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SM17 Program
Sessions, Panels, Posters, Plenaries, Committee Meetings, and Special Events
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Sessions & Panels
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Being Disabled in Physics
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My Journey: Student to STEM Professional- CL01
- Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
- by Shannon Lazo
- Type: Invited
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Budding STEM students with disabilities face additional challenges on the path through college and on to work. As a STEM Educator and Engineer, I will share my personal journey through undergraduate and graduate school and subsequent professional jobs with the Federal Government and the non-profit sector, all while fighting a neurodegenerative disorder. Learning about my challenges will hopefully help educators and professors understand, adapt and include disabled STEM students and professionals within the community. Thus creating a positive outcome for all.
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Suddenly Handicapped, How my Life Changed After a Serious Accident- CL02
- Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
- by Erin Sutherland
- Type: Invited
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On August 2, 2013, I finished my classes for the day and got in my car todrive from Atlanta to Huntsville, Alabama, to meet some friends for dinner and a weekend of tennis. About halfway there, at the top of Lookout Mountain, I began to feel drowsy. I woke up a week later at Huntsville Hospital and my life has not been the same since. I spent another week in Huntsville Hospital, two weeks in a rehab hospital in Marietta, and three months bedridden at home and unable to bear weight on my shattered hip. It has been three years since the accident and I am still recovering and learning what it is like to have a disability that is not always obvious to others.
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This Is My Life: Building a Life and Career Within the Constraints of Disability- CL03
- Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:30PM
- by Christine Lindstrøm,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Exploring how Students with Executive Function Disorders Perform in Physics- CL04
- Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM
by Westley James,, Benjamin Gallegos, Mathew Marino, Jacquelyn Chini - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Impact and Reflections on the 20+ years of TYC Physics Workshop Projects
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Physics Workshops for the 21st Century Project- BH01
- Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Thomas O'Kuma,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Reflections on TYC Workshop Project: Why I Am- BH02
- Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Dwain Desbien,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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TYC Physics Workshop Projects Impact and Reflections- BH03
- Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
- by Todd Leif,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Impact of TYC Physics Workshop Project on Instruction and PER- BH04
- Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:30PM
- by Krista Wood,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Innovations in Upper Division Physics Classes
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Reinvigorating Upper Division Mechanics: Introducing Students to a Complex World- AH01
- Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by David Nolte,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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30 Demos in 60 Minutes
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30 Demos in 60 Minutes- CB
- Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 5:00PM
- by Wendy Adams
- Type: Panel
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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.
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AIP Career Pathways Project
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AIP Career Pathways Project- TOP04
- Mon 07/24, 12:00PM - 1:30PM
- by Robert Hilborn and Brad Conrad
- Type: Topical
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Avenues for Publishing in Astronomy Education
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Avenues for Publishing in Astronomy Education- TOP01
- Wed 07/26, 2:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Tim Slater
- Type: Topical
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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.
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Citizen Science and International Collaboration
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Participating in Scientific Discovery: The Role of Place-based Science Education- EL01
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Karl Schneider,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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German-American Cooperation in Physics Education for Citizen Science- EL03
- Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
- by Eduard Krause,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Climate Change
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Climate and Energy Education for Physical Science and Physics Classrooms- BE01
- Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Jason Cervenec,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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What Glaciers Really Tell Us About Climate Change?- BE02
- Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Umesh Haritashya,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Effectively Scaffolding Critical Thinking about Politicized Science- BE03
- Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
- by Erin Hennes,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Physics of Clouds- BE04
- Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
- by Celia Chow,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Using Climate Data to Teach Statistics- BE05
- Mon 07/24, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
- by Joseph Kozminski,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Climate Science Across the Liberal Arts Curriculum at Gustavus Adolphus College- BE06
- Mon 07/24, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
by Charles Niederriter,, Julie Bartley, Thomas Huber, James Dontje, Jeff Jeremiason - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Coping Mechanisms for Physics Students from Underrepresented Groups
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Coping Mechanisms for Physics Students from Underrepresented Groups- BC
- Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
- by Simone Hyater-Adams
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Creating Inclusive Diverse Classrooms
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Using Student Reflection and Instructor Feedback to Combat Weed-out Culture- GA03
- Wed 07/26, 2:00AM - 2:30PM
- by Dimitri Dounas-Frazer,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Día de la Física: Working with Diverse Student Populations- GA02
- Wed 07/26, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Ximena Cid,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Cultural Perspectives on Educational Technology
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Current Space/Astronomy/Physics News Used in the Classroom
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Student Submission of News Articles for Extra Credit- GF01
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 1:10PM
- by Richard Gelderman,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Eclipse 2017: Through the Eyes of NASA- GF04
- Wed 07/26, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
- by Louis Mayo,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Defining Units: Old and New
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An Introduction to the New International System of Units (SI)- AC01
- Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Peter Mohr,*
- Type: Invited
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Physical science is based on measurements, and the results of measurements are 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.
