the proposed model to account for out-of-class collaborations, as well as the frequency of the interactions. We find that, indeed, understanding academic and social experiences of students is essential to improving retention and persistence in post-secondary introductory physics courses.

  • • Effect of Learning Assistants on DWF Rates and Graduation Rates

    • EB05
    • Tue 07/25, 3:10PM - 3:20PM

    • by Jessica Alzen,*, Valerie Otero, Laurie Langdon

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Learning Assistant (LA) Model allows instructors to implement a variety of research-based instructional strategies in their classrooms. While there are some similarities across all uses of LAs, there are also many differences. This presentation focuses on the influence of the LA program on course-level DFW rates in introductory physics, chemistry, and calculus courses at the University of Colorado Boulder. We will also discuss impacts on six-year graduation. We find that the LA program has differential effects across departments and that both quantitative and qualitative investigation is necessary to understand the effectiveness of the LA Model. Possible reasons for differential effects will be discussed. We will also provide general guidelines regarding the process for conducting similar analyses, including an explanation of relevant statistical models.

  • • Relationship Between Stereotype Threat and Standardized Test Performance in Physics

    • EB06
    • Tue 07/25, 3:20PM - 3:30PM

    • by Alexandru Maries,, Nafis Karim, Chandralekha Singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • Prior research has shown that interventions even as small as requiring a test-taker to indicate his/her gender can activate stereotype threat in situations in which there are stereotypes about performance of males and females. We have conducted an investigation in which we used various interventions described in the literature as promoting or inhibiting stereotype threat and investigated the extent to which the interventions result in changes in the test-takers’ performance on a standardized conceptual physics assessment. We also identified whether students themselves endorse the predominant stereotype (that in physics males outperform females) and the extent to which these beliefs are correlated with their performance. For example, do female students who endorse the stereotype perform worse than those who do not endorse it? This along with other questions are explored in detail.

• PER-Based Innovations in Upper Division Physics Classes

  • • Reinvigorating Upper Division Mechanics: Introducing Students to a Complex World

    • AH01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by David Nolte,
    • Type: Invited
    • The best parts of physics are the last topics that our students ever see. These are exciting topics like the bending of light by black holes, traffic on the World Wide Web, or the synchronization of global economies. A new approach to teaching upper-division mechanics concentrates on the time evolution of physical systems as trajectories through abstract spaces, providing a common and simple mathematical language. Given the growing importance of dynamical systems in science and technology, this approach gives students an up-to-date foundation for their future careers, embedding topics of modern dynamics—chaos, synchronization, network theory, neural networks, evolutionary change, econophysics and relativity—within the context of traditional physics founded on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian physics. The goal of this approach is to modernize the teaching of junior-level dynamics, responsive to a changing society, while retaining the core traditions and common language of dynamics texts.

  • • Paradigms 2.0: Supporting Collaborative Departmental Change*

    • AH02
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM

    • by Corinne Manogue,, Emily van Zee, The whole Paradigms 2.0 Team

    • Type: Invited
    • The Paradigms in Physics program began 20 years ago at Oregon State University. In those two decades, we not only completely restructured the content trajectory for majors to be more aligned with how professionals think about the content, but we also designed many course activities which reflect our not only our own education research but also results from other PER and DBER groups. In the past two years, we have chosen to revise and update the program to reflect new research interests among department faculty and to allow us to incorporate holistic changes that could not be addressed iteratively. Along the way, we have been documenting and studying our change process. We will share insights from the change process about how to support faculty in collaboratively implementing curriculum reform based on education research.

  • • Mapping Backward from STEM Careers to the Upper-Division Curriculum

    • AH03
    • Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 10:00AM

    • by Benjamin Zwickl,, Kelly Martin, Anne Leak

    • Type: Invited
    • The upper-division physics curriculum prepares students for many options after graduation through an emphasis on transferrable skills such as problem-solving, mathematical modeling, and technical writing. Using more than 50 in-depth interviews with entry-level employees and academic researchers in optics and photonics (a physics-intensive field), we examine mathematics, problem-solving, and communication within STEM workplaces and compare with common features of the upper-division curriculum. Emergent themes from the interviews highlight the value of many traditional practices, such as analyticallyintensive problem solving, but also provide context to understand why and how particular practices may support workplace objectives and when alternative methods (e.g., computational methods) are better applied. An example from communication shows that while journal-style writing to scientific peers is important, there is also a need to communicate technical ideas to those with different expertise (e.g., to management or members of an interdisciplinary team). Practical implications for the curriculum will be discussed.

• PER: Diverse Investigations (Use this sorting category if you feel your work doesn’t fall into the previous four PER categories.)

  • • An Online Faculty Community as a Model for Educational Transformation*

    • EM01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 1:40PM

    • by Edward Price,, Chandra Turpen, Melissa Dancy

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking Faculty Online Learning Community (Next Gen PET FOLC) is designed to support faculty teaching physics or physical science courses for preservice elementary teachers using the Next Gen PET curricular materials. Informed by research on faculty change and educational transformation, Next Gen PET FOLC is designed to support faculty development and sustainable educational transformation. The Next Gen PET FOLC includes i) experts who can provide long-term support and promote reflection, ii) an internal structure of faculty clusters, and iii) supporting tools such as curricular materials and communication platforms. We describe initial findings on community members' preparedness to implement the curriculum, sense of community, and scope of participation, as well as a future research agenda.

  • • Analyzing the Community Aspect of Faculty Online Learning Communities

    • EM02
    • Tue 07/25, 1:40PM - 1:50PM

    • by Alexandra Lau,, Melissa Dancy, Charles Henderson

    • Type: Contributed
    • In 2015 we ran our first Faculty Online Learning Community (FOLC) to support new faculty in the year following their attendance at the Physics and Astronomy New Faculty Workshop (NFW). FOLC cohorts meet biweekly via a video conferencing program and connect between meetings using an asynchronous communication platform. Previous work shows that participants of the NFW face challenges in implementing techniques learned at the workshop when they return to their home institutions [1]. Our FOLCs are designed to create a support network among members as they navigate these challenges. In this talk I will present the themes regarding community formation that emerged from analysis of post-interviews from members of our four completed cohorts. I will discuss what we are learning about the importance of the “C” in FOLC.

  • • Modeling the Development of Self-Efficacy and Identity for Retention of STEM Students

    • EM03
    • Tue 07/25, 1:50PM - 2:00PM

    • by Cabot Zabriskie,, John Stewart

    • Type: Contributed
    • Retention of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics(STEM) disciplines is a significant concern in higher education. Self-efficacy and Identity have been identified as important correlates of academic success that may be important in a robust model of STEM retention. Multiple regression and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to investigate the relation of these variables and STEM graduation probability. Self-efficacy has been shown to depend on academic domain (physics/math/other science, or the profession); these sub-facets were also explored. To illuminate the relations identified, the student’s personality and sense of belonging were also investigated as control variables.

  • • Six Questions that Can Predict the Successful Spread of an Education Development Project*

    • EM04
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:10PM

    • by Charles Henderson,, Courtney Stanford, Raina Khatri, Renee Cole, Jeff Froyd

    • Type: Contributed
    • Over 30 years of education research has resulted in many curricular materials and instructional strategies for undergraduate STEM. Yet, the majority of these proven products are not widely used. Based on the research literature, we developed a six-item rubric to predict the likelihood that an education development project will successfully spread. We applied this rubric to 71 education development proposals funded by the National Science Foundation in 2009. The rubric predicted that 80% of these would be unsuccessful in spreading their innovations. Data collected for a subset of these projects, via web searches and interviews with the PIs, suggests that the rubric can be used to make reasonably accurate predictions. A common weakness of development projects is that planning for scale and propagation typically occur after the product is developed. We argue that such planning needs to occur from the very beginning of a project.

  • • Physics Graduate Retention at The Ohio State University

    • EM05
    • Tue 07/25, 2:10PM - 2:20PM

    • by Amber Byrum,, Andrew Heckler, Alison Koenka, Christopher Porter, Hanna Lafranconi

    • Type: Contributed
    • In an effort to improve retention, student experience, and diversity in graduate physics courses and programs, we are conducting a longitudinal study that examines cognitive and motivational factors through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. We also aim to identify how gender, ethnicity, and academic achievement relate to student experience, student success, and retention for graduate students in physics at The Ohio State University. Here we report on data from the first year of survey data administered to two groups of graduate students (44 total): those enrolled in the core physics courses (typically first and second year students) and those who have completed the core courses but have not completed the candidacy exam. They surveys consist of 100+ items including a number of validated scales measuring cognitive factors relevant to retention and the student experience. The results provide evidence of significant gender differences in measures such as belonging, satisfaction, and cost.

  • • Team-based Strategies for Improving STEM Instruction: Characteristics of Successful Teams*

    • EM06
    • Tue 07/25, 2:20PM - 2:30PM

    • by Alice Olmstead,, Charles Henderson, Andrea Beach

    • Type: Contributed
    • Strategies for improving teaching in higher education have recently begun to shift the focus from individual instructors to the department-level. These department-level change initiatives frequently employ teams. However, literature that explores when teams are likely to be effective mechanisms for improving STEM instruction is limited, and a lack of shared knowledge will likely limit the success of these efforts. Our current work aims to address this shortcoming. In particular, we are synthesizing relevant literature from a variety of domains and considering how these research findings from other contexts could apply here. For example, what is known about the effect of team size on team performance? What types of people should be included on a team? We will use these results to interpret empirical data collected from leaders of team-based STEM change initiatives across the U.S.

  • • University Students' Negotiation of Physics Identity in Informal Physics Programs

    • EM07
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 2:40PM

    • by Claudia Fracchiolla,, Kathleen Hinko

    • Type: Contributed
    • Graduate students immersed in research continue to develop their physics identity by engaging in practices that are central to the physics community. However, many graduate students also participate in other relevant practices, such as teaching and outreach. For some, teaching and outreach may be integral to their experience doing physics and building identity, although that may be counter to messaging from advisors or academia about their value. In this work, we investigate university educators’ (UEs) negotiation of physics identity after they have volunteered in an afterschool physics program for K-12 students. We hypothesize that UEs’ physics identity is reshaped by the interactions and experiences they have in the program. We analyze UEs’ interviews using a Community of Practice framework. From this analysis, we extract the experiences that affect their physics identity as they negotiate their memberships in the outreach and scientific communities of practice.

  • • A Methodological Approach to Understand Complexity in College Physics Mindset

    • EM08
    • Tue 07/25, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Angela Little,, Vashti Sawtelle,, Bridget Humphrey,

    • Type: Contributed
    • Mindset is a long standing area of the psychology literature that focuses on students’ response to challenge beliefs about the nature of intelligence, and goals for educational experiences. Current measurement tools, primarily focused on Likert-scale surveys, are limited in their applicability to understanding the complexity of students’ college physics experiences. We present novel methodologies to capture mindset in student talk through interviewing and analysis. Ultimately, our goal is to develop design principles for educational environments that support students in embracing challenge and believing it is possible to grow and improve in physics. We argue that finer-grained methodologies for studying mindset are key to understanding how such educational outcomes may be achieved.

  • • Do Students’ Learning Orientations Have External Effect on Implementation Success?

    • EM09
    • Tue 07/25, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
    • by Andrew Mason,
    • Type: Contributed
    • An external variable that may affect student perceptions of learning physics, as well as actual in-class performance, entails how students’ learning goals are oriented with respect to the course (e.g. pre-professional majors who may primarily be interested in maintaining a strong GPA). Preliminary research at the University of Central Arkansas identifies different learning orientations within the student population of a first-semester introductory algebra-based physics course: learning a problem-solving framework for its own usefulness, learning a framework with course performance goals in mind, and a focus on non-goal-oriented items (e.g. focus on process), with regard to a pre-laboratory metacognitive problem-solving exercise. We discuss potential relationships between these learning orientation categories and standard measures of course performance and pre-post analysis.

  • • Exploring Life-Science Students' Conceptions of the Relevance of Physics

    • EM10
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM

    • by Abhilash Nair,, Paul Irving, Vashti Sawtelle

    • Type: Contributed
    • I present in-progress work of investigating student conceptions of relevance in the introductory physics classroom. This work is situated in the first semester of a studio physics for the life-sciences course aimed at leveraging students' disciplinary expertise in biology and chemistry as they learn physics. Physics is often communicated via policy recommendations and program requirements as being relevant and important for the future of life-science students, but often these students disagree. In trying to address this disconnect, I share analysis of interviews with students in the early weeks of the course to demonstrate that our current understanding of relevance in physics needs to be expanded.

  • • Linking Intuition to Embodied Experience: The Case for Regaining Balance

    • EM11
    • Tue 07/25, 3:10PM - 3:20PM

    • by Jose Mestre,, Jason Morphew, Ryan Lin, Patrick Kwon

    • Type: Contributed
    • People possess knowledge about the physics underlying situations from intuitions, observations and experiences. Sometimes intuitions are in conflict with physics laws as well as physical experiences. We explored the connection between people’s embodied understandings and their intellectual understandings of balance. Using embodied cognition, a theory suggesting that conceptual understanding is grounded in embodied experiences, connections between intuitive and embodied knowledge were explored. Participants were asked questions that evoked their intuitions about balancing, performed balancing activities on a balance beam, and finally recalled how they swung their arms when balancing. Fewer than 20% of the participants’ intuitive answers about balancing were correct. Furthermore, after balancing, only 50% of the participants correctly recalled how they moved their arms while trying to regain balance. In several cases, people’s intuitive knowledge did not align with recall of their experience, suggesting that intuitions and embodied experiences are not well linked.

  • • Personality Types and Student Performance in an Introductory Physics Course

    • EM12
    • Tue 07/25, 3:20PM - 3:30PM

    • by Andrew Meyertholen,, Jason Harlow, David Harrison, Michael Justason, Brian Wilson

    • Type: Contributed
    • There has been much debate about the roles personality and learning style play in effective learning. We assessed students’ personality types in a large introductory physics course for life science students using an instrument similar to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. We found significant correlations between personality type and test/exam performance. These results were also reflected in the normalized gains on the Force Concept Inventory. The personality type that performed best in the course was similar to the personality profile of the physics faculty here at Toronto. Further study will help to determine the significance of these findings and whether addressing this effect could improve physics instruction.

  • • Applying Eye-Tracking Technology to Investigate Cognitive Load Theory*

    • FK01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Tianlong Zu,, John Hutson, Lester Loschky, N. Rebello

    • Type: Contributed
    • Cognitive load theory (CLT) requires that learning material should not impose cognitive load exceeding a learner’s working memory capacity. CLT posits three types of loads: intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. Each has unique implications for learning. Many physiological measures can differentiate different levels of total cognitive load. There has been little research to investigate their sensitivity to the three kinds of load other than subjective ratings, which are often unreliable. In this study we report how some eye-tracking based physiological parameters are related to the three kinds of cognitive load. Our study design is based on clear manipulation of the three kinds of load. In general, participants in our study have low prior knowledge regarding the material used. An operation memory span task was conducted to control the effect of working memory capacity.

  • • Blackbox Science: Hidden Science Practices Used in the Optics Workplace

    • FK02
    • Wed 07/26, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Anne Leak,, Zackary Santos, Kelly Martin, Erik Reiter, Benjamin Zwickl

    • Type: Contributed
    • To prepare physics majors for future careers, it is important for faculty to understand the practices and competencies necessary for success. To explore how these are acquired and used in optics and photonics-related careers, we conducted 28 semi-structured interviews with managers and recent hires at companies in Western New York. Employees described the science they used in their jobs, their strengths and weaknesses, and where their competencies were developed. Managers were interviewed to provide an additional perspective on expected competencies and education provided on the job. Using hierarchical and emergent coding methods, we explored 1) the science new hires engage in, 2) valuable competencies for success, and 3) where essential learning takes place. Our results highlight the variety of ways new hires learn science and what competencies are most valuable on the job. Results have potential implications for revealing and integrating real industry practices into the undergraduate physics curriculum.

  • • Coordinating Multiple Resources to Learn Physics

    • FK03
    • Wed 07/26, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by Trevor Volkwyn, John Airey, Bor Gregorcic, Filip Heijkenskjöld, Cedric Linder

    • Type: Contributed
    • It has been argued that for any given physics task there is a critical constellation of resources that students need to become proficient in handling in order for physics learning to take place. This is because different resources offer access to different information i.e. they have different pedagogical and disciplinary affordances. A laboratory exercise requiring coordination of multiple resources was designed to help students appreciate the movability of coordinate systems. Initially students were unable to coordinate the manipulation of a hand-held measuring device (IOLab) and observe changes in three readouts on a computer screen, whilst simultaneously drawing conclusions in their discussions with each other and the facilitator. However, the introduction of a paper arrow allowed students to quickly coordinate the resources and begin to experience the movability of coordinate systems. The study confirms earlier work on critical constellations of resources and the functioning of persistent resources as coordinating hubs.

  • • Impact of Instructor Beliefs Surrounding Reflection on Students

    • FK04
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by MacKenzie Lenz,, Elizabeth Gire

    • Type: Contributed
    • After solving a problem, professional physicists spend time asking, “Does this answer make sense? Is my answer reasonable?” A common instructional goal is for students to do the same. Some instructors believe that reflection should be formally required on assignments while others do not. These differing beliefs may affect how students learn and use different reflection strategies and whether students believe that reflecting on answers is important. We will examine the relationship between three different instructors’ beliefs about reflection, their students’ use of reflection on homework, and the students’ beliefs about reflection.

  • • Measurable Learning Objectives Project

    • FK05
    • Wed 07/26, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
    • by Suzanne White Brahmia,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The collaborative development of physics learning objectives (1) can provide a framework for sustaining pedagogical and cultural change. MLOP (Measurable Learning Objectives Project) is a new national effort that builds on the products and outcomes of the Science Education Initiatives at UC Boulder and UBC. MLOP focuses on two growth areas. The first is uniformly addressing introductory physics learning objectives; we consolidate the outcomes of prior systematic efforts in the majors’ courses creating a robust set of measurable learning objectives for the introductory sequence. The second is linking measurement with these objectives; we seek measures that help determine whether or not specific learning objectives have been met. In this talk I will introduce the structure of MLOP, its role helping to focus the community of faculty engaged in a course transformation, and its potential as a framework for modifying course content and professional development.

  • • SIMBA and PUMBA: Surveys for Developing and Measuring Student Buy-in

    • FK06
    • Wed 07/26, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Matthew Wilcox,, Jacquelyn Chini

    • Type: Contributed
    • Studio physics classes typically implement collaborative student-centered instructional techniques that students may not expect when they first come to class. The differences between student expectations and the reality of the studio class can lead to student resistance to these student-centered instructional techniques. Getting students to adjust their expectations to align with the instructional design may be the start of reducing student resistance. Further reduction in student resistance may come from efforts to get students to agree that the studio class format is the best way to learn physics. We refer to the appropriate expectations of and agreement with the class format as “buy-in”. We have developed a survey for instructors and another for students to determine successful methods for generating student buy-in. We report on the development of these surveys and how they will be used to determine the best methods for buy-in achievement.

  • • Student Learning of Legendre Transformations with a Mechanical Analogue

    • FK07
    • Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 9:40AM

    • by Michael Vignal,, Elizabeth Gire

    • Type: Contributed
    • While student difficulties with thermodynamics are well documented, researchers and instructors have struggled to develop pedagogical tools and strategies to help students navigate challenging thermodynamic concepts. In response, members of the Department of Physics at Oregon State University developed the partial derivative machine (PDM) as a mechanical analogue to a thermodynamic system. In this talk, we discuss two sets of teaching interviews with junior-level physics majors, in which students learned about Legendre transformations on the mechanical PDM and then attempted a thermodynamics transfer problem. Our analysis of these interviews considers student affect and performance on the transfer problem to assess the effectiveness of the PDM as a teaching tool. We found that students used the PDM to ground their mathematical representation and physical intuition of the thermodynamics transfer problem, and many participants reported that the activity was informative, enjoyable, and gave them a deeper physical understanding of Legendre transformations.

  • • Studying Response-Shift Bias in the CLASS with a Retrospective Study

    • FK08
    • Wed 07/26, 9:40AM - 9:50AM

    • by Ramesh Adhikari,, W. Brian Lane, Terry Ellis, Paul Simony

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) is an important tool to assess shifts in students’ beliefs and attitudes about physics during a physics course. Students enter the course with preconceptions about the nature of physics and expectations about how to learn it. Instructors hope that students complete the course with a favorable shift in their attitudes about physics, but pre-to-post-instruction results indicate that this is usually not the case. However, these results may contain response-shift bias due to students’ changing reference frames. Studies of other evaluation tools have shown that administering a survey retrospectively (i.e., asking students to estimate their incoming attitudes at the end of a course) can reveal response-shift bias. By comparing traditional pre- and post-instruction responses with retrospective responses to the CLASS, we evaluate the presence and effect of response-shift bias in a variety of introductory and intermediate physics courses.

  • • TAs' Perceptions of Different Problem Types in Introductory Physics

    • FK09
    • Wed 07/26, 9:50AM - 10:00AM

    • by Melanie Good,, Emily Marshman, Edit Yerushalmi, Chandralekha Singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • We examined graduate teaching assistants’ (TAs') views about different types of introductory physics problems within the context of a semester-long TA training course. The type of problem chosen can emphasize learning goals for students such as learning physics content knowledge and expert-like problem-solving approaches. In this investigation, TAs were given several problem types for the same physics scenario. The problem types differed in the extent to which they required students to use expert-like problem-solving approaches, such as describing the problem in physics terms, planning sub-problems, etc. TAs were asked to list pros and cons of each problem type, to rate the problem types in terms of their instructional benefit and level of challenge for their students, and describe when and how often they would use the problem types in their own classes if they had complete control of teaching the class. The same data collection tools were used in a previous investigation of faculty members’ beliefs about problem types allowing for comparisons between the beliefs of TAs and faculty members. We find that most TAs stated that they valued and were likely to use problems that were broken into sub-problems more than a context-rich problem, designed to require students to use expert-like problem-solving approaches. Many TAs explained their reluctance to use the context-rich problem in that it is unclear and time-consuming to students. These findings differ from former study findings regarding faculty – they valued context-rich problems, yet would not use them on tests to avoid putting stress on students. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

  • • The Impact of the NSF S-STEM Program

    • FK10
    • Wed 07/26, 10:00AM - 10:10AM

    • by Kevin Lee,, Connie Della-Piana

    • Type: Contributed
    • The National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program (NSF S-STEM) is a longstanding program that provides scholarships and support structures for STEM students who are of high-ability (or high-potential) and are low-income students with demonstrated financial need. This presentation will describe the evidence for the significant impact of the S-STEM program. We will also discuss the recent evolution of S-STEM program toward greater flexibility and educational research. Examples from the portfolio that include Physics and Astronomy students will be provided.

  • • The Interaction Between Physics Learning and Interdisciplinary Learning*

    • FK11
    • Wed 07/26, 10:10AM - 10:20AM

    • by Jill Marshall,, Jay Banner, Hye Sun You

    • Type: Contributed
    • In instructional paradigms such as project based instruction and cornerstone design, contextualized interdisciplinary problems serve as an introduction that motivates and facilitates further learning in individual disciplines. In others, interdisciplinary challenges serve as capstones, where prior learning is applied. I will report an investigation of the relationship between learning in individual disciplines, e.g., physics, and the development of interdisciplinary understanding (the ability to address problems requiring knowledge and practices from multiple disciplines for their solution) in the context of an environmental science class on sustainability. The physics covered includes energy transfer through radiation and convection, thermodynamics, and orbital motion Our population included science, engineering, and non-STEM majors, allowing us to probe the interaction between previous disciplinary learning and the development of interdisciplinary understanding. To facilitate this study we developed an instrument measuring disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning as separate constructs, and used confirmatory factor analysis to verify its structure.

  • • Teaching Model Making and Mode Breaking Skills with Direct Measurement Videos

    • FK12
    • Wed 07/26, 10:20AM - 10:30AM

    • by Matthew Vonk,, Peter Bohacek

    • Type: Contributed
    • For this study, we were curious to see if students could develop two science process skills using interactive high resolution direct measurement videos. The first skill, model making, is the ability to analyze a phenomenon in a way that produces a quantitative multimodal model. The second skill, model breaking, is the ability to critically evaluate if the behavior of a system is consistent with a given model. For this work, students interacted with video tools that allowed them to vary important parameters within the video that they were analyzing. This was accomplished by video recording slightly different versions of the same experimental scenario where each version had a unique set of parameter values. The videos were then brought together to form a multidimensional matrix of videos that students could explore in ways that are similar to the ways that they can explore with physical equipment.

• PER: Evaluating instructional strategies

  • • Examining Student Attitudes via the Math Attitude and Expectations Survey

    • BI01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 1:40PM

    • by Deborah Hemingway,, Mark Eichenlaub, Edward Redish

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Math Attitude and Expectations Survey (MAX) is one of two novel assessment surveys developed as part of a mixed-methods exploratory project that seeks to understand and overcome the barriers that students face when using math in science. The MAX is a 30-question Likert-scale survey that focuses on student attitudes towards using mathematics in a reformed Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences (IPLS) course, part of the National Experiment in Undergraduate Education (NEXUS/Physics) project. Survey development and results are discussed with specific attention given to students' attitudes towards math and physics, opinions about interdisciplinarity, and the usefulness of physics in academic settings as well as in professional biological research and modern medicine settings. We also utilized the outcomes of the second novel assessment survey, the Mathematical Epistemic Games Survey (MEGS), to gain further insight into and compare results of this survey across multiple institutions.

  • • Controlling for the Effectiveness of Time Use in Physics Students

    • BI02
    • Mon 07/24, 1:40PM - 1:50PM

    • by Seth DeVore,, John Stewart

    • Type: Contributed
    • Student time use is a major element of success in any course, especially in physics courses in which expertise is earned largely through exposure to the problem-solving process. Surveys were developed to probe the distribution of student time use across various typical tasks associated with the introductory, calculus-based physics sequence. Preliminary results controlling for student ability using SAT/ACT scores showed limited correlation between time use and student success. Additional surveys were developed and implemented to measure other factors including modified subscales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. The effectiveness of time use at predicting student success when controlling for these factors will be discussed.