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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
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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.
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Using History to Take the Mystery Out of Units- AC03
- Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
- by Robert Morse,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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What I Want Students to Know About Units- AC04
- Mon 07/24, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
- by Charles Holbrow,
- Type: Contributed
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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?
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The Origin of the Metric System in Revolutionary France- AC05
- Mon 07/24, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
- by Chad Davies,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Designing Labs with Low-Cost Embedded Computers: Raspberry PI, BeagleBone, and Galileo
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Low-cost Embedded Computer: BeagleBone Black in the Lab- FB01
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Leonardo Saunders,*
- Type: Invited
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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.
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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
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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.
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Measuring Alpha Particles with a PiCamera- FB03
- Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
- by Ian Bearden,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Using an Arduino to Monitor a Radiation and CO2 Sensors- FB04
- Wed 07/26, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
- by Timothy Duman,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Arduino-based Data Acquisition into Excel, LabVIEW and MATLAB- FB05
- Wed 07/26, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
- by Daniel Nichols,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Developing Successful Mentoring Relationships
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Role Model, Mentor, or Friend?- DD01
- Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Nancy Easterly,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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The Magic of Mentoring- DD04
- Tue 07/25, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
- by Michael Ponnambalam,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Framing the Use and Over-use of Part-time Faculty Positions- DD05
- Tue 07/25, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
- by Dennis Gilbert,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Developing and Using Next-Generation Simulations
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Next Generation Open Source Physics Simulations- CE02
- Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
- by Wolfgang Christian,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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A Game-Centered, Interactive Approach for Using Programming Exercises in Introductory Physics- CE04
- Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM
by Chris Orban,, Chris Porter,, Richelle Teeling-Smith,, Joseph Smith,, Nash Brecht, - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Effective Practices for Integrating Computation in Undergraduate Physics
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PICUP Framework for Integrating Computation into Undergraduate Physics Courses- BB06
- Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:10PM
- by Kelly Roos,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Our Department Journey towards Computational Competency- BB07
- Mon 07/24, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
- by Marty Johnston,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Integrating Computational Activities Vertically into the Physics Curriculum- BB08
- Mon 07/24, 2:20PM - 2:30PM
- by Jay Wang,
- Type: Invited
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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).
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Effective Practices in Educational Technology
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Customizing Computer Coaches to Align with My Preferred Pedagogy- GI03
- Wed 07/26, 1:20PM - 1:30PM
- by Andrew Pawl,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Using Interactive Video Vignettes to Change Student Conceptions- GI04
- Wed 07/26, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
- by Jonathan Engelman,*
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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Project Accelerate: Blended SPOC Bringing AP Physics to Underserved Students- GI07
- Wed 07/26, 2:00PM - 2:10PM
- by Mark Greenman,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Modeling the Fluid Dynamics that Shape a River's Ecosystem- GI09
- Wed 07/26, 2:20PM - 2:30PM
- by Andre Bresges,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Electricity, Energy, and Particles: Squishy Circuits, Scribble Bots, and the Particle Zoo
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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
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PTRA: What is Squishy, Moves and Is Really, Really Small?- CA01
- Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
- by Elizabeth Holsenbeck,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Engineering Education
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Productive Intersections between PER and Engineering Education: Ethics Education- AI01
- Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Ayush Gupta,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Broadening Contexts to Broaden Participation in Engineering- AI02
- Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Morgan Hynes,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Revolutionizing Engineering Education: New Directions for an Evolving Discipline- AI03
- Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Monica Cox,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Exhibit Hall Open
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Exhibit Hall Open (Sunday)- EXH03
- Sun 07/23, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
- Robert Finnegan
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Exhibit Hall Open (Monday)
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Exhibit Hall Open (Monday)- EXH04
- Mon 07/24, 10:00AM - 5:00PM
- Robert Finnegan
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Exhibit Hall Open (Tuesday)
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Exhibit Hall Open (Tuesday)- EXH07
- Tue 07/25, 10:00AM - 4:00PM
- Robert Finnegan
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Friday Registration
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Friday Registration - REG01
- Fri 07/21, 4:00PM - 7:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Frontiers in Astronomy
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Building Supermassive Black Hole Binaries- AE01
- Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Kelly Holley-Bockelmann,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Finding Planets by Chemical Signatures in their Host Stars- AE02
- Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Eileen Friel,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Globular Clusters, Galaxy Formation, Dark Matter, and Black Holes- AE03
- Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Katherine Rhode,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Going Public: How to Get Published
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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
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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”.
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The Joy and Challenge of Writing for a Broad Audience- DB02
- Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Carl Mungan,
- Type: Invited
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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*.
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Publishing in Traditional and Non-traditional Formats: Lessons Learned- DB03
- Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Cindy Schwarz,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Graduate Student Topical Discussion
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Graduate Student Topical Discussion- TOP03
- Mon 07/24, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
- by Daryl McPadden
- Type: Topical
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This session is the primary opportunity for members of the PER graduate students and undergraduate communities to meet and discuss common issues.
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High School
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Lessons from an Online Course Preparing Students for AP Physics 1- EI01
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
- by Andrew Duffy,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Using Ranking Tasks, TIPERS and nTIPERS in HS Physics- EI02
- Tue 07/25, 1:40PM - 1:50PM
- by Kathleen Willard,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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The New CPEP History and Fate of the Universe Chart- EI06
- Tue 07/25, 2:20PM - 2:30PM
- by Katrina Brown,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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High Altitude Ballooning in Two Days- EI08
- Tue 07/25, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
- by Eric Strong,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Modeling with Chinese Students- EI09
- Tue 07/25, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
- by Igor Proleiko,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Using Escape Rooms to Assess Physics Skills- EI10
- Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
- by Megan McEwen,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Highlights of TYC New Faculty Experience
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Highlights of TYC New Faculty Experience- EG
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
- by Todd Leif
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Introduction to the Two-Year College New Faculty Experience- EG01
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
- by Scott Schultz,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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History and Philosophy in Physics Courses
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Albert Michelson and the Dichotomy between Megaprojects and Table-top Science- FC01
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Philip Taylor,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Adventures with Lissajous Figures- FC02
- Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Thomas Greenslade, Jr.,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Entropy as Disorder: History of a Philosophical Misconception- FC03
- Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Daniel Styer,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Improving Student Learning With the Use of Popular Media
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The Best Physics Examples from Superheroes and Science Fiction- EE01
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Rhett Allain,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Open the Door with Superheroes and Bits of Science Fiction- EE02
- Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Richard Gelderman,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Practical Strategies to Use Popular Media in Your Teaching Effectively- EE03
- Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
- by Timothy Slater,
- Type: Invited
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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?).
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Current Space and Astronomy Events which Help Teach Physics- EE04
- Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
- by John Cise,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Promoting Phun in Conceptual Physics: Physics in Movies and Everywhere- EE05
- Tue 07/25, 3:10PM - 3:20PM
- by DJ Wagner,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Exploring Impacts of Popular Culture References within Physics Teacher Education- EE06
- Tue 07/25, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
- by Richard Hechter,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Inclusion and Equity
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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
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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.