  • • Developing Effective Clicker Question Sequences for Helping Students Learn Quantum Mechanics

    • BI03
    • Mon 07/24, 1:50PM - 2:00PM

    • by Paul Justice,, Emily Marshman, chandralekha singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • Effective use of clicker questions in physics courses at all levels and inclasses of all sizes can be an excellent formative assessment tool and can help students learn physics and develop their reasoning and meta-cognitive skills. Here we discuss our research on the development and evaluation of effective clicker question sequences for helping students learn quantum mechanics. We also discuss research evaluating an effective balance of peer discussions in small groups vs. general class discussions when students engage with different clicker question sequences.

  • • Evaluating JiTT and Peer Instruction Using Clickers in a QM Course

    • BI04
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:10PM

    • by Ryan Sayer,, Emily Marshman, Chandralekha Singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • Just-in-Time Teaching (JiTT) is an instructional strategy involving feedback from students on pre-lecture activities in order to design in-class activities to build on the continuing feedback from students. We investigate the effectiveness of a JiTT approach, which included in-class concept tests using clickers in an upper-division quantum mechanics (QM) course. We analyze student performance on pre-lecture reading quizzes and in-class clicker questions answered individually and then again after group discussion, and compare those performances with open-ended retention quizzes administered after all instructional activities on the same concepts. In general, compared to the reading quizzes, student performance improved when individual clicker questions were posed after lectures that focused on student difficulties found via electronic feedback. The performance on the clicker questions after group discussions following individual clicker question responses also improved, as did the performance on retention quizzes administered at a later time. We discuss some possible reasons for the improved performance at various stages, e.g., from pre-lecture reading quizzes to post-lecture clicker questions, and from individual to group clicker questions and retention quizzes. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

  • • Comparing Insights from Different Methods for Clustering Multiple-Choice Test Questions

    • BI05
    • Mon 07/24, 2:10PM - 2:20PM

    • by Mark Eichenlaub,, Edward Redish, Deborah Hemingway

    • Type: Contributed
    • Students taking a multiple-choice test generate more data than simply their final score, and a large class generates far more data than a single statistic can convey. Statistical techniques such as factor analysis and computations on network-based models can help us go from raw data to new insights on student learning, but only if we know how to interpret the results. As a case study in statistical meaning, we contrast results from applying factor analysis and network modularity maximization to data from two new survey instruments created as part of a project to study mathematical meaning-making in introductory physics for the life sciences. We ask what results would be expected given various models of student behavior, what results we actually see, and how quantitative results can go on to inform qualitative research.

  • • Engaging Reflective Thinking During an Exam: Slowing Students Down on Multiple Choice Questions Increases Performance

    • BI06
    • Mon 07/24, 2:20PM - 2:30PM

    • by Jared Stang,, Joss Ives

    • Type: Contributed
    • Dual processing theory asserts that there are two modes of thinking: A fast, reflexive "system 1"--which provides unconscious, intuitive judgements--and a slower, more reflective "system 2"--which involves deliberate and conscious effort. We examine the implications of this theory in the context of multiple-choice questions on physics exams by including an "Explain your answer" box for certain problems on the exams in a large-scale calculus-based introductory physics course. Our hypothesis is that slowing students down by asking them to write an explanation may trigger system 2, resulting in increased performance on the question. The propensity of students to engage system 2 was measured using the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), and a pre/post concept inventory measured both incoming knowledge and learning through the semester. Preliminary results indicate that an "Explain your answer" box results in a statistically significant increase in the odds of a student answering the corresponding question correctly and that the CRT was a strong predictor of exam performance. Implications for exam design will be discussed.

  • • Performance on In-class vs. Online Administration of Concept Inventories and Attitudinal Assessments

    • BI07
    • Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 2:40PM

    • by Jayson Nissen, Xochith Herrera, Manher Jariwala, Eleanor Close, Ben Van Dusen

    • Type: Contributed
    • Measuring student growth and outcomes using concept inventories and affective surveys is a fundamental tool of physics education research. Historically this data has been collected using paper and pencil tests. However, the convenience of computer-based testing has led to many researchers and instructors administering research-based instruments using computers inside and outside of class. We used a stratified random sample of 1,645 students in three physics courses over two semesters to compare performance on concept inventories and affective surveys that were administered either in class as paper and pencil tests or online outside of class using the Learning About Student Supported Outcomes (LASSO) platform. We will discuss implications for these two methods of data collection for measuring changes in students’ knowledge and attitudes.

  • • Evaluating Introductory Labs: The PLIC

    • BI08
    • Mon 07/24, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Natasha G. Holmes,, Katherine Quinn, Carl Wieman

    • Type: Contributed
    • A great deal of time and money is spent on science lab courses, but there is little evidence evaluating whether they are providing good educational value. Labs also suffer from a lack of consensus on goals and on accepted assessment instruments. In this talk, I will introduce the Physics Lab Inventory for Critical thinking, a new assessment under development and validation to fill this gap. It is aimed to assess students' proficiency with critical thinking as related to making sense of data, variability, and models and to assess the efficacy of lab courses at developing these skills. I will briefly outline the motivation and goals of the assessment, the development and validation efforts thus far, and early data and findings.

  • • Impact of Grading Practices on Students' Beliefs about Experimental Physics

    • BI09
    • Mon 07/24, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by Bethany Wilcox,, Heather Lewandowski

    • Type: Contributed
    • Student learning in undergraduate physics laboratories is a growing area of focus within the PER community. Lab courses have been called out as critical elements of the undergraduate curriculum, particularly with respect to improving students' attitudes and beliefs about experimental physics. Previous work within lab learning environments has focused on the effectiveness of curricular innovations or changes to pedagogy; however, one aspect of the learning environment that has not be investigated is the impact of grading practices on students' beliefs and practices. We explore the possible link between students' perceptions of what is valued and rewarded by course grades and their beliefs about the nature and importance of experimental physics as measured by the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). We find that there is a significant correlation between students' perceptions of the value of certain activities and their personal epistemologies with respect to those activities.

  • • Onsite Grading in Introductory Physics Laboratories

    • BI10
    • Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
    • by Changgong Zhou,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Study in cognitive psychology has shown that immediate feedback on learning can significantly improve knowledge and skill retention. However, introductory physics laboratory courses taught in conventional ways do not allow easy implementation of immediate feedback. In the ongoing process to renovate our lab curriculum, we overhaul our lab instruction model, which implements immediate feedback (both formative and summative) in the form of onsite grading. Students learn their grades before they leave the lab room. This presentation will discuss our onsite grading practice, the changes it brings to our lab curriculum design, and its impact on instructors’ and students’ behavior and mentality.

  • • What Elements of GTA Development Do GTAs Find Most Useful?

    • BI11
    • Mon 07/24, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
    • by Emily Alicea-Munoz,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The School of Physics at Georgia Tech runs a preparation and development program for new Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) that focuses on the integration of pedagogy, physics content, and professional development strategies. The program has been in effect for four years, has been well-received by the nearly one hundred graduate students who have participated in it, and has effected a positive impact on GTA teaching effectiveness. The program's curriculum is revised yearly based, in part, on feedback from the GTAs. Here we present an analysis of said feedback, focusing on what elements of GTA preparation our graduate students have found the most interesting and useful for their professional development.

  • • Identity and Skills Development of Physics Supplemental Instruction Leaders

    • BI12
    • Mon 07/24, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
    • by Sissi Li,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a program developed to target gateway courses with low passing rates. Students in these courses have the option to attend regular group problem-solving practice sessions outside of lecture. Each session is led by an SI leader, a student who has done well in the course and has applied for the position. While much of the research has focused on student success, this study examines the valuable skills SI leaders learn and the identities developed as a result of participation in the program. We have conducted interviews with SI leaders in physics to examine their general experience in the program and targeted facets of their development. We will present findings about the SI leaders’ ideas about teaching and learning, their growth as content experts, and engagement as members of a community supporting academic success.

  • • Snapshots of Studio Physics Classrooms Across Universities

    • CK01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:10PM

    • by Jacquelyn Chini,, Matthew Wilcox, Noel Klingler, Gerald Feldman, Joshua Von Korff

    • Type: Contributed
    • An increasing number of institutions are adopting a collaborative student-centered studio approach for their introductory physics classes, with many adopting a SCALE-UP approach. The FAQ at scaleup.ncsu.edu explains that students work in teams on “short, interesting tasks” and warns the instructor “if you are lecturing for more than 15 minutes, you are probably talking too much.” So, how are students and instructors in studio courses spending their in-class time? We have used a modified version of the Teaching Dimensions Observation Protocol (TDOP) to characterize instruction at nine universities with more than 40 instructors. The modified TDOP identifies different types of instructor dialogue, class discussion and students’ group and individual work, as well as technology used in the classroom. We will discuss similarities and differences at the institution and instructor level for frequency of code occurrence and common code combinations.

  • • The Association Between Small Group Work and Conceptual Learning Gains in Physics

    • CK02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:10PM - 4:20PM

    • by Miguel Rodriguez,, Zahra Hazari, Geoff Potvin

    • Type: Contributed
    • Introductory physics courses are considered to be difficult and conceptually challenging for college students. Traditional, lecture-heavy pedagogies remain the most predominant teaching methods but, for the past 30 years, there has been a broad push for more active learning approaches. In this talk, we report on data collected from a national sample of over 350 undergraduate students at the beginning and end of their first-semester introductory physics courses across 19 different institutions to understand their experiences learning physics its associations to learning gains. We find that students who report working in small groups every class have statistically significantly larger gains on the FMCE as compared to those that never worked in groups. We will also present details that characterize the group activities in these classes.

  • • Interviews About Research-based Physics Activities

    • CK03
    • Mon 07/24, 4:20PM - 4:30PM

    • by Joshua Von Korff,, Amin Bayat Barooni, Monica Cook, Kyle Simmons

    • Type: Contributed
    • Many research-based activities have been designed over the past several decades; these include the Tutorials in Introductory Physics, Realtime Physics, Workshop Physics, several Investigative Science Learning Environment products, Tutorials in Physics Sensemaking, Modeling Instruction labs, and others. However, for a variety of reasons, many instructors still design their own activities, and they may want to imitate the accomplishments of experienced physics education researchers. We have interviewed authors of these activities to find out about their design strategies and motivation behind the design of the activities. This project will help instructors to imitate research-based activities and may also help the PER community to articulate the purpose of the activities to instructors. We have coded and analyzed the authors' comments.

  • • Team-based Learning in Large-Enrollment, Introductory Courses

    • CK04
    • Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
    • by Laura Tucker,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Team-based learning uses assigned, fixed teams as a core component of the course structure. In very large introductory courses with up to 400 students, administration and classroom structure are expected hurdles to this pedagogy. We discuss multiple implementations of team-based learning with team-based (IF-AT) exams in these courses, and present data on student outcomes and student response to this pedagogy.

  • • Adapting Interactive Tutorials for Large-scale Algebra-based Classes

    • CK05
    • Mon 07/24, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
    • by Ryan Hazelton,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Much of the PER-based curricular materials have been developed in the context of small-group sections with moderate enrollment; for example, Tutorials in Introductory Physics are designed to facilitate peer-instruction in classrooms with 20-30 students in the calculus-based introductory sequence. At the University of Washington the algebra-based courses are 200-600 students, with no small-group sections. However curricula like the Tutorials can be extremely successfully adapted for use in large-scale classes. Though some aspects of their use in small-group sections have to be modified or dropped when dealing with hundreds of students, these students show gains in understanding that are comparable to those of students in the calculus-based courses.

  • • Student’s Learning Transformation via Ranking and Sensemaking Tasksin Introductory Physics Courses

    • CK06
    • Mon 07/24, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
    • by Orlando Patricio,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Generation Z and millennial students have different learning styles and attention spans. The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) recognized the need to improve student performance and transform the physics classrooms. About 25 physics educators were trained and immersed in using various innovative teaching strategies on the last cohort of an 18-month New Faculty Experience (NFE) for physics educators. Hence, this study is a result of this project. This research explored the transformational effect(s) of using ranking and sensemaking tasks/activities in introductory physics courses to student’s (1) pre/posttest scores and (2) final exams. The student’s portfolio of the activities were also assessed to ascertain their level of critical thinking skills. To gain better insights of the productive elements of the activities, student’s journals and impressions were collected and analyzed. The activities were embedded in the usual classroom routine. The student’s learning transformation is phenomenal.

  • • Evaluating Modeling Instruction Curricular Changes by Students’ Representation Choices

    • CK07
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:10PM

    • by Daryl McPadden,, Eric Brewe

    • Type: Contributed
    • Representations (i.e., graphs, pictures, equations, etc.) are a foundational feature of the Modeling Instruction pedagogy and curriculum. Indeed, the first two steps of the modeling cycle in the class as introduced by Brewe (2008) are: 1) Introduction and Representation and 2) Coordination of Representations. Since representation use is one of the primary tenants of the course, we use the Problem Solving and Representation Use Survey (PSRUS) as a measure to evaluate curriculum changes in the Modeling Instruction – Electricity and Magnetism course between the spring 2015 and spring 2016 semesters. Using non-parametric frequentist statistics, we show the differences between the semesters in the number of representations that students are choosing, the types of representations that students are choosing, and the context that students find these representations relevant. Preliminary results suggest that the changes in curriculum increase the number and variety of representations students choose independent of context (particularly in verbal representations).

  • • Project BoxSand: Educational Data Mining and Student Web Behavior

    • CK08
    • Mon 07/24, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
    • by Kenneth Walsh,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Do students watch videos to prepare for a flipped classroom? When I decided to flip my classroom, I created a series of pre-lecture videos for content delivery. I also wanted to make my class completely open source. These two desires led me to create a website with all the best open resources we could find and some content we created ourselves. Students are guided through these resources with a Daily Learning Guide (DLG) and we track every mouse click. We look for correlations between use of the online resources and performance in the class, FCI gains, and surveys. Do students watch pre-lecture videos before class, before a midterm, or ever and does this correlate to performance in the class? Does following the DLG or going “off-road” have any effect on student outcomes? I will discuss a data set that includes ~ 1 million data points from roughly 450 students.

  • • Enhancing Measurement of Student Learning Through Online Instructional Design

    • CK09
    • Mon 07/24, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
    • by Zhongzhou Chen,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The latest online education platforms provide a rich variety of new instructional design options, inspiring novel online instructional designs that are drastically different from the traditional "lecture-homework-quiz" mode of brick-and-mortar courses. In this talk I will introduce such a new design that is aimed at improving the resolution of learning measurement in an online environment. By utilizing functionalities such as multiple attempts, problem banks, and control over content access, the new design enables effective pre-post testing on the scale of a single learning module that could be completed in less than an hour, a significant improvement over the traditional course structure that measures learning over the course of at least a week. Such high-frequency learning measurement will allow instructors to gain a more comprehensive understanding of student’s learning process, and quickly evaluate the effectiveness of learning resources.

  • • Exploring the Limits of Online Mastery-Style Activities

    • CK10
    • Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM

    • by Brianne Gutmann,, Timothy Stelzer, Gary Gladding

    • Type: Contributed
    • For the last three years, online mastery-style homework has replaced traditional online homework in a large preparatory physics course at the University of Illinois. Data driven changes have been effected over these years to improve the implementation so it best helps students succeed, and now we are interested in the limits of mastery-style delivery. By identifying specific levels that students struggle to complete, we can evaluate which types of problems are not well-suited for mastery. I will detail future plans to test an alternative delivery method for these problems, still alongside successful mastery levels.

  • • Learning from Animated Video Solutions: Does Solving the Problem Matter?

    • CK11
    • Mon 07/24, 5:40PM - 5:50PM

    • by Jason Morphew,, Jose Mestre, Gary Gladding

    • Type: Contributed
    • A common instructional practice is to provide feedback using video solutions on problems that students have first attempted to solve on their own. Attempting to solve problems may allow the student to focus on the aspects they don’t know resulting in more productive learning. On the other hand, the increase in focus may inhibit learning from the other information presented in the video solutions. We present data where students in an introductory mechanics course were randomly assigned to either attempt-to-solve-first/not. Afterwards both groups viewed video solutions of the problems, and completed a post-test including similar and transfer problems. Confidence judgements were made after attempting each problem. Data will show whether or not attempting the problems prior to watching video solutions affects learning and metacognitive accuracy of their judgements of learning. We also discuss the educational implications of our findings.

  • • Interventions Using Worked Synthesis Problems: Comparing Analogical Reasoning vs. Self-Summary

    • CK12
    • Mon 07/24, 5:50PM - 6:00PM

    • by Ryan Badeau,, Daniel White, Bashirah Ibrahim, Lin Ding, Andrew Heckler

    • Type: Contributed
    • The ability to solve physics problems that require multiple concepts from across the physics curriculum, or “synthesis” problems, is often a goal of physics instruction. In previous work we found that such problems represent unique challenges to students beyond single-concept mastery - in particular, student difficulty with simultaneous concept recognition and joint application. Here, we report a follow-up study with calculus-based introductory physics students in which student performance on a target synthesis problem was compared after training via either self-summary of worked synthesis examples or guided analogical comparisons. Both interventions significantly increased student performance on the target problem compared to no-training control. However, there is evidence for interaction with student aptitude and time-on-task across conditions. Additionally, student responses to the training show differences in the frequency and type of student difficulties; these may suggest principles to anticipate where each intervention may be beneficial on other, novel synthesis problems.

• PER: Examining content understanding and reasoning

  • • Assessing Thinking Skills

    • BJ09
    • Fri 02/24, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by Beth Thacker,, Zhuang Zhuang

    • Type: Contributed
    • We discuss the analysis of thinking skills as evidenced in students’ written solutions to free-response homework and exam problems in a laboratory-based, inquiry-based class compared to more traditional class settings. We used a rubric based on Bloom’s taxonomy. We present our results and the results of interviews of students on one of the problems.

  • • The Challenge of Making Sense of Mixed Metaphors in Quantum Mechanics

    • BJ01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 1:40PM

    • by David Brookes,, AJ Richards, Eugenia Etkina

    • Type: Contributed
    • We will present an analysis of the discussions of a small group of pre-service physics teachers learning about how a solar cell functions. As documented in the previous talk, part of the students’ sense-making process involved using analogical reasoning. Beneath that we found another layer of sense-making that involved students trying to disentangle systems of conceptual metaphors embedded in the language of quantum mechanics. In our case study we see a student challenged by the mixed metaphors associated with an energy state of the system described as a location within the state, confused with the physical location of an object in space, and compounded with the location of the “energy level” itself. We have observed this difficulty before in earlier research (Brookes & Etkina, 2007) and we suggest that such explorations of metaphorical overextensions are a necessary and key part of the sense-making process.

  • • Probing the Relationship Between Cognitive Reflection and Conceptual Learning*

    • BJ02
    • Mon 07/24, 1:40PM - 1:50PM

    • by Cody Gette,, Nathaniel Grosz, Mila Kryjevskaia, MacKenzie Stetzer, Andrew Boudreaux

    • Type: Contributed
    • In many contexts in introductory physics, students who demonstrate correctconceptual knowledge and appropriate formal reasoning approaches on one physics task often abandon relevant knowledge in favor of perhaps more intuitively appealing lines of reasoning on isomorphic tasks. Dual-process theories of cognition suggest that such inconsistencies may stem from a fast, automatic, and intuitive process interfering with slow and analytical thinking. The Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) has been developed in psychology to gauge the tendency of a reasoner to engage analytical thinking to evaluate (and possibly override) initial intuitive ideas. In our ongoing, multi-institutional project, we have been exploring the use of the CRT and concept inventories (e.g. FMCE) to probe the relationship between cognitive reflection and learning gains in physics.

  • • Probing the Relationship Between Cognitive Reflection and Student Reasoning*

    • BJ03
    • Mon 07/24, 1:50PM - 2:00PM

    • by Mila Kryjevskaia,, Nathaniel Grosz, Cody Gette

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a multi-year, multi-institutional effort, we have been investigating the development of student reasoning skills in physics courses. In particular, we have been focusing on the identification of factors and instructional circumstances that appear to enhance or suppress the application of correct reasoning approaches. Previously, we employed the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT) to measure students’ abilities to engage analytical thinking to evaluate (and possibly override) initial intuitive ideas. We have identified a strong correlation between CRT scores and learning gains, as measured by the FMCE. In this presentation, further evidence for the impact of cognitive reflection skills on students’ learning will be discussed. A correlation between CRT scores and student performance in the specific context of frictional forces will be examined. Implications for instruction will be discussed.

  • • Dual-Process Theory: A Lens for Interpreting Student Reasoning*

    • BJ04
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:10PM

    • by Andrew Boudreaux,, Cody Gette, Nathanial Grosz, Beth Lindsey, Mackenzie Stetzer

    • Type: Contributed
    • Dual-process theories of cognition posit two largely distinct modes of thinking: an automatic, “intuitive” process, and a deliberate, analytic process. Instructors might naturally expect students to engage the latter when working on problems in a physics course. In an ongoing, multi-institution collaboration, however, we have found evidence that the intuitive process can “interfere” with step-by-step reasoning in interesting ways. In this talk, we present students’ written explanations and in-the-moment sense-making talk from classroom video to identify specific reasoning difficulties. We then interpret these difficulties through the lens of dual-process theories.

  • • Modifying Chaining Tasks to Explore Dual-Process Theories of Reasoning*

    • BJ05
    • Mon 07/24, 2:10PM - 2:20PM

    • by MacKenzie Stetzer,, J. Caleb Speirs, Mila Kryjevskaia

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a larger effort to investigate and assess the development of student reasoning skills in physics, we have been designing tasks that examine student ability to generate qualitative, inferential reasoning chains. In an online “chaining” task, students are provided with correct reasoning elements (i.e., true statements about the physical situation as well as correct concepts and mathematical relationships) and are asked to assemble them into an argument in order to answer a physics problem. We have recently begun modifying these chaining tasks in order to better explore the extent to which some reasoning phenomena in physics may be accounted for by dual-process theories of reasoning. In this talk, an overview of these modified chaining tasks will be provided and preliminary results will be discussed.

  • • Using Chaining Task Iinterviews to Explore Dual-process Theories of Reasoning*

    • BJ06
    • Mon 07/24, 2:20PM - 2:30PM

    • by Beth Lindsey,, Andrew Boudreaux, MacKenzie Stetzer, J. Caleb Speirs

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a multi-institution collaboration, we are examining students’ multi-step, qualitative reasoning in physics. We have previously presented results from online tasks and interviews in which students were provided with reasoning elements (i.e., statements about fundamental concepts or the specific physical situation) and were asked to assemble them into reasoning chains in support of their answers. Results from online tasks could be accounted for using dual-process theories of reasoning, which suggest that two distinct processes are involved in reasoning: a fast, automatic, “intuitive” process (system 1) and a slower, analytical, and rule-based process (system 2). In this talk, we will present data from one-on-one interviews with students and interpret results using dual-process theories. Implications for instruction will be discussed.

  • • Student Mathematization and Conceptual Understanding of Differential Area Elements

    • BJ07
    • Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 2:40PM

    • by Benjamin Schermerhorn,, John Thompson

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of an effort to examine how students determine and understand differential vector elements in the various non-Cartesian coordinate systems used in electricity and magnetism (E&M), students in junior-level E&M were interviewed. As the students progressed through typical E&M vector calculus problems, they were asked to elaborate on their choices of differential vector elements. The more successful students articulated how differential lengths and areas are constructed given the varying physical situations and the relevant symmetry. However, in several cases, students correctly explained the meaning of these differential elements within their given physical contexts, but were subsequently unable to construct appropriate symbolic representations. This latter result differs from prior work with differential length elements. Potential explanations for the difference will be discussed.

  • • Addressing Student Ideas about Coordinate Systems in the Upper Division

    • BJ08
    • Mon 07/24, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Brian Farlow, Warren Christensen, Marlene Vega, Michael Loverude

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a broader study on student thinking about mathematics in the undergraduate physics curriculum, we have developed instructional materials intended to promote productive student thinking about non-Cartesian unit and position vectors.  Previous work has identified ideas that undergraduate physics students bring to bear while attempting to solve non-Cartesian coordinate system problems:  resources for unit vectors, resources connecting polar vector elements to Cartesian vector elements, and the orthogonality of basis vectors in various coordinate systems. In previous studies, these resources are not always used productively, so these instructional materials seek to explicitly guide students to do so. We report on the development and pilot testing of this intervention among junior/senior-level undergraduate students.

  • • Examining Student Ability to Reason in Different Directions*

    • BJ10
    • Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:10PM

    • by William Johnson,*, J. Caleb Speirs, William Ferm Jr., MacKenzie Stetzer

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a multi-institutional effort to investigate and assess the development of student reasoning skills in the context of scaffolded physics instruction, we have designed and administered tasks that probe student ability to reason in different directions in introductory calculus-based courses. In these reasoning reversal tasks, two different versions of a physics problem are randomly administered to the students. In one version, students are asked to predict how a modification to an experimental setup will change the outcome of the experiment; in the other version, students are asked to infer the modification to the experimental setup that led to a specified change in the experimental outcome. In this talk, modifications to these tasks will be discussed and new results will be presented.

  • • Using Johnson-Laird’s Mental Models Framework to Examine Student Reasoning*

    • BJ11
    • Mon 07/24, 3:10PM - 3:20PM

    • by J. Caleb Speirs,, MacKenzie Stetzer, Beth Lindsey, Mila Kryjevskaia

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a multi-year, multi-institutional effort, we have been investigating and assessing the development of student reasoning skills in introductory calculus-based physics courses. Recently, we have begun to examine student reasoning in physics through the lens of Johnson-Laird’s mental models framework. In particular, we have piloted new tasks designed to measure student ability to consider multiple mental models when answering a physics problem. It is hoped that the development of such tasks will enable us to explore possible relationships between that ability and student performance on physics problems in which salient distracting features appear to prevent students from drawing upon relevant conceptual understanding. In this talk, illustrative mental models tasks will be highlighted and preliminary results will be discussed.

  • • Introductory Physics Students' Mathematics and Physics Epistemological Resources

    • EK01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
    • by Erin Scanlon,
    • Type: Contributed
    • A qualitative investigation was conducted to determine the epistemologicalresources (Hammer & Elby, 2001) employed by introductory physics students while solving mathematics and physics problems. Students enrolled in introductory, algebra-based physics were observed solving problems thinking aloud during one-on-one office hour sessions. The epistemological resources utilized during these problem-solving sessions and their associated usage patterns were investigated by analyzing transcripts of students' think-aloud wording. Differences between the resources employed while solving mathematics problems and while solving physics problems will be discussed.