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Scientific Inquiry: Let's Discuss Diversity and Inclusion in STEM- CH07
- Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
- by Carolina Alvarado,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Innovative Models of Physics Teacher Preparation
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None Traditional Students, Training Teachers of K-12 Physics- EC03
- Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
- by Duane Merrell,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Education Majors in Physics Classes: A Collaborative Course Design Approach- EC08
- Tue 07/25, 3:20PM - 3:30PM
- by Laura Kinnaman,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Whats New? ILDs Using Clickers and Video Analysis
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Introductory Courses
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The Joy of an Experiential Final Exam- CI01
- Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
- by Donald Smith,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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The Class Story- CI02
- Mon 07/24, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
- by Carolyn Martsberger,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Amusement Park Data Collection with an Arduino- CI03
- Mon 07/24, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Timothy Stiles,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Some Surprising Facts About Heat Transfer Through a Window- CI06
- Mon 07/24, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
- by A. James Mallmann,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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Successes & Challenges in Transitioning to Large Enrollment NEXUS/Physics IPLS Labs- CI09
- Mon 07/24, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
- by Kimberly Moore,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Teaching Thermodynamics to Life Science Students Using Osmosis- CI10
- Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM
- by Peter Nelson,
- Type: Contributed
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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
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Incorporating Computation into a Physics Course for Life Science Students- CI11
- Mon 07/24, 5:40PM - 5:50PM
- by Vashti Sawtelle,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Realistic Problems in Electrostatics for the Life Sciences- CI12
- Mon 07/24, 5:50PM - 6:00PM
- by Ulrich Zurcher,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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Using an Explore-first Strategy in Introductory-level Courses- DG02
- Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
by Raymond Chastain,, Joanna Weaver, Marci DeCaro, Daniel DeCaro - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Using Discourse Analysis to Inform Design of Introductory Physics Tutorials- DG03
- Tue 07/25, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
- by Hannah Sabo,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Investigating the Effects of Learning Assistant - Supported Active Learning Environments- DG04
- Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
by Mary Nyaema,, Idaykis Rodriguez, Hagit Leshem, Laird Kramer, Oscar Diaz - Type: Contributed
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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.
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First-Year Research and Writing Course for Physics Majors- DG05
- Tue 07/25, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
- by Briana Fiser,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Estimating Error from False Positives of the Force Concept Inventory- DG06
- Tue 07/25, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
by Michael Hull,, Jun-ichiro Yasuda, Masa-aki Taniguchi, Naohiro Mae - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Project-based Learning in Introductory Physics- DG08
- Tue 07/25, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
- by Gabriela Popa,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Introductory Labs/Apparatus
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Supplemental Instructional Laboratory Activities in Introductory Physics- CC04
- Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
- by Sara Callori,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Redesign of Introductory Physics Labs Using Arduinos- CC07
- Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:10PM
- by Troy Messina,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Incorporating Arduino Applications into Coding and Magnetism Curriculum- CC08
- Mon 07/24, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
- by Deborah Roudebush
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Experimenting with Investigative Labs with the IOLab- CC09
- Mon 07/24, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
- by Louis Leblond,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Writing and Deploying Your IOLab Software (Python) and Firmware (C++)- DI01
- Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
- by Mats Selen,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Jupyter: VPython/GlowScript
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Jupyter VPython Visualization in Quantum Mechanics- CF02
- Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
- by Steve Spicklemire,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Python Across the Curriculum: From Glowscript to Jupyter and Beyond- CF03
- Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:30PM
- by Matthew Craig,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Electronic Laboratory Notebooks Using Jupyter Notebook- CF04
- Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 5:40PM
- by Alan DeWeerd,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Interactive Visualizations with Jupyter/GlowScript for Quantum Mechanics Courses- CF05
- Mon 07/24, 5:40PM - 5:50PM
- by Craig Wiegert,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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K-12 PER
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Lab Recommendations Focus Area 5: Technical and Practical Skills
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Framework for Developing and Assessing Physics Student Technical Competencies- CD01
- Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
- by Randall Tagg,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Progress Towards New Experimental Techniques Subject for Second-Year Physics Majors- CD02
- Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
- by Sean Robinson,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Developing Technical Laboratory Skills in an Upper Division Optics Course- CD03
- Mon 07/24, 5:00PM - 5:30PM
- by Paul Arpin,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Practical Skills: Using Pop-Up Classes to Augment Student Know-How- CD04
- Mon 07/24, 5:30PM - 6:00PM
- by Linda Barton,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Labs/Apparatus
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Peer Assessment and Learning Attitudes- EJ03
- Tue 07/25, 1:50PM - 2:00PM
by Scott Douglas,, Edwin Greco, Shih-Yin Lin, Mike Schatz - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Coding Scheme for Comparing Among Research-based and Instructor-designed Activities- EJ05
- Tue 07/25, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
by Amin Bayat Barooni,, Myat Pho, Ibraheem Robins, Jacquelyn Chini, Joshua Von Korff - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Learning Outcomes and Assessment in the IPLS Course
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Learning Outcomes and Assessment in the IPLS Course- GG
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Patricia Soto and Benjamin Geller
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Integrated Introductory Science for Major: Assessment of Outcomes- GG01
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Scot Gould,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Learning Outcomes and Assessment of Pre-Health Student Projects- GG02
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Nancy Donaldson,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Physics for Life Science Majors: A 1-Semester Approach?- GG04
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Jason Puchalla,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Assessment of Learning Outcomes in a Competency-based IPLS Course- GG05
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Nancy Beverly,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Learning Outcomes and Assessment in the IPLS Course- GG06
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Brian Jones,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Make, Play, Learn
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Make, Play, Learn- GB
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Gene Easter
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Making Change through Science Policy
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Making Change through Science Policy- FE
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 10:30AM
- by Ramón Barthelemy
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Science. Power. Policy- FE01
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 10:30AM
- by Bethany Johns
- Type: Invited
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Balancing the federal budget, lack of compromise, and making America great? these ideologies are guiding the debate in Washington, DC and influenced the 2016 election campaigns. This rhetoric affects you, your career, and funding for the sciences.