  • • The Role of Prior Knowledge and Gender in Conceptual Performance

    • EK02
    • Tue 07/25, 1:40PM - 1:50PM

    • by John Stewart,, Rachel Henderson

    • Type: Contributed
    • This study investigates the role of conceptual prior knowledge (CPK) in student performance on the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) as well as qualitative questions given as quizzes and tests. Structural Equation Modeling was used to functionalize CPK as a latent variable that captures the amount of conceptual performance that is not explained by quantitative performance. Ten semesters of data were collected to produce a sample of N=1407 students. The CPK of male students was .44 standard deviations higher than female students. Linear regression was used to investigate CPK, test average, and gender and showed, that once CPK was controlled for, no significant gender effect was measured except in pretest score. A growing gender gap on the CSEM with pretest score was explained by the systematic mismeasurement of the CPK of women by the CSEM pretest.

  • • The Mediating Relationship of Differential Products in Understanding Integration

    • EK03
    • Tue 07/25, 1:50PM - 2:00PM

    • by Andrew Heckler,, Nathaniel Amos

    • Type: Contributed
    • We report on a study of student conceptual understanding of differentials,differential products, and integrals and possible pathways to understanding these quantities in the context of introductory physics. We developed a multiple-choice conceptual assessment employing a variety of physical contexts probing physical understanding of these three quantities and administered the instrument to over 1000 students in first and second semester introductory physics courses. Using a regression-based mediation analysis with conceptual understanding of integration as the dependent variable, we found evidence consistent with a simple mediation model: the relationship between differentials scores and integral scores may be mediated by the understanding of differential products. We also find evidence that the physical context of the questions can be an important factor. These results imply that for introductory physics courses, instructional emphasis first on differentials then on differential products in a variety of contexts may in turn promote better integral understanding.

  • • Understanding Partial Derivatives: What Is Held Constant?

    • EK04
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:10PM

    • by Paul Emigh,, Corinne Manogue

    • Type: Contributed
    • Partial derivatives are frequently used to describe physical quantities across many sub-fields of physics. We describe common resources that students use to identify what quantity or quantities are held constant when finding partial derivatives. In particular, we discuss how the use of such resources evolves and diversifies as students are exposed to more contexts, such as electromagnetism and thermodynamics. We also present an example activity from Oregon State University aimed at helping students think about holding different variables constant when finding partial derivatives.

  • • Communicating and Using Math in the Optics and Photonics Workforce

    • EK05
    • Tue 07/25, 2:10PM - 2:20PM

    • by Brianna Santangelo,, Nicholas Young, Anne Leak, Kelly Martin, Benjamin Zwickl

    • Type: Contributed
    • Math is an integral part of science industries though so embedded in specialized contexts that it is often hidden. With many physics majors going into industry upon graduation, it is imperative for educators to understand math used in professional contexts. We interviewed employees and managers from optics companies and research labs in New York to better understand how math is used. These interviews were coded using emergent methods to better understand the math skills, expectations, and ways it is communicated on the job. We found that the level of math needed ranged from basic arithmetic to calculus and was often highly contextualized to the task being performed. Communicating math was either highly technical with peers or simplified with customers to develop a common language. These findings have implications for how math is integrated into physics curriculums and how physics education research can connect science use in careers to undergraduate education.

  • • What Is a Concept? Critiquing Notions of “Concreteness” and “Transfer”

    • EK06
    • Tue 07/25, 2:20PM - 2:30PM

    • by Philip Southey,, Saalih Allie

    • Type: Contributed
    • We often make use of the term “concept”, but do not analyse exactly what we mean by the term. This presentation will analyse the notion of “an instantiation of a concept” as used in the widely published studies of Kaminski et al. In these studies, students were taught a mathematical concept either by means of concrete instantiations of that concept, or by means of abstract instantiations. For example: “combining two coconuts with two coconuts gives us four coconuts” is a concrete instantiation of the concept of addition, while “2 + 2 = 4” is an abstract instantiation. Kaminski et al. conclude that mathematical concepts are better taught by means of abstract examples. We will argue that the conclusions of these well executed studies are confused because the notion of “instantiation of a concept” is confused. Our argument is based on a Knowledge in Pieces (or Resources) perspective of conceptual change.

  • • Is It Reasonable to Teach Gauss’s Law in Introductory Physics?*

    • EK07
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 2:40PM

    • by Marshall Styczinski,, Paula Heron

    • Type: Contributed
    • Introductory physics is a requirement for many STEM majors, in part for reasons that match typical course goals: (1) content coverage that helps students understand the world around them and (2) development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Most topics covered in introductory courses support both of these goals, and there is often applicability to other scientific disciplines or value for students outside the classroom. Gauss’s law may be an exception. Although the study of this topic requires skill in problem-solving and synthesis, applicability outside the classroom is limited. The underlying concepts, such as symmetry, charge density, and flux, are important; however, there is increasing evidence that these topics present significant difficulty for most students. Research results will be presented that suggest that the time spent covering Gauss’s law may be better devoted to the development of other important topics and skills.

  • • Student Reasoning About Conservative Fields with Dry-Erasable Tools

    • EK08
    • Tue 07/25, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Elizabeth Gire,, Aaron Wangberg, Robyn Wangberg

    • Type: Contributed
    • Using multiple representations in physics instruction can help students todevelop rich understandings. As part of the Raising Physics to the Surface project, we have developed an activity using geometric representations to help middle-division students understand the connection between changes in electric potential and the line integral of the associated electric field. Students work in groups with a dry-erasable 2-D vector field map and a corresponding potential surface. In this talk, we present examples of student reasoning from classroom video and discuss how the use of the tools support student learning and discussion. 

  • • Investigate Students’ Use of Boundary Conditions Using Symbolic Forms

    • EK09
    • Tue 07/25, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by Qing Ryan,, Gina Passante, Homeyra Sadaghiani

    • Type: Contributed
    • Boundary conditions are an important physics topic that physics undergraduates are expected to understand and apply in many different contexts. As part of an effort to examine students’ understanding of Boundary Conditions in upper-division courses, think-aloud interviews were conducted in the context of both junior Electricity and Magnetism (E&M) and Quantum Mechanics (QM). In the E&M task, students were given a classical question about electromagnetic waves at the boundary of two media. In the QM task, students were presented with a classic potential well problem. The analysis of the interviews was guided by the use of a theoretical framework: Symbolic forms. We will discuss the similarities and differences of student understanding and reasoning in these contexts (E&M and QM).

  • • Student Difficulties with Operators Corresponding to Observables in Dirac Notation

    • EK10
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM

    • by Chandralekha Singh,, Emily Marshman

    • Type: Contributed
    • Even though Dirac notation is used extensively in upper-level quantum mechanics, many advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics have difficulty in expressing the identity operator and other Hermitian operators corresponding to physical observables in quantum mechanics using the Dirac notation in terms of the outer product of a complete set of orthonormal eigenstates of an operator. To investigate these difficulties, we administered free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducted individual interviews with students after traditional instruction in relevant concepts in advanced quantum mechanics courses. We discuss the analysis of data on the common difficulties found. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

  • • Investigating Student Difficulties with the Representation an Operator is Diagonal in the Context of Degenerate Perturbation Theory

    • EK11
    • Tue 07/25, 3:10PM - 3:20PM

    • by Christof Keebaugh,, Emily Marshman, Chandralekha Singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • We discuss an investigation of student difficulties with determining the representation in which a Hermitian operator corresponding to a physical observable (e.g., the Hamiltonian operator corresponding to energy) is diagonal in the context of degenerate perturbation theory (DPT) involving the Zeeman effect in the hydrogen atom carried out in advanced quantum mechanics courses by administering free-response and multiple-choice questions and conducting individual interviews with students. We find that students share many common difficulties related to these concepts. We describe how the research on student difficulties was used as a guide to develop and evaluate a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) which strives to help students develop a functional understanding of linear algebra concepts in the context of DPT. We discuss the development of the DPT QuILT and its evaluation in the undergraduate and graduate courses focusing on these issues. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

  • • How Students Use Far Analogies to Understand New Physics Concepts

    • EK12
    • Tue 07/25, 3:20PM - 3:30PM

    • by AJ Richards,, David Brookes, Eugenia Etkina

    • Type: Contributed
    • We have documented a small group of preservice physics teachers learning about how a solar cell functions and examined how they use analogical reasoning. In particular, we note how they devise far analogies (analogies to non-physics, everyday-life phenomena, described by Dunbar [1995*] as “long-distance analogies”) to “wrap up” a discussion of a certain topic and to demonstrate understanding or attempt to explain the situation to a groupmate who remains uncertain. These far analogies represent important “mileposts” in the conversation, as we observe that students almost always employ them only after they feel confident in their understanding of the concept. We will present several notable examples and discuss implications of their use in student reasoning about new physics ideas.

• PER: Exploring problem solving approaches and skills

  • • Characterizing Student Understanding of Units and Dimensional Analysis

    • AK01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Abigail Bogdan,, Nathaniel Amos

    • Type: Contributed
    • The ability to work with and understand units is a fundamental skill in the sciences and engineering. At the college level, it is often a skill that is assumed both by students and professors; however, it is also a skill that students struggle to master. The goal of this study was to identify and categorize the roadblocks that students commonly face when working with dimensional analysis. The study was conducted with students enrolled in an introductory, calculus-based physics course at a large research university in the United States. Over 300 students were given a sequence of questions on dimensional analysis, and a subset of these students were interviewed about their responses. We analyzed student responses, categorizing common errors and solution strategies. This initial study suggests that students treat dimensional analysis as a mere algebraic exercise, rarely invoking basic concepts such as the idea that only like units can be added.

  • • Developing a General Strategy for Selecting Coordinate Systems in Mechanics

    • AK02
    • Mon 07/24, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Thanh Le,, Jonathan Shemwell, MacKenzie Stetzer

    • Type: Contributed
    • When solving mechanics problems, students often need to choose a coordinate system to analyze free-body diagrams and apply Newton’s laws. Strategic rotation of the coordinate system can minimize the amount of mathematics required to solve for unknown forces. However, introductory physics students are usually not explicitly taught when and how to strategically rotate a coordinate system. Moreover, if they are introduced to a strategy, it is often just mentioned in passing. Thus, they may not understand why rotation can simplify the mathematics. As a result, students may develop a strategy based on the surface features of the problem (e.g., rotating coordinate systems for problems with inclined planes regardless of the forces involved). In this study, college students enrolled in a mechanics course completed an activity using contrasting cases to develop a general strategy for rotating coordinate systems for problems involving static situations. Preliminary data and emerging findings will be presented.

  • • Student Use of Metacognitive Gimmicks in Class and Lab

    • AK03
    • Mon 07/24, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by Gary White,, Tiffany-Rose Sikorski, Justin Landay

    • Type: Contributed
    • It has been documented that it is difficult to get even upper-level undergraduates to indulge in certain metacognitive behaviors (see “Upper-division Student Understanding of Coulomb’s Law: Difficulties with Continuous Charge Distributions”, by Bethany R. Wilcox, et al., for example). We have attempted to address this in part by separating the metacognitive bits from other problem solving barriers for students taking a junior level E&M class and an intermediate lab course. These students are regularly encouraged to check solutions to typical physics problems in the "usual three ways", namely: (1) checking that the units are appropriate, (2) discerning whether limiting cases match physical intuition, and (3) determining whether numerical values are consistent with benchmark values. We find that at least half of our students eventually engage in these metacognitive “gimmicks” over the course of the semester, even when not specifically prompted, and many continue to use them in subsequent classes.

  • • Nature of Students' Mathematical Difficulties and of Potentially Productive Remedies*

    • AK04
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by David Meltzer,, Matthew Jones

    • Type: Contributed
    • We report on our continuing investigation of mathematical difficulties encountered by introductory physics students, and on our preliminary attempts to address these difficulties. We have previously documented high error rates on problems involving basic trigonometry, vector addition, and algebra, among students in both algebra-based and calculus-based introductory physics courses. We traced the difficulties to a combination of carelessness, insufficient practice, and conceptual misunderstandings. Through additional one-on-one interviews with students and continued analysis of students' responses on written diagnostics, we have attempted to clarify the relative contributions of these different factors, and to explore in more detail the nature of the careless errors and conceptual misunderstandings. Based in part on this work, we have begun development of instructional materials to help guide improved problem-solving performance. We will report on the current status of these various efforts.

  • • Synthesis Problems: Role of Mathematical Complexity on Student Mathematical Performance

    • AK05
    • Mon 07/24, 9:10AM - 9:20AM

    • by Bashirah Ibrahim,, Lin Ding, Andrew Heckler, Ryan Badeau

    • Type: Contributed
    • We examined the effects of mathematical complexity on students’ mathematical performance in solving synthesis physics problems. Here, mathematical complexity is operationally determined by the type of equations and the number of unknowns involved therein. Two types of synthesis problems, namely sequential and simultaneous, were investigated; each requiring either a consecutive or a concurrent application of multiple concepts. For the analysis, we focused on the following three levels (1) formulation of equations, (2) combination of equations, and (3) simplification of equations to obtain the final variable of interest. Results showed that in sequential synthesis problems, mathematical complexity negatively affected student performance on aspect (3). However, in simultaneous synthesis problems, mathematical complexity negatively affected student performance on all the three aspects. A possible explanation is that the type of synthesis problems may influence the ways students interpret the situations described in the problems, which in turn can influence their mathematical performance.

  • • Thinking Through the Model

    • AK06
    • Mon 07/24, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
    • by D. G. Sumith Doluweera,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Solving physics problems requires thinking through related models. This isnot an easy task for a novice physics student. We typically teach students to think through models by discussing examples and doing problems in the class with students. This particular study is focused on Applications of Newton’s laws and investigates if students correctly think through Newton’s laws when they solve a related problem. Students’ thinking is probed by giving a questionnaire before they begin solving a given problem. Answers to the questionnaire are analyzed, compare with problem solutions, and results are presented.

  • • Adapting Canonical Representations in Quantum Mechanics

    • AK07
    • Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 9:40AM

    • by Erin Ronayne Sohr,, Ayush Gupta

    • Type: Contributed
    • Canonical representations in quantum mechanics represent toy models from which physicists build more complex systems. Previous research has focused on conceptual and mathematical difficulties students have when reasoning about these toy models. What is underexplored is how students adapt these toy models and representations when faced with new, potentially more complex, situations. We will present analysis of interviews with physics and engineering majors, showing some of the ways students manipulate, merge, break-down, and re-purpose these canonical representations and associated toy models. Our analysis utilizes a combination of discourse and interaction analysis methods in order to understand how the students and interviewer organize their material and social environments in problem-solving. We argue that students are capable of adapting these toy models, even while in the process of understanding the toy models themselves. The process of adaptation can also contribute towards deeper understanding of the toy models and associated canonical representations themselves.

  • • Infusing Numerical Differentiation and Analysis in Calculus-Based Introductory Physics Laboratories

    • AK08
    • Mon 07/24, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
    • by Xiuping Tao,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Recently the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs produced areport to provide guidance to physics departments to improve their students' career readiness. The report, titled "Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st-Century Careers," states several findings in its summary. One finding is the broad consensus regarding needed skills and knowledge, including a wider and deeper knowledge of computational analysis tools. We report using Excel as a basic and most-accessible computational analysis tool in our calculus-based introductory physics laboratories. In our motion experiments, motion status is detected by a sensor working with a PASCO 750 USB Interface connected to a PC. The raw data are position vs. time, and the computer would further derive velocity vs. time and acceleration time vs. time. All data, raw or derived, are displayed in tables and graphs. We demonstrate hidden golden opportunities to learn numerical differentiation and data analysis skills most students lack.

  • • Instructor Approaches to Teaching Computation in Collaborative Physics Problem Solving

    • AK09
    • Mon 07/24, 9:50AM - 10:00AM

    • by Alanna Pawlak,, Paul Irving, Marcos Caballero

    • Type: Contributed
    • An increasing emphasis is being placed on incorporating “authentic practices” into introductory physics courses, for example, through the inclusion of computational problems. Such problems can allow students to engage with the programming practices and numerical problem solving methods used by physicists. We conducted interviews with the instructors in a problem-based introductory mechanics course where students solved several computational problems. In these problems, students were provided minimally working programs in VPython that they had to modify in order to correctly model the physics of the situation in question. The instructors in this course come from a range of backgrounds, and include undergraduate learning assistants, graduate teaching assistants, and faculty from several subdisciplines of physics. We present preliminary analysis of these interviews suggesting that there are distinct ways that instructors may approach teaching computational problems in this environment.

• PER: Modeling student engagement

  • • Alike or Unalike: A Comparison of Physics and Engineering Undergraduates

    • DL01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Tyler Scott,, Riley Harder

    • Type: Contributed
    • Studies of undergraduate students often lump physics and engineering students together. And, especially at small, four-year colleges, engineering students are often housed in physics departments. While superficially similar, the fields of physics and engineering have different histories, purposes, and ways of thinking. This study investigates the attitudes of physics and engineering students attending four-year, liberal arts colleges. It identifies similarities and differences among them in two aspects. First, we are interested in how they compare in their interdisciplinary affinities. A second, related question is what goal orientations these students have. By looking at these two characteristics of physics and engineering students, we hope to better understand what they want from their undergraduate education and how educators can better serve them.

  • • Longitudinal Analysis of Identity Trajectories of Undergraduate Physics Students

    • DL02
    • Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Gina Quan,, Chandra Turpen, Andrew Elby

    • Type: Contributed
    • In this talk, we analyze the longitudinal development of students’ identity trajectories as undergraduate physics majors. Students in the study participated in an elective seminar in which they were paired with graduate student and faculty mentors on physics research projects and participated in a weekly discussion about research. Using video data from student interviews, classroom observations, mentor interviews, and research observations, we study students’ research experiences and their experiences in the departmental physics community. Our analysis draws on sociocultural theories of learning to consider what the process of legitimization and delegitimization of students’ physics identities looks like over time. In particular, we attend to how relationships between students and other members of the physics community impact their participation.

  • • Physics Major Engagement and Persistence: A Phenomenography Interview Study

    • DL03
    • Tue 07/25, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by Eric Williams,, Eric Brewe, Justyna Zwolak, Remy Dou

    • Type: Contributed
    • Over an eight-year period, physics graduation rates at Florida International University (FIU) increased 400% relative to the institution as a whole [1]. To shed light on this phenomenon we conducted an interview study of upper division physics students to learn about their experiences, successes, and challenges. We interviewed 10 students with a semi-structured interview protocol based on the student engagement and persistence work of Tinto and Nora. We then performed a phenomenography study of the recorded interviews. Phenomenography is defined as “a research method for mapping the qualitatively different ways in which people experience, conceptualize, perceive, and understand various aspects of, and phenomena in, the world around them” [2]. We present results from this study that describe the experience of physics majors at FIU in terms of recurring themes, salient points, challenging obstacles, and inspiring successes about their engagement and persistence in the physics major.

  • • Saving the Best for Last: Introductory Physics as a Capstone

    • DL04
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by Benjamin Geller,, Catherine Crouch

    • Type: Contributed
    • When is the appropriate time for life science students to take a course inintroductory physics? Proponents of the “physics first” philosophy argue that the quantitative skills developed in introductory physics are important for students’ later coursework in biology and chemistry. On the other hand, a “physics last” model allows Introductory Physics for Life Sciences (IPLS) instructors to ground physical models in authentic biological and biochemical contexts with which the students are already familiar, and about which they may already have authentic driving questions. We will present attitudinal survey and case-study interview data from an Introductory Physics for Life Sciences (IPLS) that is populated by students at various stages of their undergraduate career. We will describe how the level of student engagement with IPLS curricular material is dependent on the students’ prior coursework experiences, and thereby describe some of the strengths and limitations of the “physics last” approach.

  • • Gender and Participation in a Studio-based ISLE Physics Course

    • DL05
    • Tue 07/25, 9:10AM - 9:20AM

    • by Binod Nainabasti,, David Brookes, Yuehai Yang

    • Type: Contributed
    • The objective of this research study is to explore gender differences in students’ engagement in class learning activities and its impact on their learning in an inquiry-based physics class. The context of this study is a calculus-based; studio-format introductory college physics course implementing the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE). Using video data gathered over two consecutive semesters, we quantified the frequency of students’ participation in learning activities. The relationships between students’ participation and their success in the course as measured by exam scores and scores on out-of-class assignments were investigated. Although the results have not shown a significant correlation between frequency of participation between male and female students, outcomes reveal that quantity of engagement of male students is significantly correlated to their academic performance in the courses consistently in two semesters, whereas female students’ engagement is not significantly correlated with their performance in the courses.

  • • Building Success; Designing for Growth in DATA Lab*

    • DL06
    • Tue 07/25, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by William Martinez,, Marcos Caballero

    • Type: Contributed
    • Since the development of the AAPT Recommendations for the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Curriculum, curriculum design in laboratory courses has been increasingly focused on developing experimental skills and practices. Although many laboratory transformations share the same goal, the structures and supports within the course differ vastly. A newly transformed introductory physics lab curriculum at Michigan State University, Design, Analysis, Tools, and Apprenticeship (DATA) Lab, has been designed to emphasize growth in a student’s experimental skills. In this talk, the strategies and practices that we employed to scaffold experimental techniques and to provide support for student growth will be presented. Further, we will discuss how these design features afford students an opportunity to recognize their abilities and role in an experimental setting.

  • • Do Student Learning Communities Promote Interactions?: A Social Network Analysis

    • DL07
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 9:40AM

    • by Alexis Knaub,, Charles Henderson, Jenifer Saldanha

    • Type: Contributed
    • We studied three student learning communities for undeclared undergraduatestudents at a large research university. One of the purposes of these communities was to introduce students to a variety of STEM majors and encourage them to declare a STEM major by providing them opportunities to interact with faculty and instructional staff to deepen their understanding of STEM. However, the extent to which these interactions occur and their benefits for students is unclear. We used social network analysis (SNA) to understand the community structure of these learning communities and whether interactions were linked to desired outcomes such as academic and social support.

  • • Gateways ND: Assessing Faculty Perceptions of Active Learning*

    • DL08
    • Tue 07/25, 9:40AM - 9:50AM

    • by Alistair McInerny,, Mila Kryjevskaia, Jared Ladbury, Paul Kelter

    • Type: Contributed
    • A North Dakota State University team of faculty is designing, implementing, and evaluating a sustainable campus-wide professional development program to help faculty maximize instructional effectiveness by building expertise in student-centered teaching practices. Several workshops, along with regular weekly meetings of the Faculty Learning Communities, are being developed to promote active learning methodologies across campus. The Theory of Planned Behavior has been used in order to investigate participants’ intentions, attitudes, norms, and control beliefs about the use of active learning in their instruction. Faculty responses to surveys administered at several points throughout the course of the professional development program provide insight into participants’ development of expertise with active learning and highlight the importance and effect of the professional development. Results from two cohorts of participants will be reported. Implications for the development and implementation of campus-wide professional development programs will be discussed.

• PER: Examining content understanding and reasoning-3

  • • Identifying High Leverage Practices in Learning Assistant Implementations

    • FH01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Daniel Caravez,, Jayson Nissen, Nancy Caravez, Angelica De La Torre, Ben Van Dusen

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Learning Assistant (LA) model is designed to provide a platform to support a wide variety of classroom specific transformations. This investigation examines the impacts of LAs across implementations to identify discipline-specific high-leverage LA practices. To do this, we will leverage the statistical power of the Learning About Student Supported Outcomes (LASSO) platform to create Hierarchical Linear Models that include student concept inventory data, student demographics, and course level data from science classes across the country. Implications for the implementation of LA programs will be discussed.

  • • Item Response Theory on the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation

    • FH02
    • Wed 07/26, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Rachel Henderson,, John Stewart, Adrienne Traxler, Rebecca Lindell

    • Type: Contributed
    • Gender gaps on the various physics concept inventories have been extensively studied. It has been shown that on average, men score 12% higher than women on mechanics concept inventories and 8.5% higher than women on electricity and magnetism concept inventories. Item response theory (IRT) and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis have been used to examine the Force Concept Inventory and have identified multiple items that are unfair to women. In the current study, IRT and DIF will be used to explore gender biases in the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation. The IRT difficulty and the discrimination of the 43 items will be examined. DIF analysis will employ the Mantel-Haenszel statistic to identify any gender biases.

  • • New Measures of Equity - Synergies from the IMPRESS Program

    • FH03
    • Wed 07/26, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by Eleanor Sayre,, Florian Genz, Benjamin . Archibeque, Mary Bridget Kustusch, Scott Franklin

    • Type: Contributed
    • Equity and Inclusion became key concepts in modern education. Still they are neither well defined nor measurable…yet. This presentation will give an insight of the current progressions of the IMPRESS research squad tackling this key problem. Why do we measure Equity? Especially, in physics education women and ethnic minorities are underrepresented and even catching up slower than in other fields. Secondly, underrepresentation perpetuates stereotypes and minority students are at risk of internalizing these external expectations. Moreover, due to self-fulfilling prophecy, women are still given fewer job offers in leading positions than men in almost all fields. This presentation will focus on the measurement of equity during small group work in the context of science and metacognitive learning.

  • • Cross-Fertilization of Physics and Math Instruction

    • FH05
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
    • by Mikhail Kagan,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The importance and utility of mathematics in physics is hardly ever questioned, but how do we get students excited when learning math? We know that students are best motivated to learn when they believe they are doing something meaningful, not just performing a mechanical calculation. Traditionally, math textbooks use "scientifically flavored” problems to illustrate "how math can be applied in the real world”. Much less common, however, is the use of ideas from physics to inform mathematical methods and problem solving techniques. In my talk, I will highlight a few such physical ideas that would be suitable in a math class ranging from middle school to undergraduate curriculum. Why don’t we help our math colleagues and their students?

  • • Writing Time Capsules for Student Self-Assessment

    • FH06
    • Wed 07/26, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
    • by Gail Welsh,
    • Type: Contributed
    • My students create end-of-semester portfolios providing evidence of and reflecting on what they have learned in the course. In order to make the students’ reflections more meaningful and to give them a baseline from which to measure growth in understanding, I use a series of writing assignments I refer to as Time Capsules. At the beginning of a module students are asked to write about what they know or think about the topics in response to prompting questions. At the end of the module they revisit their Time Capsule and write a reflection on their learning, which forms the basis for the end-of-semester portfolio. Specifically, they are asked to address how their current understanding of the material differs from their original thoughts recorded in the Time Capsule. I will describe my use of these writing assignments in several physics majors’ courses at Salisbury University.