The current White House has begun to implement policies that are counter to how the science community believes innovation will lead to better the economy, including increasing funding for the sciences and education. Meanwhile, Congress debates about how the federal spending deficit impacts our global economic competitiveness and how budget cuts are necessary for a stable government.
The current political climate has caused Congress?s approval rating to reach an all-time low and created confusion on how the federal budget process usually works. There are points throughout the year when you can make an impact on the policy making process.
I will speak on the current events on Capitol Hill, the current climate for science funding, what the AIP Government Relations is doing for you, and the impact you can make on the policy making process for your science
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Modeling Instruction at All Levels
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Modeling From K-15? Considering a Hopeful STEM Educational Future- BA01
- Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Jeffrey Hengesbach,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Reflections on 22 years of Modeling Instruction with 9th Graders- BA02
- Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Rex Rice,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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A Modeler's Journey, or Why I Drank the Kool-Aid- BA03
- Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
- by Charles Deremer*,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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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
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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.
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Monday Afternoon Break in the Exhibit Hall
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Monday Afternoon Break in the Exhibit Hall - EXH06
- Mon 07/24, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Stop by the exhibit hall and enjoy an afternoon snack.
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Monday Morning Break in the Exhibit Hall
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Monday Morning Break in the Exhibit Hall - EXH05
- Mon 07/24, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Visit the exhibit hall and enjoy some bagels and coffee.
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Monday Registration
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Monday Registration - REG05
- Mon 07/24, 7:00AM - 5:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Multi-Messenger Astronomy in the Age of GR and Gravitational Waves
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Gravitational Waves, LIGO, and Gravitational-Wave Astronomy- FF01
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Amber Stuver,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Examining the Observational Toolbox of Future Astronomers- FF02
- Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Shane Larson,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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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
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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.
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Multiple Career Paths in PER
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Multiple Career Paths in PER- FD
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 10:30AM
- by Alexandru Maries
- Type: Panel
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Neutrino Physics Investigations for Students and Teachers
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Probing the Secrets of the Universe Using Neutrinos- AB01
- Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Sowjanya Gollapinni,*
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Neutrino Experiments Inspire Students- AB02
- Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Marla Glover,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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New Developments in Introductory Physics for Life Science Dissemination
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New Developments in Introductory Physics for Life Science Dissemination- CG
- Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 6:00PM
- by Nancy Beverly
- Type: Panel
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IPLS-Portal: Resources for Faculty Professional Development- CG01
- Mon 07/24, 4:00PM - 4:30PM
- by Juan Burciaga,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Designing an Online Portal for Introductory Physics for Life Sciences- CG02
- Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 5:00PM
- by Mathew Martinuk,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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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
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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.
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Optics Labs at All Levels: Rainbows to Raman Spectroscopy
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Inexpensive Optics Apparatus for Lecture Demonstration, Outreach, or Laboratory- AD01
- Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
- by David Sturm,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Scads o' SPADs (Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes)- AD02
- Mon 07/24, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
- by Gabriel Spalding,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Simple Setup to Teach Optical Alignment- AD03
- Mon 07/24, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
- by Ashley Carter,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Smartphone-based Projects for Modern Optics Class- AD04
- Mon 07/24, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
- by Yiping Zhao,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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The Optics Involved in the Debye-Sears Experiment- AD05
- Mon 07/24, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
- by Karen Williams,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Using a Michelson Interferometer to Detect Sounds- AD06
- Mon 07/24, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
- by Timothy Grove,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Inquiry Activities in a Light and Color Course- AD07
- Mon 07/24, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
- by Robert Hobbs,
- Type: Contributed
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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).