  • • Identifying the Disciplinary Alignment of Student Ideas Using Textbook Analysis

    • FH07
    • Wed 07/26, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Mashood KK,, Vashti Sawtelle, Charles Anderson, Emily Scott, Sonia Underwood

    • Type: Contributed
    • The emphasis on interdisciplinary thinking, both at the policy level and academia, has resulted in the development of new undergraduate science courses and curricula, but assessing interdisciplinary thinking remains challenging. An important consideration in this regard is to understand the extent to which students invoke different disciplines in their explanations about scientific phenomena. Literature review reveals that this process is often done by seeking opinion from content experts. We propose using student reflections and textbook analysis as two other possible modes for doing this. This poster discusses the process of textbook analysis, illustrating its advantages and limitations. Our data constitute student explanations of a set of everyday interdisciplinary phenomena such as the solidification of egg white on boiling. These phenomena were chosen such that they involve ideas from physics, chemistry and biology. Students were asked to explain them on the basis of what they have learned in different science courses.

• PER: Student Reasoning

  • • University Student Conceptual Resources for Understanding Forces*

    • CJ01
    • Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:10PM

    • by Amy Robertson,, Lisa Goodhew, Rachel Scherr, Paula Heron

    • Type: Contributed
    • Large-scale research on student ideas has historically tended to report the common incorrect ideas – often called misconceptions – that students use in answering physics questions. Our work takes a different approach: we are analyzing large numbers of student written responses to identify and understand the resources – or the productive “beginnings” of physics understandings – that students bring to bear in their reasoning about forces and that instructors can build on in instruction. This talk will share some examples of university student conceptual resources for understanding forces that we have identified in our preliminary analysis.

  • • University Student Conceptual Resources for Understanding Mechanical Waves

    • CJ02
    • Mon 07/24, 4:10PM - 4:20PM

    • by Lisa Goodhew,, Amy Robertson, Paula Heron, Rachel Scherr

    • Type: Contributed
    • Instruction grounded in a resources theory of knowledge—in which students’intuitive knowledge is viewed as potentially productive and as a basis for instruction—has the potential to promote learner agency, support students from diverse backgrounds, and enhance conceptual understanding. We present our analysis of written responses to conceptual questions about mechanical waves, given to students at multiple institutions across the United States. This analysis focuses on the common, productive ideas – or the resources – that students use to reason about mechanical waves, with an eye toward how they can inform instruction. In particular, we not only discuss what students’ common, productive ideas are, but how they are productive and in what ways they might be taken up in instruction.

  • • Investigating Less Common Ideas About Force and Motion

    • CJ03
    • Mon 07/24, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
    • by Trevor Smith,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Students often claim (either explicitly or implicitly) that the net force on an object is proportional to its velocity. This result is clearly seen in studies involving student responses to the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE); however, the FMCE provides students with at least seven answer choices for each question asking them to select a force that would cause a given motion. Our previous results have shown that a non-trivial number of students choose a response that does not align with either the correct or the most-common-incorrect model. Many of these answer choices are consistent with previously documented student ideas (such as reading a graph as a picture of a situation), but they have not been explicitly connected. We present results from surveys that show the prevalence of these responses across different student populations, and from student interviews designed to clarify students' reasons for choosing each.

  • • Modeling Student Understanding of Period, Frequency, and Angular Frequency

    • CJ04
    • Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 4:40PM

    • by Nicholas Young,, Andrew Heckler

    • Type: Contributed
    • Periodic behavior is a fundamental phenomenon in many physical systems; therefore, it is critical that students understand the concepts and relationships that underlie such behavior. Here, we used the context of the behavior of a simple harmonic oscillator to investigate students’ ability to determine the period, frequency, and angular frequency from various mathematical and graphical representations by administering a 36-item test to students in an introductory-calculus-based physics course. We found that students could be classified into one of four groups, according to the question types they mastered. These groups were hierarchically categorized based on the number and kind of relationships each student mastered. For example, we found only students who could correctly apply the period and frequency relationship could also correctly apply any angular frequency relationship. This hierarchical nature of student performance suggests instruction should focus on ensuring that students understand the period and frequency relationship before introducing angular frequency.

  • • Student Understanding of Events and Causality in Special Relativity

    • CJ05
    • Mon 07/24, 4:40PM - 4:50PM

    • by Alexis Olsho,, Peter Shaffer

    • Type: Contributed
    • Special relativity is one of several topics that are commonly taught at the introductory level as a way of illustrating the limitations of classical mechanics. The relativity of simultaneity provides a particularly rich context, as it can be reasoned about entirely qualitatively (i.e., without the Lorentz transformations). It can therefore be used both to teach and assess student conceptual understanding of several key ideas in Galilean and special relativity, and physics in general. Student understanding of one of these ideas, causality, will be discussed.

  • • Teaching Assistants’ Performance at Identifying Common Introductory Student Difficulties in Electricity and Magnetism Revealed by the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism

    • CJ06
    • Mon 07/24, 4:50PM - 5:00PM

    • by Nafis Karim,*, Alexandru Maries, Chandralekha Singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • We discuss research involving the CSEM to evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of teaching assistants (TAs): knowledge of introductory students’ alternate conceptions in electricity and magnetism as revealed by the CSEM. For each item on the CSEM, the TAs were asked to identify the most common incorrect answer choice of introductory physics students. This exercise was followed by a class discussion with the TAs related to this task, including the importance of knowing student difficulties in teaching and learning. Then, we used CSEM post-test data from approximately 400 introductory physics students (provided in the original paper describing the CSEM) to assess the extent to which TAs were able to identify alternate conceptions of introductory students related to electricity and magnetism. In addition, we carried out think-aloud interviews with graduate students who had more than two semesters of teaching experience in recitations to examine how they reason about the task. We find that while the TAs, on average, performed better than random guessing at identifying introductory students’ difficulties with CSEM content, they did not identify many common difficulties that introductory physics students have after traditional instruction. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

  • • Physical Science Teachers’ Resources for Accelerated Motion*

    • CJ07
    • Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:10PM

    • by Elijah Tabachnick,, Peter Colesworthy, Michael Wittmann

    • Type: Contributed
    • The terms “speeding up” and “slowing down” are often equated with positiveand negative acceleration, respectively; we refer to this as the speed model of acceleration. As part of the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership, we have investigated middle school physical science teachers’ understanding of accelerated motion in the context of using vectors as a pictorial tool for kinematics and found high prevalence of the speed model. One aim of our work is to address the speed model of accelerated motion. Through observation of professional development activities, interviews, and surveys, we have found that the teachers consistently use the correct mathematical tools to talk about displacements and velocities, and correctly use vectors to represent displacements, velocities and accelerations. However, when interpreting the acceleration of an object, teachers often use the speed model, which contradicts their other work. We discuss this result and its possible origin

  • • Student Data Suggest Teachers Need a Resources-based Model of Eenergy*

    • CJ08
    • Mon 07/24, 5:10PM - 5:20PM

    • by Michael Wittmann,, Adam Rogers, Carolina Alvarado, Laura Millay

    • Type: Contributed
    • One power of middle school physics teaching is its focus on conceptual understanding, rather than mathematical modeling. Teaching energy in middle school allows one to focus on the conceptual ideas, metaphors, and analogies we use to make sense of a topic that, in the Next Generation Science Standards, is both a core disciplinary idea in the physical sciences and a crosscutting concept. In this talk, we provide several examples of seeming contradictions in student responses to similar questions. For example, students think differently about energy flow to the air or the ground. They also think differently about energy flow in cold (not hot) situations, depending on whether a human is part of the problem. Analyzing these results from a resources-based perspective may help both researchers and teachers listen for ideas, target instruction, and recognize learning.

  • • Deep Learning in Introductory Physics: Studies of Model-Based Reasoning

    • CJ09
    • Mon 07/24, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
    • by Mark Lattery,
    • Type: Contributed
    • In light of the emphasis on scientific models and modeling in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a growing number of education researchers are engaged in the broad question of how students learn science in a model-centered classroom. The diverse, creative, and sometimes unexpected ways students construct models, and deal with intellectual conflict, provide valuable insights into student learning and cast a new vision for physics teaching. This presentation explores the hypothesis that deep learning in introductory physics is regressive. *

  • • Developing Research Assessments for the Next Generation of Student Learning

    • CJ10
    • Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM

    • by James Laverty,, Brett Kippley

    • Type: Contributed
    • Recent calls for the transformation of science education elevate the process of science (scientific practices) to the same level of importance as the content of science (core ideas). Before we can begin to determine the success of these transformations, we must be able to assess practices and core ideas. The 3D-LAP is a protocol that can help us develop assessment tasks that have the potential to elicit evidence that students have engaged in scientific practices and core ideas, but more work is needed to understand how we can assess these constructs rigorously enough for research. We are developing an assessment to investigate what students are currently learning in terms of using scientific practices with core ideas. The development of this assessment brings new challenges that will be examined and discussed.

  • • Flight Physics Concept Inventory: New Implementations for FliP-CoIn

    • CJ11
    • Mon 07/24, 5:40PM - 5:50PM

    • by Florian Genz,, André Bresges, Kathleen Falconer

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Flight Physics Concept Inventory (FliP-CoIn) provides feedback to college students, introductory physics courses and their teachers about common (mis)conceptions in fluid dynamics in the context of flight. Since the last AAPT meeting the expert reviews as well as think-aloud interviews have been analyzed and major changes were implemented. This tool is still in development. The author is thankful for scientific exchange to concept inventory designers as well as PER and fluid dynamics experts. Also an online-based implementation is planned. Therefore individuals familiar with the implementation of auto-evaluated online diagnostic tests or researchers interested in new (semi-open) question formats are welcome to engage in discussion with the presenter.

  • • Participation Rates of In-class vs. Online Administration of Concept Inventories and Attitudinal Assessments

    • CJ12
    • Mon 07/24, 5:50PM - 6:00PM

    • by Xochith Herrera,, Manher Jiriwala, Jayson Nissen, Eleanor Close, Ben Dusen

    • Type: Contributed
    • We investigated differences in student participation rates between in-class and online administrations of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), and the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS). 1,645 students from three introductory physics courses over two semesters were instructed to complete the CLASS and the concept inventory relevant to their course, either the FCI or CSEM. We randomly assigned each student to take one of the instruments in class and the other instrument online using the LA Supported Student Outcomes (LASSO) platform at the beginning and end of the course. Results indicated large variation in participation rates across both test conditions (online vs. in class). We will discuss the implications for measuring changes in students’ knowledge and attitudes using the two different methods for administering the research instruments.

• PERTG Town Hall

  • • PERTG Town Hall

    • TOP05
    • Wed 07/26, 11:30AM - 1:30PM
    • by Natasha Holmes
    • Type: Topical

• PIRA Session - 3D Printing in Labs and Demonstrations

  • • 3D Printing Physics Lab and Demonstration Equipment

    • FG01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Paul Fratiello,
    • Type: Invited
    • Physics lab and demonstration equipment can be quite expensive for the limited resources of the average high school physics teacher. 3D printers have started showing up in media centers, technology, and robotics clubs. How can you, as a physics teacher, take advantage of existing resources you may already have in your school? This presentation addresses the use of 3D printers to supplement you existing demonstration or lab equipment. It will include the basics and costs of 3D printers and printing, free 3D modeling software, and online sources of free 3D printable material. Finally, a variety of 3D printed apparatus will be showcased.

  • • 3D Printing Allows for the Investigation of Real World Problems

    • FG02
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Steve Dickie,
    • Type: Invited
    • Physics is one area that should be immune to the sentiment of, “When am I going to use this?” Yet I’ve heard this voiced in my class and to be fair I doubt many of my former students have ever needed to determine the flight time of a projectile launched in a vacuum or the speed of a hoop rolling down a ramp in their careers. 3D printing gives you the opportunity to either create or help your students create equipment to address engaging problems that go beyond the textbook. These problems might be the subject of national news or maybe just viral videos. In this presentation, I will share projects done by and with my students that benefited from the inclusion of 3D printing.

  • • Controlling an Induction Coil with LabVIEW DAQ

    • FG03
    • Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by Urs Lauterburg,
    • Type: Invited
    • An IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) powered induction coil is usedto create discharge arcs in air. The process is controlled by a LabVIEW program and a NI-USB multifunction DAQ device. The physical behavior is shown and illustrated by the numeric and graphical displays of the measurements. The highly dynamical system is a motivating educational example for university students that enroll in domains of science and engineering. Some parts of the rather simple experimental setup may be produced by a 3D printer.

  • • Continued Development of 3D Printed Physics Tactile Learning Objects for Accessibility

    • FG04
    • Wed 07/26, 10:00AM - 10:15AM

    • by Steven Sahyun,, Christopher Marshall

    • Type: Contributed
    • This talk describes continued development of objects that have been created specifically to aid students who would benefit from tactile objects (manipulatives) to improve their understanding of physics. These objects may be downloaded by teachers needing tactile objects for their students and produced on their local 3D printer. Some of these recently developed objects include: coordinate axes, elemental spectra, magnetic field (right-hand rule), Bravais lattice unit-cells and optics thin-lens ray diagrams. While the objects may be of use to any student needing a physical object to gain understanding, many of the objects are also labeled in braille to aid students who have little or no vision.

• Panel on First Year Teacher Concerns

  • • Panel on First Year Teacher Concerns

    • BD
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
    • by Bradley Gearhart
    • Type: Panel
    • This panel will examine the concerns and challenges of first-year physics teachers and highlight recommendations to the larger physics education community to provide necessary support to new teachers, to enable their induction into the profession, and to encourage their engagement with the physics teaching community.

• Panel on Public Affairs - Physics Teacher Recruitment

  • • Panel on Public Affairs - Physics Teacher Recruitment

    • GC
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Kelli Gamez Warble
    • Type: Panel
    • In 2013, the National Task Force on Teacher Education reported that "the need for qualified physics teachers is greater now than at any previous time in U.S. history." Many high schools have stopped offering physics because they cannot find qualified teachers. A number of universities have adopted innovative solutions to address this teacher shortage and some have significantly increased the number of physics teachers they graduate. Find out about the strategies they have employed and how they have succeeded.

• Phys21

  • • How Can We Implement Phys21 Recommendations? Case Studies from Exemplary Programs*

    • FL01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Stephanie Chasteen,
    • Type: Invited
    • As part of the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs (J-TUPP), I was commissioned to develop a series of “case studies” of exemplary programs: Undergraduate physics programs that had implemented significant activities to prepare their physics students for diverse careers. The varied approaches used by these programs are inspirational. Some programs were very intentional about focusing on student experience, others focused on curricular innovations, embraced experimentation and continuous improvement, or focused on novel and exciting science. In this talk I will share what these philosophies looked like in practice, including particularly transportable ideas and processes (e.g., assessment committees, strong public relations, strategies for the introductory course, career seminars). In this talk, you will learn about the strategies used in this program and how they might inform work at your home institution.

  • • PHYS21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers*

    • FL02
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Paula Heron,
    • Type: Invited
    • Physics majors pursue a wide range of careers after graduation with very few ending up in academia. Nevertheless, most physics programs appear to be designed with academic careers in mind. In order to better support all undergraduate physics students, the AAPT and APS formed a joint task force (JTUPP) to examine the employment landscape, understand the strengths and weakness of typical physics major preparation, and identify exemplary programs that ensure that all of their students are well prepared to pursue a wide range of career paths. The findings are contained in the report “PHYS21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers.” The report describes the skills and knowledge that undergraduate physics degree holders should possess to be well prepared for a diverse set of careers and makes recommendations intended to help departments and professional associations support student career preparation.

• Physics Education Research

  • • Development and Growth of PhysPort

    • PST1E01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30PM - 9:15PM

    • by Sarah McKagan,, Eleanor Sayre, Adrian Madsen, Lyle Barbato

    • Type: Contributed
    • PhysPort.org is a website that supports physics faculty in using research-based teaching and assessment in their classrooms. PhysPort offers multiple resources including overviews of over 50 research-based teaching methods and over 80 research-based assessments, along with the Virtual New Faculty Workshop and the Periscope collection of video-based TA training and faculty professional development materials. It also includes Expert Recommendations with specific guidance on implementing research-based teaching and assessment, and the Data Explorer which provides instant analysis and visualization of research-based assessment results. PhysPort has been supported through multiple NSF grants since 2009. It has grown steadily since its launch in 2011 (when it was called the PER User's Guide), both in terms of the number and types of resources it offers, and the number of users. In this talk we will present an overview of the growth of resources available on PhysPort, along with data on the usage of the site.

  • • Eight Key Findings for Successful Propagation of Educational Innovations*

    • PST1E02
    • Mon 07/24, 9:15PM - 10:00PM

    • by Raina Khatri,, Charles Henderson

    • Type: Contributed
    • Science education researchers have developed many new instructional strategies and materials, and these can be shown to improve student learning and retention. However, very few of them become widely used beyond their home institution. To address this, we have studied typical education development projects and successfully propagated projects through case studies and interviews with the project teams – through comparison, we have identified strengths behind the propagation activities of successful projects, resulting in eight key findings about how education developers currently think about propagation, and what they can do to emulate successful projects to increase the impact of their work.

  • • Enactment of CKT-Energy While Designing Assignments and Assessments for Instruction

    • FJ01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Robert Zisk,, Eugenia Etkina, Drew Gitomer

    • Type: Contributed
    • Content knowledge for teaching (CKT) is the knowledge that teachers have that enables them to effectively teach a particular subject (Ball, Thames, and Phelps, 2008). As such, when examining instruction, we should be able to find evidence of the enactment of a teacher’s CKT. Typically, instruction is measured through observations of practice, but the assignments and assessments that teachers design and use during instruction can also offer insight into the expectations and instructional practice of the classroom. In this talk, we will draw on data collected from a study that set out to examine the relationship of a teacher’s CKT for teaching energy, their instructional practice, and student outcomes. We will use these data to describe how the enactment of CKT is measured through the assignments and assessments that teachers developed for their energy unit, and how teachers’ varying levels of CKT relate to the instructional tasks of the classroom.

  • • Analysis of a Physics Readiness Assessment UT-Austin*

    • FJ03
    • Wed 07/26, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by Orrin Shindell,, Josh Hebert, Elaine Li, Harry Swinney, John Yeazell

    • Type: Contributed
    • Over the last decade the dropout or failure rate of students in calculus-based introductory mechanics at the University of Texas at Austin has been 20-30%. Based on our experience with students who didn’t pass the course, we suspected many who could otherwise succeed had entered the course without the mathematical proficiency the course demands. To address this we have developed a Physics Readiness Assessment Test designed to identify those students whose mathematical skills are weak before they enter introductory mechanics. The assessment is intended to probe students’ math skills without assuming they have significant prior physics knowledge. Over the past two years we have administered our Physics Readiness Assessment to students in introductory mechanics and correlated their assessment scores with their class performances. In this presentation, we will present our findings that mathematical readiness as measured by the Physics Readiness Assessment effectively identifies students who are at a significant risk to dropout or fail introductory physics.

  • • Engaged and Individual Learning Using a Student's Own Mistakes

    • FJ04
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
    • by Zengqiang Liu,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Although instructors meticulously grade and comment student papers, expecting students to learn from their mistakes, students often dismiss their papers instead of learning from them. Thus an instructor spends valuable time unilaterally assessing students but often have to accept less-than desirable DFW rates. In order to engage students in learning and individualize their experiences for better retention and student success, I have devised and implemented a new grading process that makes students recognize their papers as learning resources and motivate them to learn from their own mistakes. The grading process motivates students to identify and correct their mistakes, then explain their mistakes and corrections to their instructor, with the promise of grade improvements. Through this process, I have actively engaged the majority of my students in self-motivated and individual learning. I will present preliminary data on student attitude and content knowledge improvement as a result of this new grading process.

  • • Essential Skills Training: Fluency Improvement, Implementation Recommendations, and Student Reception

    • FJ05
    • Wed 07/26, 9:10AM - 9:20AM

    • by Brendon Mikula,, Andrew Heckler

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Essential Skills Framework is a general framework by which instructorscan help students improve their accuracy and fluency with basic procedural skills required in typical physics problems, such as vector components or vector addition, without requiring additional time spent in lecture. The framework makes use of deliberate practice, mastery grading, immediate answer-based feedback, and other well-researched principles from cognitive psychology, all delivered via online weekly assignments. We conducted a study with over 1,500 students in actual course settings and found large gains in essential skills accuracy (> 1 standard deviation from two to three hours of total training time). This talk will focus on important details of these results including improvement in fluency (decreased time required to complete the task), relationships between course performance and Essential Skills performance, the effects of awarding credit for the Essential Skills as extra credit versus course credit, and student reception to the training.

  • • Predictive Measures of Student Performance in Introductory Calculus-based Physics

    • FJ06
    • Wed 07/26, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Michael Greene,, Ramon Lopez

    • Type: Contributed
    • Various factors are known to correlate with performance in physics and other STEM courses. In this study, we report on students’ performance in an introductory calculus-based physics course at the university level and correlate their performance (as measured by final grade) with a variety of measures of academic and cognitive ability. These measures include mathematical and English language ability (as measured by the SAT), incoming GPA, and spatial and scientific reasoning ability (as measured by the Mental Rotation Test and Classroom Test of Scientific Reasoning). We also consider the effect on student performance of factors such as employment status, and science and mathematics self-efficacy (as measured by a survey). We find that the strongest predictor of student success is mathematical ability. In addition to single-variable linear regression models, we also include several factors in a multivariate linear model, and report the correlation trends over time in successive semesters.

  • • Impact of an iPad-based Physics Curriculum on Physics Teacher Preparation

    • FJ07
    • Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 9:40AM

    • by Deepika Menon,, Meera Chandrasekhar, Dorina Kosztin, Douglas Steinhoff

    • Type: Contributed
    • While mobile technologies such as iPads and tablets are increasingly becoming part of elementary teaching, researchers and practitioners are continually finding better ways to train prospective teachers to meaningfully integrate mobile technologies into their future instructional practices. In this study, we engaged preservice elementary teachers in learning physics using the Exploring Physics curriculum available as an iPad application. We investigate the changes in preservice teachers’ conceptual learning and technology self-efficacy and the relationship between the two constructs before and after their participation in a college-level physics content course. Data sources include two surveys to measure physics content knowledge and technology self-efficacy at the beginning and end of the semester, and semi-structured interviews with selected participants. Data analyses include both quantitative statistical procedures as well as grounded theory techniques to understand the affordances of the Exploring Physics curriculum to support preservice teachers’ conceptual understanding and technology self-efficacy. The preliminary results of this ongoing research will be presented. Findings will have implications for preservice teacher preparation for future use of technology in teaching physics.

  • • Several Points that Construction of the MOOC Teaching Resources Should Grasp

    • FJ08
    • Wed 07/26, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
    • by Zhang Yinghui,
    • Type: Contributed
    • This paper analyzes the three characteristics during MOOC teaching and traditional classroom teaching. This article focuses on the issues such as the knowledge blind spot that may occur during the MOOC learning, together with the decrease of learning interest and confidence decrease due to the difficult theory or boring explanation. Moreover, we propose that the construction of MOOC teaching resources should be ensured to have the correct content. Meanwhile, it should focus on attracting learners by benefiting and affecting the learners by beauty. MOOC should combine the truth of strict science, the goodness of correct guidance, and the beauty with concise, clear, fascinating and universal characteristics.

  • • Students’ Understanding of Force Diagrams: On Horizontal and Inclined Surface

    • FJ09
    • Wed 07/26, 9:50AM - 10:00AM

    • by Judyanto Sirait,, Hamdani -

    • Type: Contributed
    • This study aims to analyze students’ difficulties with force concepts. 212physics education students of Tanjungpura University, who had completed a Basic Physics course, took a Force concept test that has six questions covering three concepts: an object at rest, at a constant speed, and at constant acceleration with both a horizontal surface and an inclined plane. The results show that 44% of students have difficulties in solving the test (these students only could solve one or two items out of six items). Students (about 50%) faced difficulties in finding the correct diagram of an object when it has a constant speed and acceleration in both contexts. In general, students could only correctly identify 48% of the force diagrams on the test.

  • • Professional Development of In-service Physics Teachers

    • FJ10
    • Wed 07/26, 10:00AM - 10:10AM
    • by Osnat Eldar,
    • Type: Contributed
    • This presentation described a case study focusing on the design and study of a metacognitive approach to the professional development of in-service high-school physics teachers, responding to the need to develop effective professional development programs in domains that require genuine changes in teachers’ views, knowledge, and practice. This approach emphasizes the important role of metacognition for teaching and learning, helping the teachers to develop the metacognitive lifelong learning skills, and to reconstruct their conceptual knowledge and procedural strategies when necessary. The course is part of a two-year MEd program designed for experienced high school science teachers, who are interested in their personal and professional development and intend to continue to teach at school.

• Physics Majors: High School to Doctorate

  • • CLASS’s Personal Interest: Connections to Belonging, Performance, Retention, and Gender

    • AG01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Mike Lopez,, Hanna Lafranconi, Andrew Heckler

    • Type: Contributed
    • Studies in equity in physics education have shown personal interest in physics to be a key predictor of retention. To further investigate this factor and other potential factors, we administered a survey to 153 undergraduate STEM majors (about 100 were physics majors) enrolled in first through fourth-year level physics courses. The survey consisted of items assessing personal interest and other categories in the Colorado Learning Attitudes in Science Survey and over 15 other validated scales such as belonging, intent-to-drop, mindset, and values. Employing linear regression models, we present preliminary results indicating that while personal interest does predict grades and intent-to-drop, the factor of belonging may be a much stronger predictor and may be a mediating factor in such predictions. We also find evidence that there are no gender differences in personal interest in physics for physics majors, but for non-physics majors, women reported significantly less personal interest in physics.

  • • PRSE (Physics Reading Strategies Exploration): A Pilot Investigation

    • AG02
    • Mon 07/24, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
    • by Christopher Oakley,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The ability to process and evaluate written material is a critical skill to develop for students that intend to earn an advanced degree or perform in a technical position. This investigation seeks to provide information about reading strategies employed by experts and students, changes in student reading strategy over time, and identify pedagogies or activities in courses that effect reading strategy. In order to address these questions, data on where participants look, and for how long they look at a particular portion of a refereed journal article is required. This talk presents Region of Interest (ROI) data from experts and students who recently read published Physical Review Letter Papers and post-reading survey data.