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Teaching Effective Visual Observation Skills in the Optics Lab- AD08
- Mon 07/24, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
- by Catherine Herne,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Optics: A Bridge from Introductory Physics to Advanced Courses- AD09
- Mon 07/24, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
- by Marta Dark,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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PER Innovations for Reducing DFW Rates and Improving Retention in Introductory Physics Sequences
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Reducing the DFW rate by Design in Calculus-based Physics- EB01
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Suzanne White Brahmia,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Parachute Courses: Reducing DFW Rates in Introductory Calculus-based Physics?- EB03
- Tue 07/25, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
- by Jeff Saul,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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PER: Diverse Investigations
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Do Students’ Learning Orientations Have External Effect on Implementation Success?- EM09
- Tue 07/25, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
- by Andrew Mason,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Measurable Learning Objectives Project- FK05
- Wed 07/26, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
- by Suzanne White Brahmia,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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PER: Evaluating Instructional Strategies
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Performance on In-class vs. Online Administration of Concept Inventories and Attitudinal Assessments- BI05
- Mon 07/24, 2:10PM - 2:20PM
by Jayson Nissen, Xochith Herrera, Manher Jariwala, Eleanor Close, Ben Van Dusen - Type: Contributed
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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.
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What Elements of GTA Development Do GTAs Find Most Useful?- BI08
- Mon 07/24, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
- by Emily Alicea-Munoz,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Identity and Skills Development of Physics Supplemental Instruction Leaders- BI09
- Mon 07/24, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
- by Sissi Li,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Onsite Grading in Introductory Physics Laboratories- BI10
- Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
- by Changgong Zhou,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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PER: Examining Content Understanding and Reasoning
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Using Chaining Task Interviews 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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Introductory Physics Students' Mathematics and Physics Epistemological Resources- EK01
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 1:40PM
- by Erin Scanlon,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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Investigating Student Difficulties with the Representation an Operator is Diagonal in the Context of Degenerate Perturbation Theory - EK10
- Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:10PM
by Christof Keebaugh,, Emily Marshman, Chandralekha Singh - Type: Contributed
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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.
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PER: Exploring Problem Solving Approaches and Skills
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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
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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.
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Thinking Through the Model- AK06
- Mon 07/24, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
- by D. G. Sumith Doluweera,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Infusing Numerical Differentiation and Analysis in Calculus-Based Introductory Physics Laboratories- AK09
- Mon 07/24, 9:50AM - 10:00AM
- by Xiuping Tao,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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PER: Modeling student engagement
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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
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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.
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Gateways ND: Assessing Faculty Perceptions of Active Learning*- DL06
- Tue 07/25, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
by Alistair McInerny,, Mila Kryjevskaia, Jared Ladbury, Paul Kelter - Type: Contributed
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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.
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PER: Evaluating Instructional Strategies
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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
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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.
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Interventions Using Worked Synthesis Problems: Comparing Analogical Reasoning vs. Self-Summary- CK02
- Mon 07/24, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
by Ryan Badeau,, Daniel White, Bashirah Ibrahim, Lin Ding, Andrew Heckler - Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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Team-based Learning in Large-Enrollment, Introductory Courses- CK04
- Mon 07/24, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
- by Laura Tucker,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Adapting Interactive Tutorials for Large-scale Algebra-based Classes- CK05
- Mon 07/24, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
- by Ryan Hazelton,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Student’s Learning Transformation via Ranking and Sensemaking Tasks in Introductory Physics Courses- CK06
- Mon 07/24, 4:50PM - 5:00PM
- by Orlando Patricio,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Project BoxSand: Educational Data Mining and Student Web Behavior- CK08
- Mon 07/24, 5:10PM - 5:20PM
- by Kenneth Walsh,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Enhancing Measurement of Student Learning Through Online Instructional Design- CK09
- Mon 07/24, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
- by Zhongzhou Chen,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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PER: Examining Content Understanding and Reasoning III
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Writing Time Capsules for Student Self-Assessment- FH04
- Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
- by Gail Welsh,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Identifying the Disciplinary Alignment of Student Ideas Using Textbook Analysis- FH05
- Wed 07/26, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
by Mashood KK,, Vashti Sawtelle, Charles Anderson, Emily Scott, Sonia Underwood - Type: Contributed
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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.
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PER: Student Reasoning
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Investigating Less Common Ideas About Force and Motion- CJ03
- Mon 07/24, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Trevor Smith,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Deep Learning in Introductory Physics: Studies of Model-Based Reasoning- CJ09
- Mon 07/24, 5:20PM - 5:30PM
- by Mark Lattery,
- Type: Contributed
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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. *
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Participation Rates of In-class vs. Online Administration of Concept Inventories and Attitudinal Assessments- CJ11
- Mon 07/24, 5:40PM - 5:50PM
by Xochith Herrera,, Manher Jariwala, Jayson Nissen, Eleanor Close, Ben Van Dusen - Type: Contributed
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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.
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PERTG Town Hall
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PERTG Town Hall- TOP05
- Wed 07/26, 12:00PM - 1:30PM
- by Natasha Holmes
- Type: Topical
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PIRA Session - 3D Printing in Labs and Demonstrations
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3D Printing Physics Lab and Demonstration Equipment- FG01
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Paul Fratiello,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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3D Printing Allows for the Investigation of Real World Problems- FG02
- Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Steve Dickie,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Controlling an Induction Coil with LabVIEW DAQ- FG03
- Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Urs Lauterburg,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Panel on First Year Teacher Concerns
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Panel on First Year Teacher Concerns- BD
- Mon 07/24, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
- by Bradley Gearhart
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Panel on Public Affairs - Physics Teacher Recruitment
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Panel on Public Affairs - Physics Teacher Recruitment- GC
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Kelli Gamez Warble
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Phys21
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PHYS21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st Century Careers*- FL01
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by Paula Heron,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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How Can We Implement Phys21 Recommendations? Case Studies from Exemplary Programs*- FL02
- Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Stephanie Chasteen,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Physics Education Research
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Engaged and Individual Learning Using a Student's Own Mistakes- FJ02
- Wed 07/26, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
- by Zengqiang Liu,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Impact of an iPad-based Physics Curriculum on Physics Teacher Preparation- FJ05
- Wed 07/26, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
by Deepika Menon,, Meera Chandrasekhar, Dorina Kosztin, Douglas Steinhoff - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Professional Development of In-service Physics Teachers- FJ06
- Wed 07/26, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
- by Osnat Eldar,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Physics Majors: High School to Doctorate
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DEEP Scholars Program at the University of Georgia- AG03
- Mon 07/24, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
by Steven Lewis,, Timothy Foutz, William Dennis, Charles Kutal, Judy Milton - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Post-deadline Abstract
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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
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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.
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Memorable Formula Recollection- HA02
- Wed 07/26, 3:40PM - 3:50PM
- by Shannon Schunicht,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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The Mini-Zam: Formative Assessment for the Physics Classroom- HA05
- Wed 07/26, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
- by Robert Arts,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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GeoGebra for Physics- HA06
- Wed 07/26, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Lenore Horner,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Post-deadline Abstracts II
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Using Medical Imaging to Engage Health Science Students in Physics- HB02
- Wed 07/26, 3:40PM - 3:50PM
- by Stacy McCormack,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Christian Fundamentalists in the Physics Classroom- HB04
- Wed 07/26, 4:00PM - 4:10PM
- by Sean Cordry,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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Impact of High-Engagement Activities on Online Introductory Physics Classes- HB07
- Wed 07/26, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
- by Anthony Smith,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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The use of Peer Instruction to Revisit Leibniz-Descartes Quarrel- HB08
- Wed 07/26, 4:40PM - 4:50PM
- by Marlon Soares,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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Post-deadline Abstracts III
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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
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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.
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A Laboratory to Teach Laser and Atomic Physics- HC02
- Wed 07/26, 3:40PM - 3:50PM
- by Joseph Wiest,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Developing Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation with Real Astronomical Data- HC03
- Wed 07/26, 3:50PM - 4:00PM
- by Lucas Walker,
- Type: Contributed
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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.”
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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
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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.
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A Model Explains Coulomb's Forces, Charges, and Inverse-Square Law- HC05
- Wed 07/26, 4:10PM - 4:20PM
- by Rolex Rao
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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3D-Printed Kelvin Current Balance- HC06
- Wed 07/26, 4:20PM - 4:30PM
- by Thomas Wilson,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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It's Not Harvard. Does It Still Work?- HC07
- Wed 07/26, 4:30PM - 4:40PM
- by Paul Walter,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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Preparing the Community for the August 21st Solar Eclipse
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Professional Skills for Graduate Students
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Professional Skills for Graduate Students- GD
- Wed 07/26, 1:00PM - 3:00PM
- by Daryl McPadden
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Race and Gender Performance Gaps: Problems and Alternatives
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Race and Gender Performance Gaps: Problems and Alternatives- FA
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Dimitri Dounas-Frazer
- Type: Panel
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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.