  • • Comparing the Perspectives of Students and Faculty on Graduate Admissions*

    • AG03
    • Mon 07/24, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by Deepa Chari,, Geoff Potvin

    • Type: Contributed
    • Certain admission criteria often weigh heavily on the outcome of graduate applications in physics. Thus, it is important to convey to prospective graduate students which, and how, various criteria are considered by graduate admission committees. Relatedly, how admissions processes are perceived by students can impact their choices and behaviors towards applying to graduate school. In this talk, we report on an analysis of the importance of several graduate admission criteria, as reported by 170 faculty (associated with PhD admissions) and 1031 undergraduate physics majors from the U.S. We identify notable agreement regarding undergraduate GPA, prior course-taking and GRE scores. On the other hand, faculty ranked several criteria including personal statements, prior research experiences, and prior publications as significantly less important than students. We will discuss the implications of these findings and further results on graduate admissions in detail.

  • • DEEP Scholars Program at the University of Georgia

    • AG04
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by Steven Lewis,, Timothy Foutz, William Dennis, Charles Kutal, Judy Milton

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Developing Excellence in Engineering and Physics (DEEP) Scholars program at the University of Georgia is a need-based scholarship program funded by the National Science Foundation. The overarching goal of the DEEP program is to increase the number of academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn a baccalaureate degree in engineering and/or physics and are well prepared to enter the STEM workforce or graduate study. While financial support is a key feature in enabling these students to pursue their studies, we designed the program with a variety of support structures to foster their professional growth and promote their academic success. This talk will give an overview of the design and structure of the DEEP Scholars program and provide a status report of its efficacy two years into the project.

  • • Graduate Retention in Physics: Pathway to PhD

    • AG05
    • Mon 07/24, 9:10AM - 9:20AM

    • by Sara Mueller,, Christopher Porter, Andrew Heckler

    • Type: Contributed
    • According to the American Physical Society, only 55% of graduate students who begin a PhD program complete that degree. Here, we describe the methodology and theoretical framework of a multi-year study, still it initial stages, aimed at characterizing the various pathways students navigate while enrolled in the physics PhD program at Ohio State University. Attention is paid to both the logistical and experiential components of earning a PhD in physics. Our longitudinal study includes surveys, enrollment and grades, graduate program milestone data, interviews, and focus groups of graduate students and faculty. Beyond careful description of possible student pathways, a primary goal of the study is to evaluate whether the success of graduate training depends on the path a student takes.We further anticipate that our approach will also illuminate issues that underlie poor retention for underrepresented groups.

• Post-deadline Abstract

  • • Learning Gains Across Subgroups within PET High School Classrooms

    • HA01
    • Wed 07/26, 3:30PM - 3:40PM

    • by Jennifer Keil,, Nicole Schrode, Rebecca Stober, Taylor Marino, Chayenne Theberge

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Physics and Everyday Thinking High School (PET-HS) curriculum engages students in science practices of generating and defending claims using evidence and argumentation as a means of developing and formalizing physics principles. This study focuses on how students that are underrepresented or under performing in traditional physics classes respond to the PET-HS curriculum. Students in PET-HS classes in two different schools were given the same quizzes before and after developing ideas about positive and negative velocity as well as similar questions on the semester final exam. This method was replicated for additional topics throughout the 2016-17 school year, including Newton’s second law and gravitational acceleration. Findings suggest that students from underrepresented groups show no significant difference in learning gains compared to students in majority groups. We will discuss how the PET-HS curriculum facilitates a learning environment where all students are given access to scientific principles and practices.

  • • Memorable Formula Recollection

    • HA02
    • Wed 07/26, 3:40PM - 3:50PM
    • by Shannon Schunicht,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Initial recitation of complicated physics' formulas discourages future studies without such aspirations. A mid-air collision rendered this author unconscious for 19-days. Everything had to be relearned. Despite already having a BA from FSU, studies began a new, only without a short term memory. For this reason, the following mnemonic technique was devised for making mnemonic words from ANY applicable formula. Such a technique involves having each vowel represent a mathematical operation; i.e. a for multiplication to imply @, o to mean over, o to symbolize over, i to signify minus, u to mean plus, and e for equals. Most constants and variables are indeed consonants, e.g. c=speed of light and z=altitude. ADDITIONAL LETTERS may be inserted to enhance a letter combination's intelligibility, but need be CONSONANTS only. Examples include an acronym for The Quadratic Equation; exCePT i buiLD rabbiTS 4 caTS oN 2 HaTS. Everyone remembers Dr. Seuss.

  • • The Doubling Interval in Unchecked Exponential Growth

    • HA03
    • Wed 07/26, 3:50PM - 4:00PM

    • by David Kraft,, Monark Trivedi

    • Type: Contributed
    • The late Albert A. Bartlett, a past president of the AAPT, dedicated the last half of his professional life to educate both the physics community and the wider society of the implications of unchecked exponential growth [1, 2]. Among the areas he addressed were human population growth and the consumption of non-renewable resources. We review and update several of his examples. Bartlett placed particular emphasis on the concept of the doubling time in an exponential process, showing, for example, that the amount of a resource consumed in a doubling interval exceeds the total consumed in all of history prior to the start of that interval. We display an applet which illustrates this concept.

  • • Students of Introductory College Physics: Who Argues More and Better?

    • HA04
    • Wed 07/26, 4:00PM - 4:10PM

    • by Jianlan Wang,, Zahra Hazari, Geoff Potvin

    • Type: Contributed
    • Students’ content knowledge level is believed to be a significant factor affecting students’ argumentation performance. Previous studies regarding this issue were mostly conducted through a qualitative approach. This study takes a quantitative approach to gauge the relationship between students’ content knowledge and their argumentation performance. Eight argumentation items were designed and tested in a national survey study of introductory college physics students (N= 1694). The result validates five argumentation items and categories them into two constructs: perceived argumentation ability and agency. The multiple regression models indicate that students’ content knowledge is not a significant predictor of either argumentation ability or agency. However, gender and physics career intentions are significant predictors of students’ argumentation agency. Male students have higher argumentation agency than females. Likewise, students who intend careers in physics have higher argumentation agency than those who are less likely to intend such careers.

  • • The Impact of Kahoot! on Undergraduate Students’ Participation in Introductory Physics

    • HA05
    • Wed 07/26, 4:10PM - 4:20PM

    • by Randa Asa'd,, Cindy Gunn

    • Type: Contributed
    • Physics is like swimming; students cannot master it by watching, they haveto practice. The challenge is how to motivate students to practice physics. Our approach was to introduce Kahoot! in the classroom. Students have to solve problems on their own and use their cellphones to answer the problems in class. Our results show that students liked this game and it motivated them to practice more problems and come prepared to class.

  • • The Mini-Zam: Formative Assessment for the Physics Classroom

    • HA06
    • Wed 07/26, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
    • by Robert Arts,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Formative assessment is a range of assessment procedures employed during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities in an attempt to improve student attainment. It typically involves frequent feedback for both student and teacher that focuses on the details of content and performance. This talk will focus on a formative assessment item called the Mini-Zam used in the general physics course taken by science majors. Samples, quantitative findings, implementation, extensions to other courses, and general results will be discussed as part of the presentation.

  • • Utilization of Smartphone’s Light Sensor in Experiment of Motion Along a Straight Line

    • HA07
    • Wed 07/26, 4:30PM - 4:40PM

    • by Ea Cahya Mahen,, Ade Nuryantini, Bebeh Nuryadin, Asti Sawitri

    • Type: Contributed
    • Smartphone is particularly suitable for physics experiments using sensors embedded inside. This paper reports on the result of research into the utilization of a smartphone ambient light sensor for the study of motion along a straight line based on experiments. Primary source of the experiments is extracted from light intensity curves attained using a free Android application which convert to curves of displacement, velocity and acceleration. Comparison between the results obtained by the smartphone and theory have good agreement. Thus, the use of smartphone’s light sensor in physics experiment can be performed, specifically for experiment of motion in one dimension.

  • • Development of Students’ Mental Models about the Quantization of Physical Observables

    • HA08
    • Wed 07/26, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
    • by Nilüfer Didis Korhasan,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The aim of this research is to examine the development of students' mentalmodels for quantization. In the previous parts of this study, we examined what undergraduate students' mental models were (Didi?, Ery?lmaz, & Erkoç, 2014) and the influence of instruction on these models (Didi?, Ery?lmaz, & Erkoç, 2016). At this step of the research, we investigate how students construct their mental models during a 15-week semester period. For this aim, students' mental model development was examined across six main contexts in terms of different variables (i.e. time, case, and person). The findings indicated upgrading in models within the cases of quantization and context dependency of models.

  • • GeoGebra for Physics

    • HA09
    • Wed 07/26, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
    • by Lenore Horner,
    • Type: Contributed
    • GeoGebra is a versatile and accessible tool for physics teachers. It facilitates creation of everything from precise figures to interactive 3D visualizations. GeoGebra is an interactive tool that graphs functions, fits data and does statistical analysis of it, does calculus and vector math, illustrates geometry, functions in 2D, 3D or both and more. Example physics applications include re-usable/variable inclined plane and pulley diagrams, ray diagrams, forces on a rotating coil in a magnetic field, sound demonstrations, randomized practice problems with solutions. GeoGebra and visualizations created with it are free and run on computers and tablets and as a web application.

  • • Physics and Engineering Education – Expanding Our Agenda – Exporting Technological Literacy*

    • HA10
    • Wed 07/26, 5:00PM - 5:10PM

    • by Carole Womeldorf,**, Sheila Tobias

    • Type: Contributed
    • The current emphasis of physics and engineering education programs is fundamentals education, K-16 STEM education research, faculty professional development and training future academics. We propose that these departments could invaluably expand that mission by becoming sources of and home to technological literacy courses and engineering minors for non-STEM students, exporting the invaluable engineering perspective and technology fluency to a public “profoundly ignorant of technology.” As an engineer, an academic, a government researcher, and a global citizen, I revisit and revive Dr. Wulf’s call: “An Urgent Need for Change.” As President of the National Academy of Engineering he stated: “Everyone needs an understanding of the larger innovation engine (engineering) that creates the wealth from which everyone benefits.” His call for engineering schools to offer courses in technological literacy was heeded in a few key places. A review of these “engineering-enhanced liberal education” examples illustrates the rich opportunity that awaits.

• Post-deadline Abstract II

  • • Teachers Mindset on ICT Resources in Science and Mathematics Lessons

    • by Rogers Makafu,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The organization of United Nations is emphasizing information, communication and technological skills for trade, governance and sustainable development, as one of the strategies to achieve the agenda 2030. The countries with young people not being prepared for these skills remain at stake and misfit for development. Therefore governments need to formulate policies that drive teachers towards applying IT skills in pedagogy and foster IT-mindset to benefit the future of students. The study examined the science and mathematics teachers on use of IT and media resources in classrooms. The author conducted the study during in-service for mentor teachers. The findings revealed that teachers had positive perception towards integrating IT in their lessons although the majority of them have a number of limitations to actualize this concept. Some teachers fixed their mind onto few resources despite a range of IT resources around them.

  • • EXCEL-based Acoustic Analysis: Procedure and Result*

    • HB01
    • Wed 07/26, 3:30PM - 3:40PM

    • by Shinil Cho,, Dakota Leonard

    • Type: Contributed
    • We present a systematic for investigating acoustic spectrum without using special measurement equipment. Excel-based Fourier Transform is applied to develop a hands-on spectrum analysis. Although we designed this project as part of our NSF sponsored STEM project, it also allows students of a general physics course to understand the mathematics of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) while acquiring and observing sound samples using a PC. Several voice and piano sounds will be presented to demonstrate the analysis steps. We also discuss how to overcome the 4096-data point limitation Excel-based FFT and other issues we observed.

  • • Using Medical Imaging to Engage Health Science Students in Physics

    • HB02
    • Wed 07/26, 3:40PM - 3:50PM
    • by Stacy McCormack,
    • Type: Contributed
    • One of the biggest complaints we hear from students in our introductory physics course sequence is that they see no relevance between our required physics courses and their health science majors. This spring I partnered with local radiologists to design a project whereby students in my introductory algebra-based electricity/magnetism course researched medical imaging techniques: Ultrasound, X-ray, MRI, CT, and PET. The project required a research paper and informational poster to be created by the students, and brought a classroom visit from local radiologists as well as a field trip and tour of the hospital imaging departments. I will give tips for how to begin such a partnership at your own location, show examples of student projects and feedback, as well as share lessons learned and how the project will be changed going forward.

  • • Using Direct Measurement Videos to Teach Model-Making and Model-Breaking Skills

    • HB03
    • Wed 07/26, 3:50PM - 4:00PM

    • by Matthew Vonk,, Peter Bohacek

    • Type: Contributed
    • Many instructors struggle to find efficient ways for their students to discover quantitative relationships. This talk will explore a novel new platform, Pivot Interactives, that lets students do just that. The platform allows users to design and perform experiments by controlling certain critical parameters within arrays of high-resolution videos. In addition, the talk will illustrate how the same platform can be used to help students investigate those instances where the simple models we give them start to fail.

  • • Christian Fundamentalists in the Physics Classroom

    • HB04
    • Wed 07/26, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
    • by Sean Cordry,
    • Type: Contributed
    • An NSF survey revealed that 24 percent of Americans believe the Sun goes around Earth. That percentage may increase due to the rise of the religious home-schooling movement, in which between 49 to 85 percent consider themselves to be “born again” Christians. Curricula for home-schoolers is dominated by a fundamentalist slant, with statements of faith espousing belief in special six-day creation, websites claiming "The ONLY Common Core we ascribe to is God’s Word,” and curricula series titles such as “Sonlight.” As the number of religiously conservative students increases in our classrooms, it is important to know how to address them and their needs. In this talk, I will share experiences and practical insights to help navigate difficult waters. Topics discussed will include characteristics of the fundamentalist Science vs. Scripture paradigm, understanding the background of these students, how Creationism undermines critical thinking, and pitfalls to avoid.

  • • Investigative Lab Activities for Large Enrollment Studio Physics Classes and Argument-driven Reports

    • HB05
    • Wed 07/26, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
    • by Kathleen Foote,
    • Type: Contributed
    • To prepare students for success in today’s fast-paced, modern world, departments are increasingly being asked to explicitly incorporate real world skills into their courses such as teamwork, using technology, reasoning from evidence, communicating effectively and more. Motivated by a desire to cover more than just content in their physics courses, University of Auckland recently adopted the Studio Physics format, which integrates lab, lecture and tutorial in a highly interactive reformed classroom. Since now a hundred students undertake lab investigations concurrently, we designed experiments that utilized the versatile Lablet app (for data capture and analysis on tablets), economical and space efficient equipment. Instead of handing students a detailed lab manual, students embark on a more open-ended challenge such as “determine the spring constant of a ballistic launcher.” The students have more autonomy in designing an experiment, consciously move through a more scientific process, then they summarize their experiment in a one page, argument-based report. Students undergo a peer review process before final submission so students learn how to evaluate information in science and develop their ability to read and critique an argumentative text, while emulating an important part of science. This talk will describe the development of experiments and accompanying materials, including the rubric, which outlines the expectations for students and facilitates fair grading for instructors. It will include preliminary feedback and data from the first semester of implementation.

  • • Hand-Driven Systems for Demonstrating Resonance

    • HB06
    • Wed 07/26, 4:20PM - 4:30PM

    • by D. Baker,, Dylan Welsch

    • Type: Contributed
    • Resonance is one of the most prevalent topics in physics and has implications for research in fields ranging from nuclear theory to astronomy. In order to help students visualize what happens at resonance in mechanical systems, we have developed several classroom demonstrations. These particular demonstrations use common items such as hacksaw blades, ropes, and springs. Moreover, each system is chosen so that it can be driven into resonance by moving it or shaking it at a few Hz. Several systems will be presented along with how each can be related to other areas of physics or to questions of practical interest. For example, the presence of a node of vibration near the free end of a thin board at resonance can be related to the “sweet spot” of an implement such as a baseball bat.

  • • Impact of High-Engagement Activities on Online Introductory Physics Classes

    • HB07
    • Wed 07/26, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
    • by Anthony Smith,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The increasing demand for online Physics classes presents the challenge oftransferring student engagement from a physical to a virtual classroom. Online students often feel isolated from the instructor, from each other, and even from the material, with students from high-context environments feeling especially disconnected. High-context activities, such as posting in a class introduction thread, attending online office hours, and working on laboratory activities in groups, were incorporated into an online Introductory Physics series. Students showed an improvement in scores on a standardized concept inventory, and positive feedback on a post-class survey. This project was done as part of the ESCALA Education program.

  • • The use of Peer Instruction to Revisit Leibniz-Descartes Quarrel

    • HB08
    • Wed 07/26, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
    • by Marlon Soares,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The active teaching-learning methodologies have been increasingly used in Brazilian engineering undergraduate courses. In this paper, we propose a method to investigate the previous knowledges that given engineering students have about Newton’s 2nd Law and analyze their skills toward the use of this law to solve qualitative problems. Despite the fact of Newton’s Laws are mandatory subject in High School, a lot of undergraduate students are not able to properly apply it to solve conceptual problems. They can identify the equation that expresses the Newton’s 2nd Law, but they do not have a fully understanding of its meaning. We have identified that the misunderstanding lies to the difference between the meaning of linear momentum and the meaning of force, which we can point out to be the same misconception that occurred in the history of science episode involving Descartes and Leibniz, back in XVIII Century.

  • • Smartphone Experiments with Integrated Data Analysis Using "Phyphox"

    • HB09
    • Wed 07/26, 4:50PM - 5:00PM

    • by Sebastian Staacks,, Simon Hütz, Heidrun Heinke, Christoph Stampfer

    • Type: Contributed
    • Smartphones are a fascinating tool for physics experiments as they providea wide range of sensors allowing to do data acquisition without additional hardware. While sometimes the analysis of this data represents an important aspect in science classes, many smartphone experiments suffer from a lack of focus as students spend a disproportionate amount of time working with external analysis software. Moreover, the acquired data appears disconnected from the actual experiment as the phone is either inaccessible or only raw data can be examined during measurement. In this talk I will present the free app "phyphox" (Android and iOS, see http://phyphox.org) which offers live data analysis for smartphone experiments and a simple means to remote control it from any device. I will contrast how experiments can be carried out using pure data acquisition or full data analysis and how each approach can help you emphasize different aspects of your lesson.

  • • Using Escape Rooms to Assess Physics Skills

    • HB10
    • Wed 07/26, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
    • by Megan McEwen,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Using play in the classroom can help increase student engagement, inspire more creative thinking and problem solving strategies, and make the assessments and class periods more enjoyable for everyone. I have used Escape Rooms especially, with multi-day Escape Rooms becoming my final exams, for the last four years with great results, which I will share in the course of this paper.

• Post-deadline Abstract III

  • • Rebuilding a Pre-Service Elementary Teacher Integrated Science Course (Physics/Chemistry) at Fresno State.

    • HC01
    • Wed 07/26, 3:30PM - 3:40PM

    • by Roger Key,, Anthony Hinde, Donnie Golden, Don Williams, Dermot Donnelly

    • Type: Contributed
    • Physical Science is often taught and assessed in a disciplinary and fragmented way, with little connection made between chemical and physical explanations of scientific phenomena. As such, many students lack coherent and holistic explanations of scientific phenomena, phenomena that are a key component of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for K-8 students. This presentation will discuss the redesign of a pre-service K-8 teacher physical science course to better align disciplinary and integrated explanations of scientific phenomena. Chemistry, Physics, and Physical Science (Integrated) phenomena based items were developed and scored using knowledge integration rubrics to score students’ explanations pre/post instruction. Example items and rubrics relevant to the items will be presented in this session alongside redesigned laboratory curriculum and findings relevant to the pre-service elementary teachers’ conceptual development. Finally, important implications for Physical Science instruction will be highlighted.

  • • A Laboratory to Teach Laser and Atomic Physics

    • HC02
    • Wed 07/26, 3:40PM - 3:50PM
    • by Joseph Wiest,
    • Type: Contributed
    • For the past 25 years I have been creating a laboratory to use the laser to teach hands-on techniques of studying the atom, and including the nucleus in interpretation. Experiments have been developed around the following lasers: solid-state tunable diode lasers, HeNe lasers, nitrogen laser, carbon dioxide laser, and ruby laser. The lasers employed have been a combination of commercial and shop-built instruments. Studies with the lasers emphasize their history and development, the doublets and hyperfine structure of Cs, K, and Rb, the acousto-optic effect, bond strength of the iodine molecule, the nitrogen-pumped dye laser, Raman Effect, frequency doubling, and the stable isotopes of Kr. Building the tunable diode laser and detectors, the use of the wavemeter, CCD camera, and miniature digital spectrometer will be discussed.

  • • Developing Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation with Real Astronomical Data

    • HC03
    • Wed 07/26, 3:50PM - 4:00PM
    • by Lucas Walker,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Adoption of NGSS will require teachers to come up with authentic ways for students to develop fundamental laws of nature through observation and analysis. A rule like the Law of Gravity has been traditionally accepted on faith, because Newton’s own analysis is too arcane and complex for them to productively follow. But students can actually easily develop the 1/r-squared mathematical relationship on their own by analyzing a new, freely-available trove of data – the exoplanet orbital database! I have developed an instructional sequence that begins with the curious observation that the ISS is accelerating at only 9.1 m/s per second, and eventually guides students to design the experiment investigating how acceleration changes with orbital radius. Finally, they discover the appropriate mathematical model on their own by analyzing real exoplanet data using free graphing calculator software available online, in support of the NGSS expectation that students “develop AND use mathematical models.”

  • • An Theoretical that Gives a Unified Explanation of Electrostatic Forces and the Universal Gravitation

    • HC04
    • Wed 07/26, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
    • by Rolex Rao
    • Type: Contributed
    • A theoretical model that provides a common ground on which the Coulomb’s law and Newton’s law of universal gravitation can be unified. This model also explains what the attractive mass is and why it’s directly proportional to inertial mass. Newton’s law of universal gravitation and Coulomb’s law were discovered separately in 1687 and 1784. These two laws resemble each other in many ways, but people didn’t explain why these two laws both are inverse-square and why inertial mass are identical to attractive mass. Here we provide a reasoning briefly and logically why an asymmetry could exist in our universe and we showed mathematically how this asymmetry will lead to an inverse-square gravitational force in addition to Coulomb’s forces. The theory fits with currently used theory at an expense of losing the simplicity of electric field at the first look. A mathematical tool is developed to handle the calculation of field and forces under the hypothetical asymmetry, with the tool we can easily show that both Coulomb’s force and gravitational force can be put into the same theoretical frame work. Moreover, in this hypothetical model we provided a long-awaited answer for what is attractive mass and why it’s directly proportional to inertial mass. If this model stands, we hope it’s the missing piece of the big picture for the union of fundamental forces and theories to describe them, including quantum mechanics and relativity.

  • • A Model Explains Coulomb's Forces, Charges, and Inverse-Square Law

    • HC05
    • Wed 07/26, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
    • by Rolex Rao
    • Type: Contributed
    • A theoretical model, which naturally reproduces the attractive and repulsive forces between charges and the mathematical formula of Coulomb’s law, gives an explanation of what charges are, their structure and functions, and why Coulomb’s law is inverse-square. Coulomb’s law, since it was discovered in 1784, has many interesting features that were not explained based on more basic understanding. To explain why the Coulomb’s law is inverse-square, we developed a theoretical model for the structure and function of positive and negative charges. Based on this model, we can reproduce the mathematical formula of Coulomb’s force using a different approach. This hypothetical model also gives some lights on how the universe is running its energy.

  • • 3D-Printed Kelvin Current Balance

    • HC06
    • Wed 07/26, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
    • by Thomas Wilson,
    • Type: Contributed
    • We have developed a modern, compact and low-cost 3-D printed version of the Kelvin current balance that is well-suited for use in any instructional physics laboratory. We use two current circles, each wound with a large number of turns (typically 90, with 30 AWG enameled-magnet wire) and positioned coaxially and lying in parallel planes. One such current circle rests upon a miniature low-cost digital scale which measures the force of repulsion (or attraction). The current balance is completed with the other current circle positioned above the first on a supporting stand. A precise spacing is achieved using low-cost 3-D printing technology. Two separations (9.0 and 16.0 mm) have been used thus far to measure the force (chosen to be either repulsive or attractive) as a function of modest currents (one ampere or less is sufficient for accurate results). The measured forces are found to be in excellent agreement (within 3%) with a classical electromagnetism analytical expression. The particular digital scale we have used thus far, is the low-cost AWS Gemini-20 with a capacity of 20 gm in 0.001 gm increments, although the 3D-printed rings and stand can can be easily adapted for other use with other digital miniature scales. In addition, the mutual inductance between the circles can also be conveniently measured using a signal generator and a two channel oscilloscope, and compared to theory. Excellent agreement (within 1.5%) is also found between the measured mutual inductance and the theory, for the spacing of 6.2 mm.

  • • Conceptualizing Boiling Points and Intermolecular Bonds with Introductory E&M

    • HC07
    • Wed 07/26, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
    • by Jordan Steckoff,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The thermodynamics of phase changes is generally introduced macroscopically, with a liquid’s boiling point presented as an immutable material parameter. However, this approach fails to explain why the boiling points of some materials are much higher than others, or why materials remain in a condensed liquid state at all. Here I present a conceptual method for understanding how a liquid’s boiling point is determined by the electromagnetic forces holding molecules together. This approach asks students to consider the distribution of charge within a molecule, and compare the strengths of the resulting dipole moments of different chemical species. Students are then introduced to London Dispersion forces and investigate how they hold non-polar molecules together. These steps reveal that the strength of the electromagnetic forces between molecules controls the boiling point. Finally, students consider how mixing different liquid species together affects the average force between molecules, and thus the mixture’s boiling point.

  • • Impact of Prelab Videos on Introductory Life Sciences Physics Laboratories.

    • HC08
    • Wed 07/26, 4:40PM - 4:50PM

    • by Matt Steffler,, Duncan Brain, Braeden Skene, Martin Williams

    • Type: Contributed
    • We discuss our implementation of targeted prelab videos designed for laboratory exercises in a large enrollment (900 student) introductory physics for the life sciences course. Our goal was to create preparatory videos that helped students have a better appreciation of the role of labs, strengthen conceptual understanding, and reduce time on task. Students were asked to take part in a survey about their experiences with the videos and the labs. Such factors as time to complete labs, impressions on lab manageability and insight gained, and overall comments were gathered and analyzed. We found that 45 - 55% of students completed the prelab videos on a regular basis, which is much lower than anticipated. When time on task for individual labs was compared, it was found to have increased rather than decreased for the majority of the labs. We will discuss in the talk the implications of these results.

  • • Implementation of Learning Module Methodologies in General Physics Courses

    • HC09
    • Wed 07/26, 4:50PM - 5:00PM

    • by John Barr,, Sajalendu Dey

    • Type: Contributed
    • Student outcomes in general physics courses reflect a lack of conceptual understanding(1). A learning module-based course design is proposed to address this lack. “Lecture” sessions will be broken into learning modules that utilize a minimum of traditional presentation followed by peer involved concept questions(2) and group problem solving. Each class session will contain two to three learning modules. Students will be required to prepare for each lecture ahead of time by doing appropriate reading and problem solving. Learning module structures that cover the essential elements of a general physics-I class will be presented.

  • • It's Not Harvard. Does It Still Work?

    • HC10
    • Wed 07/26, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
    • by Paul Walter,
    • Type: Contributed
    • This past year we adopted and implemented the team-based and project-basedmodel for introductory physics that was developed by Eric Mazur's group at Harvard University. We discuss some of the benefits and challenges of Harvard's AP-50 course design. We also discuss potential modifications, such as including computation into the course.

• Preparing the Community for the August 21st Solar Eclipse

  • • The Citizen CATE Experiment for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

    • BF01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

    • by Matt Penn,*, Robert Baer, Richard Gelderman, Michael Pierce, Donald Walter

    • Type: Invited
    • The inner regions of the solar corona from 1–2.5 Rsun are poorly sampled both from the ground and space telescopes. A solar eclipse reduces the sky scattered background intensity by a factor of about 10,000 and opens a window to view this region directly. The goal of the Citizen Continental-America Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) Experiment is to take a 90-minute time sequence of calibrated white-light images of this coronal region using 60 identical telescopes spread from Oregon to South Carolina during the 2017 August 21 total solar eclipse. Images from the CATE network will characterize velocities, accelerations and density enhancements in solar polar plumes and study plasma instabilities in prominences and their interaction with the hot corona. After the eclipse, the CATE equipment will be kept by the volunteers and used for observations of the Sun, variable stars and comets in follow-up citizen science programs.

  • • Preparing for The Great American Total Solar Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017

    • BF02
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Douglas Duncan,
    • Type: Invited
    • Prepare yourself, your school, your community for the the first total solar eclipse to cross the continental U.S. since 1979! Should you travel to the path of totality? (Absolutely! Even a 99% partial eclipse is NOTHING like a total eclipse) Where should you go? How should you prepare? What national efforts can you tap into? Where can you find detailed maps and other resources? Included will be a video from a previous eclipse that captures the excitement better than anything else I know. The video is R-rated for language… you will not see it on TV - because a total ellipse looks like the end of the world and people respond intensely. Learn how to help people view safely and make significant money as a fundraiser.

• Professional Skills for Graduate Students

  • • Professional Skills for Graduate Students

    • GD
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
    • by Daryl McPadden
    • Type: Panel
    • This interactive panel focuses on developing professional skills for graduate students and other early-stage researchers. This session will address professional concerns brought up by graduate students during the past Crackerbarrels/Topical Group Discussions. Topics covered may include: preparing for careers after graduate school, becoming integrated with the community, developing research skills, and disseminating your work.

• Race and Gender Performance Gaps: Problems and Alternatives

  • • Race and Gender Performance Gaps: Problems and Alternatives

    • FA
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by Dimitri Dounas-Frazer
    • Type: Panel
    • Institutional over-reliance on race and gender performance gaps may have negative consequences for students from marginalized groups in physics education and STEM education more broadly. Treating race and gender as independent variables often oversimplifies the complexities of students' identities and may perpetuate the problematic idea that best way to understand race and gender is through comparison of students from different groups. Moreover, the widespread focus on "closing the gap" often uses the average performance of white and/or male students as a standard of excellence for students from marginalized groups. In this panel, we discuss these and other critiques in more detail, and we highlight alternative approaches to attending to race and gender in quantitative and qualitative studies.

  • • As Exceptional as Any Monstrosity: Gaps Analyses Past and Present

    • FA01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by Adrienne Traxler,
    • Type: Panel
    • Documenting educational performance gaps between groups has a long history. From a 21st century perspective, it is not obvious that this tradition traces its roots to the fundamentally racist and sexist work of Western European and North American scientists to prove the intellectual and moral superiority of white men. This history still carries profound consequences for how we conceptualize performance gaps, the emphasis placed on finding them, and the actions (or inactions) that result from their documentation. However, investigation of gaps has also been instrumental in uncovering systemic race and gender discrimination. Understanding gaps drove the discovery of stereotype threat, a theory that encompasses multiple identity facets and interventions. I argue that the gap-gazing paradigm, because of its historical foundation in maintaining a set hierarchy of race, gender, and class, demands a higher level of clarity and responsibility from researchers today. I will conclude with suggestions for navigating these pitfalls.

  • • Finding Quantitative Groups with Data-Driven Properties (and Differences)

    • FA02
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Jacqueline Doyle,
    • Type: Panel
    • Traditional quantitative analysis involving different demographic groups involves using those demographics as either independent variables in a regression, or group memberships for the purposes of (for example) a t-test. While useful as a first pass, this treatment inherently biases the analysis towards a certain way of thinking, namely, how different is this group from the majority (which usually is some combination of the straight, white, and/or male students), resulting in two primary issues. First, intersectional considerations of student identities are abandoned in favor of statistical power. Second, it obscures possible additional explanations that could confound the relationship. I’ll talk about some benefits of using different measures when grouping students, and why it might be preferable for certain research questions to do so.

  • • “She Probably Won’t Amount To Anything”: Counterstorytelling and Physics Education

    • FA03
    • Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by Katemari Rosa,
    • Type: Panel
    • The underrepresentation of women and people of color in STEM has been welldocumented in the literature. These studies tend to focus on performance gaps using quantitative analysis. In this presentation, we bring an alternative approach to attending to race and gender through a qualitative study. Grounded in black feminism perspectives and Critical Race Theory, we present a counterstory, that is, a non-dominant narrative, of Christa, a black woman physicist. Her educational and professional trajectories are confronted with the dominant discourse found in the literature around performance and experiences of physics. The findings show the use of counterstorytelling helps to unveil how racism operates in the process of scientific identity construction. We hope to motivate the physics education community to bring more critical perspectives to their work.

• Report Release - Aspiring to Lead: Engaging K-12 Teachers as Agents of National Change in K-12 Physics Education

  • • AAPT High School Teacher Camp - A New Professional Development Model

    • EA01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

    • by Martha Lietz,, Kelly O'Shea

    • Type: Invited
    • In the summers of 2015 and 2016, the first and second annual AAPT High School Teacher Camps were held at locations near the summer AAPT meeting. Approximately 50 teachers from across the country met from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Sunday preceding the AAPT meeting for a day of professional development based on the "unconference" model promoted nationally by the EdCamp Foundation (edcamp.org). The camp is an organic, participant-driven professional learning experience. Due to our proximity to the AAPT meeting, we also invited two nationally known PER authors to engage us in a conversation about teaching and learning. This talk will describe the logistics for and events included in each of the two days.

  • • PhysTEC National Teacher of the Year: Leadership and Engagement in the Novice Years

    • EA02
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Alexandra (Solender) Boyd,
    • Type: Invited
    • Alexandra (Solender) Boyd was recently named National PhysTEC Teacher of the Year by the Physics Teacher Education Coalition, an initiative to support physics teacher education programs, co-led by the APS and the AAPT. During this presentation, learn about Alexandra's engagement in teacher leadership as a recent PhysTEC graduate and novice teacher. Through her experiences, learn about how to encourage physics teachers in leadership starting early in their careers.

  • • Aspiring to Lead: Developing Teacher Leadership and Advocacy

    • EA03
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:30PM

    • by Kelli Warble,, Zhanna Glazenburg, Jeff Milbourne

    • Type: Invited
    • During this session, AAPT Physics Master Teacher Leader taskforce members Kelli Gamez Warble and Zhanna Glazenburg will present new directions for coherent and aspirational professional development and teacher leadership through the AAPT for the K-12 physics education community. Learn about the task force's vision for teacher leadership through the Teacher Leader Agency & Advocacy (TLAA) program proposal.

  • • Aspiring to Lead: Teacher Induction and Vertical Alignment

    • EA04
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:30PM

    • by Steve Henning,, Katya Denisova, Fran Poodry, Mike Mangiaracina, Trey Smith

    • Type: Invited
    • During this session, AAPT Physics Master Teacher Leader taskforce members will present new directions for coherent and aspirational professional development and teacher leadership through the AAPT for the K-12 physics education community. Learn about the taskforce's vision for teacher mentoring, induction, and K-12 vertical alignment through the TRAPP and PALs program proposals.

• Research on Physics Teacher Preparation

  • • Recruiting Teachers in High Need STEM Fields*

    • GJ01
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 1:30PM

    • by Monica Plisch,, Michael Marder, Casey Brown

    • Type: Invited
    • The United States faces persistent shortages of appropriately prepared middle and high school STEM teachers in high needs fields, particularly physics, chemistry, and computer science. The American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, Computing Research Association and Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership surveyed over 6000 current and recent majors in our disciplines. Our recommendations to professional societies and disciplinary departments are to: (1) Promote middle and high school teaching with undergraduate majors and graduate students (2) Support high quality academic programs that prepare students for STEM teaching, and expand good models to more universities, (3) Expand programs that provide financial and other support for students pursuing STEM teaching, (4) Advocate for increases in annual compensation, including summer stipends, on the order of $5K--$25K for teachers in the hardest to staff STEM disciplines, and (5) Support programs that improve the professional life and community of STEM teachers.

  • • A New Survey: Perceptions of Teaching as a Profession (PTaP)

    • GJ02
    • Wed 07/26, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

    • by Wendy Adams,, Monica Plisch, Heather Taffe, Taylor Plantt, Kristine Callan

    • Type: Invited
    • To help with early identification of future teachers and to better understand the impact of the PhysTEC Project, we have been developing the survey of Perceptions of Teaching as a Profession (PTAP) to measure students’ views of teaching as a career, their interest in teaching, and the perceived climate of physics departments towards teaching as a profession. The instrument consists of a series of statements which require a response using a 5-point Likert-scale and can be easily administered online. We are in our second year of development and will report on large-scale statistical analyses of 900 student responses as well as a factor analysis that has identified nine strong categories of student responses. We will share these categories, preliminary results, the latest version of the instrument and the newly developed scoring sheet.

  • • Productive Habits: A Unifying Conceptual Framework in Physics Teacher Education

    • GJ03
    • Wed 07/26, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Stamatis Vokos,
    • Type: Invited
    • The literature on the professional preparation of teachers has identified several programmatic features that teacher education programs can aspire to instantiate. These features are usually presented as lists of evidence-based practices that have been noticed and/or researched by thought leaders. Is there an overarching framework that allows one to account for such features? That is, is there a conceptual model that predicts, in a causal sense, these features? In a recent paper, Eugenia Etkina, Bor Gregori, and I argue that the need for productive habit formation can explain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that the literature has identified as important, as well as serve as a guiding principle for the design and improvement of physics teacher education programs. In this talk, I will offer representative examples of physics teacher habits that are to be developed during the program, propose programmatic approaches for the development of such habits, and outline possible future research agendas around habits.

  • • Development of the Physics Teacher Education Program Assessment (P-TEPA)*

    • GJ04
    • Wed 07/26, 2:30PM - 2:40PM

    • by Stephanie Chasteen,, Rachel Scherr, Monica Plisch

    • Type: Contributed
    • There is a severe shortage of qualified secondary physics teachers in the United States: 63% of all high school physics teachers lack either a degree in physics or teacher certification. A fundamental cause is that few physics departments are engaged in the preparation of physics teachers, due to lack of professional rewards, negative attitudes about teaching among faculty, difficulty working with the college of education, and other factors. Despite such barriers, each year a select few physics departments manage to graduate five or more qualified physics teachers annually from their teacher preparation programs. What can we learn from such “thriving programs” to help other programs emulate such results? In this talk we will present our initial results from development and validation of the Physics Teacher Education Program Assessment (P-TEPA). The P-TEPA is a detailed rubric – based on prior work in the field – which systematically characterizes elements that typify such “thriving programs”. The P-TEPA is intended to be used by researchers and program leaders to understand and improve physics teacher preparation programs.

  • • Characterizing Interactions in Learning Assistant Preparation Sessions*

    • GJ05
    • Wed 07/26, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Ryan Zamora,, Jessica Conn, Shahrzad Hessaaraki, Aaron Collins, Eleanor Close

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Learning Assistant (LA) program structure at TXST is informed by the theory of Communities of Practice, which describes learning as an ongoing process shaped by participation in overlapping communities. Identity as nexus of multimembership is defined by the work of reconciling forms of membership in different communities. We are interested in how participation in the program influences LAs’ identity both as physics students and as physics teachers. For three semesters, we have been video recording LA preparation sessions. These weekly meetings provide the opportunity for community support as the LAs and faculty reflect on in-class teaching practices as well as on the content of the physics activities they are preparing to facilitate. In this study, we analyze the video using an observational protocol to characterize LA and faculty interactions. We find that during these prep sessions LAs engage in a variety of interactions including physics-oriented, teaching-oriented, reflective, and social.

  • • Nexus of Multimembership as Source of Physics Teacher Identity*

    • GJ06
    • Wed 07/26, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by Jessica Conn,, Aaron Collins, Shahrzad Hesaaraki, Ryan Zamora, Eleanor Close

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Learning Assistant (LA) program structure at TXST is informed by the theory of Communities of Practice, which describes learning as an ongoing process shaped by participation in overlapping communities. Identity as nexus of multimembership is defined by the work of reconciling forms of membership in different communities. We are interested in how participation in the program influences LAs’ identity both as physics students and as physics teachers. Our analysis suggests that engagement in the LA program increases LAs’ sense of competence both in physics content and in the practice of engaging in the physics community. The LA program creates an overlap between the community of STEM majors and that of physics instructors, such that LAs are members of both communities and the shared practices improve the functioning of each one. By participating in multiple communities, LAs continuously re-negotiate their identities in ways that encourage development of positive teacher identity.

• Research on the Impacts of the Learning Assistant Model

  • • Relationships Between Social Networks and Student Outcomes in Learning Assistant Supported Courses

    • DA01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 9:00AM

    • by Robert Talbot,, Paul Le, Amreen Thompson, Leanne Doughty, Laurel Hartley

    • Type: Invited
    • One of the primary goals of a Learning Assistant is to promote interactionand discourse among learners working on group-worthy tasks. These interactions are situated within large enrollment courses at the institutions in our research program. We view these courses as learning communities in which social network methods can serve to characterize the centrality, importance, and the positionality of each community member. Using a network analytic approach to responses from student surveys, we quantify these characteristics as parameters which are then be used in regression models. These models relate student and course level attributes to student outcomes, including course grade, concept inventory gain scores, and attitudes towards learning science. In this talk we will describe the central figures in classroom interactions, and the relationships between students’ individual network characteristics and their respective outcomes.

  • • The Many Faces of Equity: A Systemic View of Learning Assistant Programs

    • DA02
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:30AM

    • by Ben Van Dusen,, Jayson Nissen, Angelica De La Torre, Daniel Caravez, Nancy Caravez

    • Type: Invited
    • Creating equitable outcomes among students is a focus of many instructors and researchers. The term “equity”, however, lacks a single unifying definition within our field. In this investigation we examine three definitions of equity and the systemic impact of Learning Assistants (LAs) on each. To do this, we will leverage the statistical power of the Learning About Student Supported Outcomes (LASSO) platform to create Hierarchical Linear Models that include student concept inventory data, student demographics, and course level data from science classes across the country. Implications for the implementation of LA programs and for researchers investigating equity will be discussed.

  • • Impacts of the Learning Assistant Model on Graduation and Retention

    • DA03
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 10:00AM

    • by Jessica Alzen,*, Valerie Otero, Laurie Langdon

    • Type: Invited
    • Empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of any intervention is key for program improvement and evaluation, and the Learning Assistant (LA) Model is no exception. This presentation focuses on two lines of inquiry regarding the influence of the LA program at the University of Colorado Boulder--persistence to graduation and course-level D/F/W rates. We use logistic regression models to estimate the effects of exposure to the LA program on six-year graduation rates as well as course failure and withdrawal rates in large gateway STEM courses in two departments at CU Boulder. We find that the LA program has differential effects across departments and that both quantitative and qualitative investigation is necessary to understand the effectiveness of the LA Model. The presentation includes not only the relative results but also provides general information regarding the process for conducting this type of analysis, including an explanation of the models used in the analysis.

• Results of a Comprehensive National Survey of the Uses of Computation in Undergraduate Physics Programs

  • • Background and Design of the National Survey*

    • EH01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

    • by Norman Chonacky,, Marcos Caballero, Robert Hilborn, Laura Merner

    • Type: Invited
    • Over 15 years ago we first learned of impacts on preparation of undergraduate physics majors due to lack of computation in courses. The vehicle was an AIP report based on its employment survey of recent physics BS graduates (1). Subsequent research endeavored to evaluate actual usage of computation in courses and underlying factors (2,3). In 2014 NSF-IUSE funding finally permitted creation of a comprehensive survey of undergraduate computation usage in a stratified random sample of physics department types and their faculty. The design of this survey included consultation with a focus group of diverse stakeholders and involved a coalition of research entities -- the AAPT, the AIP, and two universities. My talk focuses on the project’s conception and the design of its questionnaire. Others will disclose some details of its results and their relevance to efforts to promote integration of computation across physics curricula.

  • • National Assessment of Computational Instruction in Undergraduate Physics Departments

    • EH02
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Laura Merner,
    • Type: Invited
    • This presentation discusses results from three national surveys of physicsfaculty that assess the current state and possible future of computational instruction in undergraduate physics departments in the U.S. The survey collected quantitative evidence about the state and nature of computational instruction in undergraduate physics departments. Results will be presented on five main areas: Structure of and support for computation in the undergraduate physics curriculum, barriers, and successes to teaching computation, the perceived value of computational physics by faulty members, the future of computation in physics classrooms, and experiences of faculty member.

  • • Characteristics of Departments and Faculty that Teach Computation

    • EH03
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:00PM

    • by Marcos Caballero,, Laura Merner, Norman Chonacky, Robert Hilborn

    • Type: Invited
    • Computation is a central aspect of 21st century physics practice; it is used to model complicated systems, to simulate impossible experiments, and to analyze mountains of data. Physics departments and their faculty are increasingly recognizing the importance of teaching computation to their students. We recently completed a national survey of faculty in physics departments to understand the state of computational instruction and the factors that underlie that instruction. We will present the instructional practices that faculty in surveyed departments are using to teach computation and offer descriptive characteristics that typify these different types of instruction.

  • • Survey Results Viewed Through the AAPT Recommendations for Computational Physics

    • EH04
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:30PM
    • by Ernest Behringer,
    • Type: Invited
    • Because computation is ubiquitous in the practice of physics, the AAPT issued a statement on computational physics in 2011 urging “every physics and astronomy department [to] provide its majors and potential majors with appropriate instruction in computational physics.” The AAPT Undergraduate Curriculum Task Force (UCTF) was established in January 2013 and developed a set of recommendations, approved in 2016, for including computational physics skills and practices in the undergraduate physics curriculum. The survey and associated results described in the preceding talks will be viewed through the lens of the AAPT recommendations to identify productive paths forward for instructors, students, and developers.

• Saturday Registration

  • • Saturday Registration

    • REG02
    • Sat 07/22, 7:00AM - 4:00PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Registration

• Science and Religion

  • • Science, Religion and their Cultural Heritages

    • DF01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
    • by Scott Bonham,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Both science and religion are human endeavors and therefore culturally embedded. They are both shaped by and shaping their culture and have historical roots in cultures quite different from ours. Understanding those historical contexts can help us make sense of and resolve tensions, which will be illustrated with two examples. First, ancient Near Eastern culture was oral, functionally oriented with a mythological cosmology, which casts the first chapters of Genesis in a different light. Second, the effort of several important Greek philosophical schools to demythologize the world both laid roots for both developing modern science and a materialist philosophy that clashes with religious belief. Knowledge about the cultural heritage of both science and religion gives us a better context to understand areas of tension that stretch back thousands of years.

  • • Characteristics of Scientists and Analogous Traits of Christians

    • DF02
    • Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
    • by Bradley McCoy,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Christian universities present a unique intersection between religious beliefs and intellectual commitments. In this talk, we present examples from a curriculum supplement designed for introductory physics and general education science courses that looks at the characteristics of scientists, comparing and contrasting with traditional Christian characteristics. Throughout the curriculum, the theme of “truth-seeking communities” is emphasized. Parallels in the characteristics of scientists and Christians can help to decrease antagonism between science and Christianity in students.

  • • Developing Student Understanding: A Course in Philosophy and Theology of Science

    • DF03
    • Tue 07/25, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by John Zwart,, Carl Fictorie

    • Type: Contributed
    • Even within a fairly homogenous religious community there can be significant differences in understanding how religion and science are related. Discussions on topics such as climate change or age of the universe can be polarizing. At Dordt College we use a course, “Perspectives in Physical Science,” required of physics and chemistry majors and serving others as a core course, to increase our students’ knowledge and understanding of issues relating science and religion while respecting their prior understanding and convictions. Topics explored in the course range from fundamental issues regarding the nature of science, to surveying the various philosophical and theological traditions which are used to frame scientific inquiry, to discussing how science can be a genuine calling for Christians. This course, including its goals, major topics, and methods of instruction will be discussed.

  • • Strategies for Teaching Modern Science to Skeptical Minds

    • DF04
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
    • by Matthew Huddleston,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Many students throughout the country come from a background that questionsthe veracity of foundational theories and discoveries in modern science that we, as educators, take for granted. The reasons for this skepticism are varied, and often tied to historical events, changes in social and political climates, or deeply held faith commitments. Student attitudes towards science have been shown to affect learning and retention at all levels of education. However, instructors are often unprepared to handle deep rooted skepticism, especially when their students withhold questions for fear of ridicule. I will present lessons I have learned from my experience of 18 semesters teaching a course designed specifically to address this challenge in undergraduate non-science majors. Results of student surveys will be presented to elucidate the most "offensive" ideas in science, and key strategies for teaching basic physics, astronomy, and other sciences, will be offered.

  • • Newtonian Thesim and Newtonian Mechanics

    • DF05
    • Tue 07/25, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
    • by James Simmons,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Isaac Newton created a very extensive record of his (unorthodox) theological and biblical speculations. But is there any reason to believe that this influenced his scientific thinking? And did his scientific thinking influence his religious thought? Does any of this help us to understand how science and religion interact today?

• Science and Society

  • • Human and Robotic Spaceflight: The Past and the Future

    • AF01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
    • by Frank Lock,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Humans and robots will spend time on Mars working together. There is a rich history of human exploration in space, and robotics have been a key to the success of that exploration. This talk will highlight that history and how it will affect future exploration. Using space exploration concepts in the classroom will be described, as well as the role of physics in the success of future space exploration endeavors.

  • • Leveraging Physics Education Research to Understand Informal Physics Environments

    • AF02
    • Mon 07/24, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Kathleen Hinko,, Claudia Fracchiolla

    • Type: Contributed
    • Outside of the classroom, physicists and physics students often design andteach in informal programs targeted at youth and public audiences. There are many open questions about the impact of these informal environments on both learners and teachers in terms of building physics identity, interest, and content-knowledge. We advocate for bringing the frameworks, tools, and techniques of physics education research to bear on informal physics learning settings. We will describe some methodological strategies for investigating teaching and learning for different types of informal physics programs. In addition, we put out a call to others interested in engaging in evaluation and research in informal physics to build a community through which we can provide each other with support, collaboration and resources.

  • • The Impact of Peace Corps Volunteer Science and Math Teachers in a Developing Nation

    • AF03
    • Mon 07/24, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
    • by Jonathan Hall,
    • Type: Contributed
    • In 1963, when the country of Malaysia was formed from the Federation of Malaya and the British colonies of Sarawak and North Borneo (Sabah), education was limited (especially in rural areas) due to a lack of qualified teachers. From 1962 until 1983, Peace Corps volunteer science and math teachers helped educate a generation of Malaysian students. Data of the impact of one of the Peace Corps volunteer teachers in rural Sabah will be presented.

  • • And… Action! Theater and Cordel in Physics Outreach for Children

    • AF04
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by Katemari Rosa,, Roberta Smania-Marques, Maria Ruthe Gomes, Julio Cesar Nascimento, Heloisa Barbosa

    • Type: Contributed
    • In this presentation, we share our experience developing and conducting physics outreach activities for children between four and 10 years old. The literature on science education and physics education, in particular, has shown art can play an important role in teaching and learning. Based on studies that focus on theater as a means of science popularization and on a traditional regional Brazilian art form, namely the Cordel literature, we developed a theater play that intertwines ideas around friendship, concepts of light and color, and fun. Cordel literature is a popular and inexpensive literature produced, mostly, in Northeastern Brazil. In this art form, printed booklets bring folk novels and poems, using specific types of rhyme. These booklet topics range from daily life events, romance, politics, and social critics. The connections between children's cultural roots, art, and science throughout this project bring an alternative for children's physics education.

  • • The Perception of Brazilian Children About Scientists: Myths and Stereotypes

    • AF05
    • Mon 07/24, 9:10AM - 9:20AM

    • by Luzia Mota,, Miriã Alcântara, Isabelle Lima, Beatriz Velame

    • Type: Contributed
    • In this study, we present research results on the perception of children about scientists and their activities. The study was conducted with Brazilian children with and without visual impairment, ages 7 to 10 years old, living in the city of Salvador, Bahia. The methodology used was an adaptation of the DAST (Draw a Scientist Test), an instrument widely used for studies with children on public perception of science and scientists. The theoretical framework draws from national and international research on this topic, as well as studies that investigate teaching and learning for children with visual impairment. The work is part of a larger study focusing on teaching the nature of science for elementary school children. Our results indicate there are differences between the responses of children with no visual impairment and visually impaired children, in the same age group and even level of schooling.

  • • Enhancing Quality of Physics Education for National Development in Nigeria

    • AF06
    • Mon 07/24, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Nnabugwu Peace,, Ayo Olayinka, Humphrey Ibifubara, Amaechi Paul

    • Type: Contributed
    • The importance of science education, especially physics, to mankind cannotbe overemphasized, more importantly for the development of a nation. The study of Physics serves as foundation for youths to venture into Science and Technology related careers and the pedagogical techniques adopted in teaching determines their inclination to it. This research highlighted importance of enhancing the quality of Physics teaching and learning by attempting the use of improvised instructional materials for practical classes by teachers and students in Nigeria. The goal is to enhance learning through creating a fun environment, linking physics with daily living and instigating energetic and innovative Nigerian scientists. Through the use of surveys and quasi-experimental design the effects of improvised practical materials on students’ potential for improvement were studied. 300 physics students and 36 teachers were sampled amongst the Nigerian population, spread across three major geopolitical zones. Comparison was done with two groups: student group taught through traditional method versus group with improvised instructional materials. As accessed with a standardized test, the results showed improved performance by the latter group. KEYWORDS: Physics Education, Improvised Instructional materials, Fun Learning

• Solo PER

  • • Solo PER

    • TOP02
    • Mon 07/24, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
    • by Steve Maier
    • Type: Topical
    • Are you the only professional active in PER within your department? Are there only one or two colleagues in close proximity you can talk “PER shop” with? The membership of Solo PER is larger than you may think, and more diverse than most suspect. Join us for this crackerbarrel to connect with other Solo PER professionals and learn what is being done to help our/your endeavors. As in the past, bring questions, ideas and professional concerns to share.

• Sunday Evening Registration

  • • Sunday Evening Registration

    • REG04
    • Sun 07/23, 7:30PM - 9:30PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Registration

• Sunday Registration

  • • Sunday Registration

    • REG03
    • Sun 07/23, 7:00AM - 4:00PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Registration

• Supporting Equity through Group Work and Collaboration

  • • Recognizing and Addressing Unconscious Bias in Small Group Interactions*

    • ED01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
    • by Eleanor Close,
    • Type: Invited
    • Reformed instructional practices often engage students in working with each other, in pairs or small groups, on difficult conceptual questions or problem-solving activities. Many research studies have found interactive-engagement instruction to lead to greater learning gains than more teacher-centered methods. However, small group collaborations also leave room for students to enact unconscious bias in their interactions with each other, creating or reinforcing barriers to participation for students from groups already under-represented in the physics community (e.g., women). How do we promote equity in these instructional contexts? Using short video episodes of group work interactions in real classrooms from the Periscope project, I will analyze dynamics around equity in specific student interactions, and make instructional suggestions.

  • • Being “Smart” in Science Class

    • ED02
    • Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Kelly O'Shea,
    • Type: Invited
    • Working in groups helps establish that science is something that humans dotogether. In my usual day-to-day routine of class, students work “individually-together” at tables and then draw on whiteboards to share and discuss solutions with other groups and come to a consensus on each problem. Through this small and large group work, I try to disrupt status hierarchies and create opportunities for students to see value in a variety of ways to “be smart” in science class. I also try to provide multiple entry points for students to access the content and skills. In this talk, I will share that work and the questions that I am trying to figure out and address in my high school classroom.

  • • Creating A Classroom Ethos of “Learning Together”: Strategies & Equity Implications

    • ED03
    • Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:00PM

    • by Gina Quan,, Angela Little, the Compass Project (past and present)

    • Type: Invited
    • This talk will discuss classroom structures and norms implemented by member programs of the Access Network, a research-practice community of several undergraduate STEM equity-focused programs. We draw from our experiences as former student-leaders in one member program, the Compass Project. A central goal of the Compass classroom was to disrupt common ways of “knowing” and being “good at” physics (e.g. gaining status through use of jargon terms). Instead, we worked toward a classroom community that had an ethos of “learning together,” where all students could meaningfully engage in collaboratively building physics knowledge. This talk will discuss how this goal was embodied within classroom activity structures. The ideation, implementation, and refinement of these strategies are the collective effort of many past and current members of the Compass Project and Access Network community, and continue to have life beyond our own membership in the Compass Project.

  • • CU Prime Diversity Workshop Model: Training Teachers and Student Leaders Around Issues of Equity

    • ED04
    • Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:30PM

    • by Simone Hyater-Adams,, Dimitri Dounas-Frazer, Katherine Rainey, Daniel Reinholtz

    • Type: Invited
    • Self-education is an invaluable tool that can push physics educators forward in their effort to create inclusive classrooms. This work highlights the CU Prime Diversity Workshops as a model for doing so. CU-Prime, a student run organization at CU Boulder, runs a course for first-year undergraduates and holds diversity workshops for the organizing group in order to provide space and time to reflect on and grapple with difficult issues around diversity and inclusion. With a structure based on readings, informal videos, reflection, and discussion these workshops serve as a space of self-education for instructors of the course as well as other members of the leadership. This talk will overview the structure and framing of our most successful workshops, highlighting the benefits and pitfalls of their structure, as well as the implications of these workshops on the course that the group designs and teaches.

• Teacher Training/Enhancement

  • • A Conceptual Framework for Integrated K-12 STEM Education

    • FI01
    • Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Lynn Bryan,, Drew Ayers,, Selcen Guzey,

    • Type: Contributed
    • One of the central goals of the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM (CATALYST) at Purdue University is to positively impact the integration of STEM teaching and learning in K-12 classrooms. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) and science standards of many states emphasize incorporation of engineering practices in science instruction. Drawing on the work of scholars who have inspired the meaningful integration of STEM disciplines at the K-12 level (e.g., Sanders, 2009; Sanders & Wells, 2010), we define integrated STEM as teaching and learning of content and practices of science and/or mathematics through integration of practices of engineering and engineering design of relevant technologies. Here we describe the learning goals for integrating engineering practices in K-12 physics instruction. We will share exemplars of recent CATALYST efforts in this area. Finally, we will articulate a guiding conceptual framework for designing integrated STEM curricula.

  • • “Dude, Where’s My Helmet?”: Integrating Engineering Design into Middle School Physics

    • FI02
    • Wed 07/26, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Carina Rebello,, Lynn Bryan

    • Type: Contributed
    • One of the central goals of the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM (CATALYST) at Purdue University is to positively impact the integration of STEM teaching and learning in K-12 classrooms. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) and science standards of many states emphasize incorporation of engineering practices in science instruction. To this end, CATALYST has developed a guiding conceptual framework for designing integrated STEM curricula. In this talk we describe how we applied our framework to design a lesson for middle school students that integrates concepts in biology and physics (i.e. momentum and impulse) with engineering practices to design a safety helmet. We will share our experiences from a summer workshop where we used these materials with middle school teachers. Finally, we will discuss implications of designing middle school curricula for physics that integrates the learning of physics with other STEM disciplines.

  • • Hydroponics: A Context for Integrated STEM in High School Physics

    • FI03
    • Wed 07/26, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by N. Sanjay Rebello,, Hui-Hui Wang, Minjung Ryu, Lynn Bryan

    • Type: Contributed
    • One of the central goals of the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM (CATALYST) at Purdue University is to positively impact the integration of STEM teaching and learning in K-12 classrooms. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013) and science standards of many states emphasize incorporation of engineering practices in science instruction. To this end, CATALYST has developed a guiding conceptual framework for designing integrated STEM curricula. In this talk, we describe how we applied our framework to design a lesson for high school students that integrates the learning of physics (electric circuits), chemistry and agriculture concepts in a context of designing a hydroponics system. We will share our experiences from a summer workshop with high school teachers. Finally, we will discuss the implications for high school physics curricula that integrates learning of physics with other STEM disciplines.

  • • Next Gen PET and the Faculty Online Learning Community (1)

    • FI04
    • Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by Fred Goldberg,, Sean Smith

    • Type: Contributed
    • Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking (Next Gen PET) (2) is a research-based, guided inquiry curriculum for preservice and inservice elementary teachers, designed to provide students with learning experiences aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. The pedagogical design provides many opportunities for small group and whole class discussions and for instructors to monitor and study student thinking. Versions of Next Gen PET are available for either small or large enrollments, and covering either physics or physical science content. Recently, we have established a Faculty Online Learning Community (3), consisting of faculty interested in improving their instruction, studying student thinking and conducting classroom-based research using the Next Gen PET curriculum. Faculty in this community have participated in evaluation of student content learning. This talk will provide a brief overview of the curriculum, the online community, and initial student learning impact data.

  • • Incorporating Engineering Design Activities into a Curriculum for Pre-service Elementary Education Majors

    • FI05
    • Wed 07/26, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
    • by Paula Engelhardt,
    • Type: Contributed
    • The Next Generation Science Standards emphasize disciplinary core ideas, scientific and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking (Next Gen PET) (1) incorporates all three into the design of the curriculum. This talk will focus on incorporating engineering design activities into a one-semester studio-style, guided inquiry physics course for pre-service elementary education majors. At the end of each unit, students complete an engineering design task related to the concepts they have been studying. NGSS breaks engineering design into three stages: 1) defining and delimiting an engineering problem, 2) developing possible solutions and 3) optimizing the design solution. Working in small groups, students are guided through these three stages culminating, in most cases, with the construction of a working model of their design. Brief descriptions of each engineering design activity and examples of student work will be presented.

  • • Developing Pre-service Elementary Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Next Gen PET

    • FI06
    • Wed 07/26, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Stephen Robinson,, Danielle Boyd Harlow

    • Type: Contributed
    • Science content courses for future elementary teachers can help them develop the pedagogical content knowledge needed to make appropriate instructional decisions in their own classrooms. The Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking (Next Gen PET) materials (1) begin to address this development by including activities that engage students in issues of teaching and learning in the context of the science and engineering practices identified in the Next Generation Science Standards. In these activities pre-service teachers watch videos of children engaged in activities, interview children in person about their science ideas, and facilitate explorations by small groups of children. They then collaborate in small groups to analyze the children's thinking, reflect on their experiences, and discuss implications for their own future teaching. We describe how these activities can be integrated into a Next Gen PET course and give examples of student work.

  • • Engaging Physics Students Through Application of Theatrical Magic Theory

    • FI07
    • Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
    • by Philip La Porta,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Educators that have attended any recent professional development workshopshave certainly been urged to make sure our students are actively engaged in learning. We are constantly bombarded with information about the importance of, and learn various techniques to help increase student engagement. However, the advice we receive and the methods that are taught often ignore an obvious truth: in addition to the methods, the teachers themselves must be engaging! We cannot rely solely on technique to make sure our students stay actively engaged. Fortunately, we can use theories found in the performance of theatrical magic as a tool for reflective practice. This talk examines five important principles in the performance of theatrical magic and how they can be used to improve our teaching and dramatically increase student engagement.

  • • Preparing Physicists to be Informal Educators

    • FI08
    • Wed 07/26, 9:40AM - 9:50AM

    • by Michael Bennett,*, Kathleen Hinko, Brett Fiedler, Noah Finkelstein

    • Type: Contributed
    • PISEC, the Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community, is an informal after-school physics education program that partners university mentors (“University Educators,” or UEs) with local K-8 students to engage in hands-on, open-ended physics activities. To achieve the goals of advancing UE and K-8 students alike, UEs undergo preparation each semester where they practice curricular activities, reflect on school site demographics and culture, and develop skills in communicating scientific knowledge at an appropriate public level. PISEC’s partnership with the CU Boulder physics education research group allows us to engage in research on PISEC and incorporate feedback to iteratively develop the program. Recent results have shown that UEs tend to engage in one of three different “pedagogical modes,” (Hinko, PR:PER 2016), avenues of communication with students. We have incorporated these findings into our UE preparation and will discuss the implementation and preliminary outcomes on its effect on UE training.

  • • The Effectiveness of Assembly Style Science Demonstrations on Student Learning

    • FI09
    • Wed 07/26, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
    • by Patrick Morgan,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Science demonstrations and experiments are an important part of any science lesson. They help students learn and recognize the principles and concepts, and can be a great amount of fun as well. In particular, the “fun” aspect can play an important role. Science assemblies have become regular occurrences around the country, with large demonstrations to excite students about learning the sciences. However, are students learning from these types of presentations? If so, what are they learning during these presentations? Do students recognize the demonstrations from previous years, and if so do they recall what will happen? This study followed MSU Science Theatre, a nonprofit undergraduate outreach group, on their annual Upper Peninsula trip. By looking at the audience responses during and after the performance, as well as the unique presentation style of Science Theatre, this study will show the benefits and challenges of these types of assemblies.

  • • The intelligent Tutors Agents and 4MAT System, for Physics Education

    • FI10
    • Wed 07/26, 10:00AM - 10:10AM

    • by Claudia Rosado,, CESAR EDUARDO MORA

    • Type: Contributed
    • It is necessary to attend and develop learning preferences to achieve a knowledge construction in an effective way. By incorporating strategies for learning that contribute to the improvement of the quality of education, and the way the students develop disciplinary competencies, is a reason for the research in the science teaching, this work in particular have the topic of Physics for the Bachelor of science in Industrial Engineering. On the other hand, the use of technology in the teaching-learning process of physics has become a need, because the new generations use computer systems in most of the activities they perform; hence the process mentioned requires an evolution in its methodologies. The objective of the present work is to incorporate as a teaching-learning strategy the intelligent tutors agents considering the learning styles applying the 4MAT system, this work is a case study with students of Industrial Engineering for subjects of Newtonian Mechanics.

• Technologies

  • • Using LASSO to Improve Your Teaching and Support Your Research

    • DE01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Nancy Caravez,, Jayson Nissen, Angelica De La Torre, Daniel Caravez, Ben Van Dusen

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Learning About Student Supported Outcomes (LASSO) platform is designedto support instructors and researchers interested in improving student learning. LASSO is an online tool (learningassistantalliance.org) that hosts, administers, scores, and analyzes a range of research-tested assessments across the STEM disciplines. For faculty, it provides a free and easy way to assess student learning without requiring class time or analytical effort. For researchers, it provides an easy method for collecting of data across classes and institutions. User feedback is always appreciated as new features continue to be developed and refined to better meet faculty needs.

  • • Cycling Through R&D: Testing Usability of Next Generation Computer Coaches*

    • DE02
    • Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Emily Smith,, Evan Frodermann, Ken Heller, Leon Hsu, Jie Yang

    • Type: Contributed
    • Problem solving is an important component of introductory physics. Using the internet to provide on-demand coaching for students taking this challenging course seems obvious, however, the development of such problem solving coaches is complicated. The C3PO project uses the well-established Deming R&D process to iteratively develop coaches in stages moving continuously between laboratory prototype and in situ testing. This presentation focuses on in situ usability testing at two large research universities. Such testing is also in progress at a two-year college and a state university.

  • • Factors Influencing Students’ Usage of Computer Coaches for Problem Solving

    • DE03
    • Tue 07/25, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
    • by Bijaya Aryal,
    • Type: Contributed
    • We have incorporated web-based computer coaches to help develop introductory-level physics students’ competency in problem solving. This presentation describes the factors that influence students’ motivation of using the online system for physics problem solving. Students were interviewed after they completed two sessions of problem solving using the coaches individually. In the interviews students reflected on their experiences about using the coaches. The interview data revealed that students’ willingness to use the online system and usage pattern seem to depend on their expectations about online learning resources. Students’ degrees of likability of the system found to be determined by their prior mathematics/algebra preparation as well as competency and fluency with computer use. Students’ decision on whether to use it or not as an optional resource relies on the time duration for completing the coaches and extent of flexibility in solution paths offered by the online system.

  • • Teaching Computation in Physics Using SageMathCloud

    • DE04
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
    • by Todd Zimmerman,
    • Type: Contributed
    • SageMathCloud is a free online service that can run SageMath, Jupyter notebooks, and compile Latex documents. SageMathCloud can be used to collaborate with students and colleagues and has class management features built in. Use of the class management features, such as assigning homework, grading homework, and using the peer-grading features in three upper-level physics courses will be discussed.

  • • Triode Tube Operation and Warm Guitar Amplifier Sound

    • DE06
    • Tue 07/25, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
    • by David Keeports,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Why do electric guitar players overwhelmingly prefer the sound of vacuum tube guitar amplifiers? The answer to this question is found in the analysis of how a triode tube amplifies an electric signal. Inputting a low-amplitude sine wave to the tube simply produces a higher-amplitude output that produces a louder sound. But a triode tube can clip a sine wave in two distinct ways. Turning up the input amplitude causes the first type of clipping and produces an asymmetric wave, rich in pleasant even harmonics. Overdriving the tube further additionally produces the second type of clipping. The resulting symmetric wave is then full of potentially dissonant odd harmonics. In this presentation, I will relate the much sought-after warm and rich sound of tube guitar amplifiers to triode tube function.

  • • Cyberphysical Experiments: Exploring Affordances and Constrains of Visuohaptic Simulations for Friction Conceptual Understanding

    • DE07
    • Tue 07/25, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Tugba Yuksel,, Alejandra Magana

    • Type: Contributed
    • Constructivist learning approaches suggest that learning occurs best by doing. Physical (PL) and virtual (VL) laboratories are confirmed to be very useful approaches to improve students' conceptual understanding and active engagement. Many studies argue that although PLs implementation provide touch and active involvement factors, VLs are found to be as useful as or better than PLs. In this study, we examined a new type of laboratory called cyberphysical experimentation that aims to integrate affordances of PL (i.e., tactile and kinesthetic elements) with affordances of VL (i.e., rich visualizations) via visuohaptic-simulations. We analyzed students' reasoning and explanations of friction force after engaging with PL, VL and cyberphysical experimentation. Students were probed about their thinking and reasoning in each engagement. We recruited 10 students who have taken at least on physics course. Students were required to complete the assigned task by filling out a worksheet based on their prediction, observations and explanations.

  • • Optimal Computational Parameter for Magnetic Simulation

    • DE08
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 9:40AM

    • by Bukyoung Jhun,, Youngseok Jhun

    • Type: Contributed
    • Magnetic field simulation is crucial for the physics engine. However, it hasn’t been studied thoroughly. In this study, magnetic simulation was performed under various computational parameters. Results under various parameters were compared with each other, with the analytic solution, and with the experimental results. Suggestion for the optimal parameter is made. This research is expected to be helpful in developing a more physically correct physics engine.

• The Art and Science of Teaching

  • • Sharing the Beauty of Physics

    • DC01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
    • by David Jackson,
    • Type: Invited
    • As physicists, we find beauty in all areas of physics. Part of the reason for this, I believe, is because physicists see deeply into problems in a way that most students cannot. We see connections and patterns and understand the power of physical theories and the mathematical structure behind them. How can we, as instructors, help students appreciate the power and beauty of physics if they do not have the background--or worse, the interest--to understand these subtle connections? In this talk, I will provide several examples in which the "beauty" of physics arose naturally and unexpectedly while working with students. If we learn to keep an eye out for such situations, we can capitalize on these unexpected learning opportunities and perhaps allow students a glimpse into why we find physics such a fascinating field of study.

  • • Physics as a Transformative Experience for Underrepresented Students

    • DC02
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
    • by Valerie Otero,
    • Type: Invited
    • Many efforts have been made to engage the interest of students by making physics relevant to their everyday lives. For decades, “everyday relevance” has appeared in the guise of electric lighting and power systems, skateboard parks, maker-spaces, and other superficial examples of technology’s impact on the human experience. What is often forgotten is the everyday relevance that arises as one develops identity and voice within a scientific community—by analyzing and planning, seeing one’s hypotheses tested by experiment, and solving new puzzles when expectations are not met. The self-confidence and enhanced social status associated with community engagement can be highly transformative and life changing, with far more impact on one’s decision-making abilities and life-directions than sugar-coated technologies used to help students swallow the “castor oil” of physics.* It is physics instructors’ responsibility to ensure that students are empowered "through" physics, not in spite of it.

  • • Physics Course and Department Design – The Science is in the Details

    • DC03
    • Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
    • by John Stewart,
    • Type: Invited
    • Physics courses and physics programs are complicated systems that must be well designed to provide the best learning experience possible. This talk will examine elements of well-designed classes and discuss the performance of classes that were not optimally designed. Elements such as the selection of assignments, scheduling of tests, class coordination, and multiple instructor coordination will be explored. Physics classes and physics students are situated within physics programs that must also be carefully implemented for both the program and the student to flourish. Important programmatic elements such as advising, degree requirements, and educational activities must work together to create career-knowledgeable students ready to excel both inside and outside of academia. Important places where small programmatic modifications can bring large benefits will be discussed.

• The Physics of the NSF IUSE Program

  • • IUSE Unleashes Synergy: The Interlocking Stories of Three Proposals*

    • BG01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM

    • by Norman Chonacky,, David Winch, Kelly Roos

    • Type: Invited
    • Three awards culminated a decade of preparatory research and experimentation (1) done by a dozen physicists driven by a shared conviction: "Computation is as much an integral method for understanding physics as for doing physics." The IUSE program has finally permitted us to launch a national effort to continue this work in the context of our developing the competence and confidence of undergraduate physics faculty to gradually address this goal. It is sweeping because its antecedents are intertwined and any credible effort to address them must be pursued synchronously as much as possible. One solution would be to present them all in a single proposal. Given the constraints that previous NSF DUE programs imposed, our task faced high barriers to an award. What IUSE offered us was the possibility to parse the entanglement in this "Gordian Knot" using characteristics it invites - organizational flexibility; canonical challenge; innovative thinking - synergistically.

  • • Faculty Images of Equity and Inclusion in Physics*

    • BG02
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM

    • by Rachel Scherr,, Tali Hairston, Amy Robertson, Abigail Daane, Arlene Knowles

    • Type: Invited
    • Physics faculty have knowledge, beliefs, values, and priorities about equity that can support (or undermine) best practices for inclusive physics learning environments. Using interviews and focus group discussions, we are learning how faculty understand the work of equity and inclusion in physics. Initial observations suggest that faculty have a variety of images of equity in physics, and that different discussion prompts elicit different images. Some faculty images suggest a deficit model, in which members of underrepresented groups are seen as lacking experiences or resources that they need to succeed. Others are positive images about improving the culture of physics and rectifying injustice. Many faculty see a connection between equity work and active learning strategies. We take the perspective that positive images of equity work will be an effective basis for the development of resources to support faculty in creating inclusive physics learning environments.

  • • Addressing Dissemination: An Example from the C3PO Project*

    • BG03
    • Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 3:00PM

    • by Leonardo Hsu,, Evan Frodermann, Ken Heller, Emily Smith, Jie Yang

    • Type: Invited
    • When creating materials that can impact the practice of education, it is insufficient to simply “build a better mousetrap.” Research indicates that instructors perceive the need to modify resources developed by others to take into account their beliefs and values, their constraints, and the needs of their students. Difficulties in making such modifications can inhibit adoption of those materials. A second issue is that when instructors adopt tools or curricula, they usually do modify them, even if those modifications violate the primary principles of the materials and make them less effective. We see the task of developing materials as navigating between this Scylla and Charybdis. The goal of the C3PO project is to explore this navigation in the context of a software tool that enhances students’ problem-solving experience within existing instructional environments.

  • • Promoting Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Physics: The PIPELINE Network*

    • BG04
    • Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:30PM
    • by Crystal Bailey,
    • Type: Invited
    • There has been a recent groundswell of interest among physics educators inteaching innovation and entrepreneurship within physics, as more attention is being paid to the future career preparedness of physics graduates. There is evidence to support that adding workforce-relevant learning to the physics discipline could not only enhance physics students' career preparedness and workforce confidence, but could also attract a larger and more diverse pool of physics majors. The NSF-funded PIPELINE project brings together efforts of six institutions to create and document new approaches to teaching innovation and entrepreneurship in physics which will be shared with the broader community. The project will also advance our understanding of how these practices affect student and faculty attitudes towards innovation and entrepreneurship in physics. In this talk, I will provide updates on the progress of this project in Year 1 of its implementation.

• The Use of IOLab for Introductory Laboratory Reform

  • • Measuring Moments of Inertia with the IOLab Device

    • EF01
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 3:30PM

    • by Scott Dudley,, Scott Dudley, Colton Dudley, Francesco Insulla

    • Type: Invited
    • Here we show how to measure the moment of inertia of inexpensive common objects using an IOLab device. Estimates of the error in the technique, a comparison with video analysis, and analysis of the most suitable masses and dimensions for accuracy given the range of the IOLab’s force probe are also presented.

  • • Open-ended Circuit Labs with the IOLab

    • EF02
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
    • by Louis Leblond,
    • Type: Invited
    • We have recently redesigned almost all calculus-based mechanics and E&M introductory labs to use the IOLab device when possible and to follow a more open-ended approach heavily influenced by the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE). In most labs, the students were asked to investigate questions by formulating hypothesis and testing them by designing an experimental setup. They would then select lab equipment and measuring tools from the sets available to perform the experiment. Among the tools and equipment available we had the IOLab device which provide a “all-in-one” portable measurement tool. This device allowed us to do the lab in any classroom using student's laptops. Here we report on the series of circuit lab used in E&M and how they compared to previous labs which were more cookbook in style and which were using PASCO equipment. We outline some key differences of doing circuit labs with the IOLab and where extra equipment, such as multimeters, where needed.

  • • Research Validated Distance Learning Labs for Introductory Physics Using IOLab

    • EF03
    • Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 3:30PM

    • by David Sokoloff,, Erik Bodegom, Erik Jensen

    • Type: Invited
    • The IOLab is a versatile, relatively inexpensive data acquisition device developed by Mats Selen and his colleagues at University of Illinois (1). It is self-contained in a cart that can roll on its own wheels, while an optical encoder measures motion quantities. It also contains sensors to measure a variety of other physical quantities like force, temperature, light intensity, sound intensity and current and voltage. With a current cost of around $100, students can purchase their own individual device (like a clicker), and can—in theory—use it to do hands-on laboratory, pre-lecture (flipped classroom) and homework activities at home. We report on the preliminary results of a project to develop distance-learning (DL) laboratories using the IOLab. We have developed RealTime Physics (3,4)-like mechanics labs based on the IOLab, and tested them in supervised laboratory environments and in distance learning mode at Portland State University and Chemeketa Community College. We will describe the labs and lab environments, and present preliminary research on student learning using the FMCE (5).

• Topics in Diversity

  • • Survival Skills for New High School Teachers

    • BK01
    • Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
    • by Jeffrey Rodriguez,
    • Type: Invited
    • Are you ready to start an exciting teaching career? Inquisitive students, grading papers, communicating with parents, faculty meeting after school, applying technology and preparing lesson plans, video of you teaching your class for license requirements, setting up a lab demonstration, and a fire drill today. The life of a teacher has great intrinsic benefits, is never dull or without daily challenges. These challenges and other issues can be overwhelming without the proper skills, strategies, and guidance. Using teaching experience in urban and suburban districts, interviews of new teachers, and a review of current literature, I will present a set of survival skills for new teachers so you can enjoy your career choice.

  • • This Is My Life: Building a Life and Career Within the Constraints of Disability

    • BK02
    • Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
    • by Christine Lindstrøm,
    • Type: Invited
    • At the end of high school, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Since then, I have lived with severe chronic pain for about half the time, visited medical professionals on a monthly basis, and watched my joints slowly lose their flexibility. Despite these constraints, I have built a sustainable academic career, had a Fulbright fellowship, worked on five different continents and regularly travel the world. In this talk, I will share the life philosophy that enables me to achieve my dreams, utilizes my problem solving skills to work around constraints, and has led me to feel happy and positive. Ultimately, my journey is not primarily about learning to live with a disability?it is about learning to deal with life.

  • • Exploring how Students with Executive Function Disorders Perform in Physics

    • BK03
    • Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 2:40PM

    • by Westley James,, Benjamin Gallegos, Mathew Marino, Jacquelyn Chini

    • Type: Contributed
    • Research at the K-12 level repeatedly finds that students with disabilities are underserved by common educational models, leading to decreased performance on assessments of learning. Students with disabilities pursuing postsecondary degrees make up 2.5 million of the 23 million postsecondary population. However, little is known about these students’ experiences in postsecondary STEM. In this study, we focus on students with disabilities identified with executive function needs, which cause differences in areas critical to physics learning, such as planning, working memory, attention and self-regulation. Executive function disorders (EFD) are common across several disabilities, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder. We explore the performance on popular physics concept tests for students with and without documented EFDs in both lecture-style and studio-style introductory physics courses at a very large research university, and address questions about how the models support students with EFDs.

  • • Doctor Habbibi: Muslim Women Identities in the Pre-Medicine College Track

    • BK04
    • Mon 07/24, 2:40PM - 2:50PM

    • by Sidra Ali,, Diane Jammula

    • Type: Contributed
    • After 9/11, 1.6 billion Muslims were held responsible for an attack committed by 16 men from Saudi Arabia. Muslims in the U.S. were subjected to bigotry, again heightened in the Trump presidency. College campuses seek to create safe spaces as Muslim students strive for the “American Dream.” Muslim women are stereotypically thought of as oppressed, and pursuing medicine while living in Islamophobia may seem contradictory. A case study was conducted at a minority-serving institution to answer these research questions: 1) How do female Muslim college students negotiate their familial, social, and academic identities while pursuing the pre-medicine track? 2) What supports and obstacles do they encounter? 3) How do they deal with stereotypes and images projected by the media and society? Participants were female Muslim students on the pre-med track representing a range of backgrounds and perspectives. Interviews were conducted and analyzed using open coding. Findings discuss emergent themes.

  • • Physics Identity in High School: Impact of Discussing Women’s Underrepresentation

    • BK05
    • Mon 07/24, 2:50PM - 3:00PM

    • by Robynne Lock,, Matthew Witt, Zahra Hazari

    • Type: Contributed
    • In previous work, we found that discussing the underrepresentation of women in science correlates with physics identity and with physics career choice. To determine whether there is a causal effect, we conducted a quasi-experiment with students in high school physics classes. Two teachers, each of whom taught multiple physics classes, implemented lessons about women in physics in their classes. Students in half of each teacher’s classes read about famous female physicists, including the challenges they have overcome, and then held a classroom discussion about these physicists and the state of women in physics today. The other half of the classes read about the work of modern day female physicists with no emphasis placed on their gender, but these students did not have a class discussion. All students wrote pre- and post-essays and completed pre- and post-surveys. In this work, we examine the effect of these lessons on students’ physics identities.

  • • Investigating Concepts of Optical Phenomena in Children with Visual Disabilities

    • BK06
    • Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:10PM

    • by Sergio Santos,, MIRIÂ ALCANTÂRA, LUZIA MOTA, JOSILEIDE OLIVEIRA, ELINALDO AMORIM

    • Type: Contributed
    • The present study of interdiscipline character has an objective to collectand analyze spontaneous conceptions of visually impaired children on light, its nature and phenomenons, in order to support the discussion of models of teaching and learning are more sensitive to the understanding of the child about phenomena that would require the use of vision, as happens with the light. To collect the ideas spontaneously of children with visual impairment, was created a test of spontaneous conceptions, based in Almeira (2007) and Goulart (1989). With these collected data, and analysis was made of the speech of the same to identify their perceptions about the theme. The test of interdisciplinary character and quality, served as a good instrument for research of spontaneous notions of children visually impaired, offering good speeches to be analyzed. It is concluded that children with disabilities have visual conceptions about intuitive the theme, it is not possible to determine its origin. Your answers have specifics according to the degree and type of visual impairment, it is essential that teachers recognize these issues as well as the level of deficiency of each, so that you can develop methods and inclusive practices of teaching about light and its nature and phenomena.

  • • Being WISE

    • BK07
    • Mon 07/24, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
    • by Shahida Dar,
    • Type: Contributed
    • This session aims at discussing why there are so few female students in Science Technology & Engineering majors. The presenter will talk about how to increase the number of female students in STEM-related fields. Proven practices of WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) group at Mohawk Valley Community College will be discussed.

  • • Ethnographic Study of Transfer Students in Upper Division Physics Courses

    • BK08
    • Mon 07/24, 3:20PM - 3:30PM

    • by Mary Chessey,, David Webb

    • Type: Contributed
    • The results of a year-long study focused on the experiences of a cohort of40 transfer students taking upper division undergraduate physics courses are presented. By observing interactions and taking ethnographic field notes during classes, office hours, informal help sessions, and self-organized student group work as well as by interviewing transfer students and their instructors, patterns of behavior and social norms that influence success in the field can be described and analyzed. Specifically, aspects of student experiences related to instructor and peer feedback of various forms and the ways transfer students use this feedback are explored. This work contributes to the understanding of how education in physics tends to push women and students of color out of the field at disproportionate rates.

• Topics in Diversity 2

  • • Equity, Inclusion, and Cookies: Addressing Physics Climate Through Diversity Discussions

    • AL01
    • Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
    • by Katherine Rainey,
    • Type: Contributed
    • It is well known that women and people of color are largely underrepresented in physics at all levels, from undergraduates to faculty. A large body of literature has investigated the cause of this low representation; some work points to a “chilly” climate and unwelcoming culture within physics that is discouraging to women and people of color. In an effort to improve the culture within their department, a committee within the CU Boulder physics department has created Equity, Inclusion, and Cookies (EIC), a series of facilitated discussions and presentations related to diversity in physics open to everyone in the department (undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff). Here, we describe the EIC events to date, present initial reactions to these events from attendees, and discuss our plans for developing the series in the future.

  • • Characterizing Practices and Resources for Inclusive Physics Learning Environments*

    • AL02
    • Mon 07/24, 8:40AM - 8:50AM

    • by Laura Wood,**, Amy Robertson

    • Type: Contributed
    • Fostering inclusive physics learning environments is an important aspect of improving physics culture and teaching. In this project, we interviewed physics faculty who are actively working to make their classrooms and departments more inclusive. We characterized the inclusive practices these faculty described and the resources – e.g., the knowledge, dispositions, commitments, etc. – that fuel or support them. This talk will give examples of these resources and practices for inclusive physics learning, illustrating both the breadth and richness of resources physics faculty are using and the ways in which those resources are enacted in teaching strategies and departmental actions.

  • • Access Assemble! Bringing Together Student Leaders to Support Equity Programs

    • AL03
    • Mon 07/24, 8:50AM - 9:00AM

    • by Joel Corbo,, Chandra Turpen, Access Network

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Access Network consists of six university-based programs from across the country working towards a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible STEM community. Each program places a strong emphasis on undergraduate and graduate student leadership, and some programs are entirely student-led. One component of Access is an annual Assembly, which brings together representatives from current and potential Access sites to update each other, share lessons learned, support each other in overcoming challenges, participate in professional development, and build relationships with others interested in promoting justice in STEM education. The Assembly is co-designed by a team of student leaders from each of the six Access sites in collaboration with network leaders. In this talk, we discuss the Assembly structure and development process, positive highlights and challenges that we encountered during our first Assembly, and lessons learned through post-Assembly surveys and the report of a taskforce that recommended changes to the Assembly.

  • • Investigating Attitudes and Performance of Students in Introductory Physics Courses: Gender Differences

    • AL04
    • Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by Timothy Nokes-Malach,*, Emily Marshman, Yasemin Kalender, Christian Schunn, Chandralekha Singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • Despite some efforts to encourage women to pursue majors from STEM disciplines, the percentage of women majoring in physics remains low. While much research has focused on gender differences in physics, relatively little is known about the differences between the attitudes of men and women and how these attitudes are related to performance outcomes in physics courses. We performed a longitudinal analysis of students in introductory physics courses by administering pre and post attitude surveys which assessed, e.g., their self-efficacy, grit, fascination with physics, and theory of intelligence. Pre and post conceptual tests were also administered to the students. The differences between the attitudes of men and women and the relationship between their attitudes and performance on conceptual surveys in physics was examined. Findings will be discussed.

  • • Investigating Attitudes and Performance of Students in Introductory Physics Courses: Racial and Ethnic Minorities

    • AL05
    • Mon 07/24, 9:10AM - 9:20AM

    • by Yasemin Kalender,*, Emily Marshman, Tim Nokes-Malach, Chandralekha singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • Despite some efforts to encourage students from underrepresented groups topursue college study (especially in the STEM disciplines), the percentage of minority students majoring in physics remains low. Prior research has focused on the relationships between student performance, motivation, and retention in STEM disciplines. However, there is relatively little known about the attitudes of students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups enrolled in physics courses. We performed a longitudinal analysis of students in introductory physics courses by administering pre and post attitude surveys which assessed, e.g., their self-efficacy, grit, fascination with physics, and theory of intelligence. Pre and post conceptual tests were also administered to the students. We examined the attitudes and performance outcomes of ethnic minorities in introductory physics courses. Findings will be discussed.

  • • U.S. and Japanese Comparative Study of High School Physics Lessons

    • AL06
    • Mon 07/24, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
    • by Sachiko Tosa,
    • Type: Contributed
    • How are Japanese High-School physics lessons different from U.S. lessons? In this study actual high school lessons in Japan (N=10) and U.S. (N=9) are analyzed and compared using RTOP (Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol). The preliminary results indicate that Japanese high-school lessons often do not include solid lesson structure in spite of the fact the importance of effective lesson design is well emphasized in elementary and middle-school science. The reason for this lack of effective lesson design can be traced in the abstractness of high-school physics content: teachers focus more on “what to teach” than “how to teach” The situation is different in the U.S. where the instructional approach is more divergent depending on the social and economic situation of the district. Cultural implications of the results are further discussed.

• Tuesday Afternoon Break in the Exhibit Hall

  • • Tuesday Afternoon Break in the Exhibit Hall

    • EXH09
    • Tue 07/25, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall
    • Enjoy an afternoon snack in the exhibit hall.

• Tuesday Morning Break in the Exhibit Hall

  • • Tuesday Morning Break in the Exhibit Hall

    • EXH08
    • Mon 07/25, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Exhibit Hall
    • Join the exhibitors for morning muffins and coffee.

• Tuesday Registration

  • • Tuesday Registration

    • REG06
    • Tue 07/25, 7:00AM - 4:00PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Registration

• Upper Division Undergraduate

  • • Equal Signs in EM: Homework vs. Solution Manuals

    • GH01
    • Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 1:10PM

    • by Dina Zohrabi Alaee, Natasha Graham, Kellianne Kornick, Scott Franklin, Eleanor Sayre

    • Type: Contributed
    • The equals sign carries different conceptual meaning depending on how it is used; this meaning is deeply tied to cultural practices in problem solving in physics. We use symbolic forms to investigate the conceptual and cultural meanings of the equals sign across physics contexts, from textbooks to student work to classroom video and from introductory physics to senior-level quantum. We built and validated a rubric to classify the ways that physics students and textbook authors use the equals sign in written work. The data for this study comes from students’ written homework in an upper-division electrostatics course, compared to Griffiths' solution manual for the same course. Our categories are causality, assignments, definitional, balancing, and math. We show that the patterns of equals sign use for students and the solution manual are comparable on comparable problems, but for students' problems that are not drawn from the textbook, other patterns emerge. This suggests that the problem statement affects the patterns of students' equals sign use.

  • • Equals Signs in Students' Work in EM

    • GH02
    • Wed 07/26, 1:10PM - 1:20PM

    • by Natasha Graham,, Dina Zohrabi Alaee, Kellianne Kornick, Scott Franklin, Eleanor Sayre

    • Type: Contributed
    • The equals sign has a different conceptual meaning that depends on how it is used, and this can show the cultural significance of different practices in solving problems in physics. Using symbolic forms to understand the equals signs, we look at different contexts, including textbooks and students' homework for introductory level physics up to senior level quantum. To better classify and compare equals signs, a rubric was developed to categorize them into five categories: causality, assignment, definitional, balancing, and math. With this, we are able to look for patterns and discern methods used by students in an upper-level electrostatics course by looking at homework questions and the solutions given by the students. The data from the homework can then be compared to video data of students solving problems to see other patterns or thoughts that don’t translate well onto paper.

  • • “Looking Ahead” as an Extended Readout Strategy in EM

    • GH03
    • Wed 07/26, 1:20PM - 1:30PM

    • by Bahar Modir,, Eleanor Sayre

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a larger project to investigate how upper-division students solve mathematically intense problems, we use coordination class theory to describe how students connect physical scenarios with mathematical insight. Within coordination class theory, students read information out of problem statements, connecting the specifics of the problem with generalized conceptual schemata (the "coordination class") in a causal net. While previous research using coordination classes has focused on identifying particular coordination classes or details of the causal net, our research focuses on an extended readout strategy, which we call "looking ahead." To characterize the mechanism of looking ahead, we study students' problem solving with separation of variables and Taylor series expansions. When students look ahead in a problem, their mathematical and physical insight can help them avoid time consuming calculations. In this talk, I will discuss the structure of looking ahead and illustrate it with video-based classroom data.

  • • Student-Centered Activities with Vector Field Maps and Scalar Potential Surfaces

    • GH04
    • Wed 07/26, 1:30PM - 1:40PM

    • by Robyn Wangberg,, Elizabeth Gire, Aaron Wangberg

    • Type: Contributed
    • Understanding, visualizing, and working with multivariable functions is necessary, and often a stumbling block, for students in upper-division and applied physics courses. An example is the three-dimensional electric field and the corresponding scalar electric potential. As part of the Raising Physics to the Surface project we have designed tangible, transparent, dry-erasable surfaces representing the electric potential for a quadrupole charge distribution at three different constant z slices. This talk shares how we used these materials, along with a vector field map at z=0, to help students gain a geometric understanding of the relationship between these vector and scalar functions.

  • • Physicists Use of Raising Calculus Materials in Mathematical Methods

    • GH05
    • Wed 07/26, 1:40PM - 1:50PM

    • by Aaron Wangberg,, Elizabeth Gire

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Raising Calculus materials were developed four years ago to let math students explore the geometry underpinnings of differentiation and integration in multivariable calculus as well as connect mathematical ideas across representations. Almost immediately upon their release, physicists began adopting and using the materials in their middle-division physics courses. In this talk, we’ll report how the materials have been utilized in mathematical methods courses – including how the features ‘cooked-in’ to the math materials have helped or hindered instruction in the physics world. Lastly, we’ll report how these lessons are being incorporated into a new project, Raising Physics to the Surface.

  • • Light, Imaging, Vision: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Course and New Textbook*

    • GH06
    • Wed 07/26, 1:50PM - 2:00PM
    • by Philip Nelson,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Students in physical and life science, and in engineering, need to know about the physics and biology of light. In the 21st century, it has become increasingly clear that the quantum nature of light is essential both for the latest imaging modalities and even to advance our knowledge of fundamental processes, such as photosynthesis and human vision. But many optics courses remain rooted in classical physics, with photons as an afterthought. I'll describe a new undergraduate course for students in several science and engineering majors, that takes students from the rudiments of probability theory to modern methods such as fluorescence imaging and Förster resonance energy transfer. After a digression into color vision, students then see how the Feynman principle explains the apparently wavelike phenomena associated to light, including applications like diffraction limit, subdiffraction imaging, total internal reflection and TIRF microscopy. Then we see how scientists documented the single-quantum sensitivity of the eye seven decades earlier than `ought' to have been possible, and finally close with the remarkable signaling cascade that delivers such outstanding performance. A new textbook, to be published in April 2017, allows others to replicate this course.

  • • Students’ Problem Solving: Translation Between Multiple Representations

    • GH07
    • Wed 07/26, 2:00PM - 2:10PM

    • by Nandana Weliweriya Liyanage,, Tra Huynh, Eleanor Sayre

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of a larger project to investigate processes of problem-solving inupper division classrooms, we investigate how students translate between representations while solving problems. Data for this study is drawn from upper-division Mechanics and Electromagnetism I courses, where students engage in group problem-solving sessions and individual oral exams. We do the moment-by-moment analysis of videos to see what representations students use, how they use them, and how students switch between them. Students frequently use diagrams, gestures, algebraic, and verbal representations. They use these representations to recorded their ideas, make sense of scenarios, and communicate with an interlocutor. In this talk, we present our preliminary findings of student translation patterns between representations.

  • • Coordinating Representations in Upper-Divission Problem Solving

    • GH08
    • Wed 07/26, 2:10PM - 2:20PM

    • by Tra Huynh,, Nandana Weliweriya, Eleanor Sayre

    • Type: Contributed
    • Mastering problem solving requires students to not only well understand and apply the physics concepts but also employ mathematics and various representations skillfully. We use Conceptual Blending to investigate students' representational use as they attempt to solve problems that coordinate multiple representations such as math, diagram, and kinesthetic. To better understand the pattern of students’ use and switching among various representations, we focus on a case of one undergraduate student in an upper division Electromagnetic Field 1 course. By analyzing video data of his oral exam, we identify a chain of blends coupled to his representational use. We found that the student used some common and also individually specific representations to deal with the problems. The result gives an insight into the student’s thought and the role of representations in problem solving.

  • • Investigating and Improving Student Understanding of Dirac Notation in the Context of a Three-Dimensional Vector Space

    • GH09
    • Wed 07/26, 2:20PM - 2:30PM

    • by Emily Marshman,, Chandralekha Singh

    • Type: Contributed
    • We discuss an investigation of student difficulties with Dirac notation inthe context of a three-dimensional vector space and the development and evaluation of a research-based Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) to improve student understanding of these concepts. We find that many upper-level undergraduate students in quantum mechanics courses have difficulties with Dirac notation even in the context of a three-dimensional vector space. The QuILT uses analogical reasoning and builds on students’ prior knowledge of three-dimensional vectors in the familiar context of introductory mechanics to help students build a coherent understanding of Dirac notation in three dimensions before transitioning to the quantum mechanical context. We summarize the development of the QuILT and findings from its evaluations. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.

  • • A Toy Model for the Strong Nuclear Interaction

    • GH10
    • Wed 07/26, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
    • by Jarrett Lancaster
    • Type: Contributed
    • Of the four known fundamental forces in nature, it is noteworthy that onlygravity and electromagnetism are normally discussed at the undergraduate level. Admittedly, a precise description of the strong and weak nuclear forces is quite involved. In this talk, I present a framework for introducing several intriguing properties of the strong interaction (including quark confinement and formation of flux tubes) that requires only a working knowledge of intermediate-level electromagnetism. By making use of the analogy between the (relatively) simple behavior of electromagnetic fields described by Maxwell’s equations and that of strong force fields governed by nonlinear field equations, it is possible to sidestep many of the technical hurdles that preclude a substantial discussion of the strong interaction in most undergraduate-level settings. I will give special attention to how this material could provide the basis for a fascinating "special topic" at the end of a junior-level course on electromagnetism.

  • • Easy Examples of Emerging Entanglement

    • GH11
    • Wed 07/26, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
    • by Daniel Schroeder,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Why save quantum entanglement for advanced courses? We can easily introduce examples of entangled wave functions in any course that covers wave functions, including modern physics courses and many introductory physics courses. In this talk I will show some pictorial examples of how entangled wave functions arise naturally when two quantum particles interact with each other. While quantitative treatments of these interacting systems require numerical methods, the qualitative results are easy to understand and lend themselves to useful conceptual exercises.

  • • Assessing and Developing Mathematical Reasoning in Upper-Division Physics

    • GH12
    • Wed 07/26, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
    • by Michael Loverude,
    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of an NSF-supported research and curriculum development project, we have studied student reasoning with math across several upper-division physics courses, including mathematical methods. We take the position that the math methods course should go beyond procedural knowledge and emphasize quantitative reasoning skills valued by physicists, including checking units, limiting cases, and sketching. For this presentation, we describe a number of examples of skills of this nature, and make the claim that physics majors entering the upper-division need help in the developing these skills. Examples of student responses from written problems and interviews will be shown, as well as tasks intended to develop and assess such skills.

• Upper Division/Graduate Courses

  • • Graduate and Upper-Level Undergraduate Response to a Flipped, Active-Engagement Class

    • DH01
    • Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM

    • by Ramon Lopez,, Michael Greene, Ximena Cid

    • Type: Contributed
    • The use of flipped classrooms and active engagement techniques is becomingincreasingly widespread in introductory undergraduate science courses. In this presentation I will discuss the use of a flipped classroom and active engagement in advanced undergraduate dynamics and graduate classical mechanics. Students in these classes have been surveyed to determine their reaction to this approach to instruction, and we will present the survey results. In addition, an experimental sample class with advanced graduate students was used to determine their reaction to active engagement techniques in a classroom setting. The results are that advanced physics students respond well to active learning in the classroom, but that the response to the flipped classroom was mixed. Moreover, there is some evidence from several years of graduate qualifying exams that student success on the classical mechanics portion of the exam was superior after the introduction active learning techniques in the class.

  • • Bridging the Discrete to the Continuum Gap in Quantum Mechanics*

    • DH02
    • Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
    • by Charles DeLeone,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Upper-division physics students often struggle with quantum concepts during their first exposure to full-blown quantum mechanics. Research into student learning suggests that one area of difficulty is the transition from discrete states to the continuum such as is experienced in a “Spins First” curriculum. This talk will focus on various approaches available to instructors to bridge this gap. This includes a discussion of how vector based computational tools such as Matlab can be used a means of smoothing this transition, along with results from a pilot project involving the use of such tools.

  • • A Quantum Measurement Game for Undergraduates

    • DH03
    • Tue 07/25, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
    • by Theodore Corcovilos,
    • Type: Contributed
    • Quantum mechanics defies students' long-learned classical intuition about how the world works. Building new quantum intuition about the probabilistic nature of measurements and the nature of incompatible measurements is a key challenge for instructors. Here I present a dice-based simulation of measuring the spin of a spin-1/2 particle that is appropriate for an undergraduate Modern Physics survey course or an introductory Quantum Mechanics course. The simulation is presented as a game in which the students try to guess an unknown quantum state using the fewest number of measurements. The game teaches the students about the probabilistic nature of quantum states and quantum measurement, and is a gateway to advanced statistical methods such as maximum likelihood estimation and Bayesian estimation.

  • • Student Difficulties with an Asymmetric Well in Graduate Quantum Mechanics

    • DH04
    • Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM

    • by Christopher Porter,, Andrew Heckler, Abigail Bogdan

    • Type: Contributed
    • In our work with physics graduate students at The Ohio State University, we have examined several prevalent misunderstandings that persist well into graduate level quantum mechanics. Here we focus on difficulties in drawing bound states in an asymmetric well. Difficulties in drawing bound states were noted at the graduate level as early as 2008, by C. Singh. In our study we find many of the same startling student mistakes reported at that time. But we find the asymmetric well reveals a new set of misunderstandings related to the fundamental misuse of axes and symmetry, and new student mistakes including drawing discontinuous wavefunctions and first derivatives. In some cases, the asymmetry of the well also brought to light student misunderstanding about the meaning of a stationary state. We present data collected over three years, through both pre-post testing and in student interviews.

  • • Utilizing Letters to Investigate Students Ability to Communicate Physics

    • DH05
    • Tue 07/25, 9:10AM - 9:20AM

    • by Charles Ramey II,, Beth Thacker

    • Type: Contributed
    • The Modern Physics lab at Texas Tech University has become a bridge for the introductory- to advanced-lab experience in which students learn conceptual, experimental and observational skills. Our research focuses on a project called "Letters Home" (LH) in which students are practicing scientific writing skills in the form of casual letters to a non-physicist and matriculating to a scientific audience. We are analyzing 154 letters written by students to a multi-faceted audience (ranging from parents to physics professors). The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) offered recommendations for the lab curriculum in which we have incorporated 3 into the modern physics lab. We will be assessing how LH aligns with these recommendations as well as characterizing the way students engage with various audiences. We are also developing a coding scheme through which we can analyze students’ skills and competence in communicating physics using the LH method.

  • • Examining Student Understanding of Diode Circuits in Physics and Engineering*

    • DH06
    • Tue 07/25, 9:20AM - 9:30AM

    • by Kevin Van De Bogart,, MacKenzie Stetzer, Christos Papanikolaou

    • Type: Contributed
    • As part of ongoing research on the learning and teaching of analog electronics, we have been examining student understanding of diode circuits after relevant instruction in electronics courses offered in electrical engineering and physics departments. Major goals of this work are to probe the extent to which the nature of student understanding (including the prevalence of specific difficulties) depends upon the disciplinary context, and in turn to use the findings to strengthen instruction in courses in both disciplines. Free-response written tasks developed by physics instructors and by engineering instructors have been used to probe student understanding of basic diode circuits. Findings from these tasks will be presented and implications for instruction will be discussed.

• Wednesday Registration

  • • Wednesday Registration

    • REG07
    • Wed 07/26, 8:00AM - 3:00PM
    • AAPT AAPT
      
    • Type: Registration

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