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As Exceptional as Any Monstrosity: Gaps Analyses Past and Present- FA01
- Wed 07/26, 8:30AM - 8:50AM
- by Adrienne Traxler,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Finding Quantitative Groups with Data-Driven Properties (and Differences)- FA02
- Wed 07/26, 8:50AM - 9:10AM
- by Jacqueline Doyle,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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“She Probably Won’t Amount To Anything”: Counterstorytelling and Physics Education- FA03
- Wed 07/26, 9:10AM - 9:30AM
- by Katemari Rosa,
- Type: Panel
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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.
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Report Release - Aspiring to Lead: Engaging K-12 Teachers as Agents of National Change in K-12 Physics Education
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Research on Physics Teacher Preparation
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A New Survey: Perceptions of Teaching as a Profession (PTaP)- FM02
- Wed 07/26, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
by Wendy Adams,, Monica Plisch, Heather Taffe, Taylor Plantt, Kristine Callan - Type: Invited
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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.
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Productive Habits: A Unifying Conceptual Framework in Physics Teacher Education- FM03
- Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by Stamatis Vokos,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Characterizing Interactions in Learning Assistant Preparation Sessions*- FM05
- Wed 07/26, 10:10AM - 10:20AM
by Ryan Zamora,, Jessica Conn, Shahrzad Hessaaraki, Aaron Collins, Eleanor Close - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Nexus of Multimembership as Source of Physics Teacher Identity*- FM06
- Wed 07/26, 10:20AM - 10:30AM
by Jessica Conn,, Aaron Collins, Shahrzad Hesaaraki, Ryan Zamora, Eleanor Close - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Research on the Impacts of the Learning Assistant Model
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Results of a Comprehensive National Survey of the Uses of Computation in Undergraduate Physics Programs
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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
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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.
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National Assessment of Computational Instruction in Undergraduate Physics Departments- EH02
- Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Laura Merner,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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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
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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.
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Survey Results Viewed Through the AAPT Recommendations for Computational Physics- EH04
- Tue 07/25, 3:00PM - 3:30PM
- by Ernest Behringer,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Saturday Registration
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Saturday Registration - REG02
- Sat 07/22, 7:00AM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Science and Religion
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Science, Religion and their Cultural Heritages- DF01
- Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
- by Scott Bonham,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Characteristics of Scientists and Analogous Traits of Christians- DF02
- Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
- by Bradley McCoy,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Newtonian Theism and Newtonian Mechanics- DF04
- Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
- by James Simmons,
- Type: Contributed
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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?
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Science and Society
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Human and Robotic Spaceflight: The Past and the Future- AF01
- Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
- by Frank Lock,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Solo PER
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Solo PER- TOP02
- Mon 07/24, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
- by Steve Maier
- Type: Topical
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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.
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Sunday Evening Registration
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Sunday Evening Registration - REG04
- Sun 07/23, 7:30PM - 9:30PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Sunday Registration
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Sunday Registration - REG03
- Sun 07/23, 7:00AM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Supporting Equity through Group Work and Collaboration
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Recognizing and Addressing Unconscious Bias in Small Group Interactions*- ED01
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 2:00PM
- by Eleanor Close,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Being “Smart” in Science Class- ED02
- Tue 07/25, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Kelly O'Shea,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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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
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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.
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Teacher Training/Enhancement
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Preparing Physicists to be Informal Educators- FI07
- Wed 07/26, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
by Michael Bennett,*, Kathleen Hinko, Brett Fiedler, Noah Finkelstein - Type: Contributed
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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.
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The Effectiveness of Assembly Style Science Demonstrations on Student Learning- FI08
- Wed 07/26, 9:40AM - 9:50AM
- by Patrick Morgan,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Technologies
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Cycling Through R&D: Testing Usability of Next Generation Computer Coaches*- DE01
- Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
by Emily Smith,, Evan Frodermann, Ken Heller, Leon Hsu, Jie Yang - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Factors Influencing Students’ Usage of Computer Coaches for Problem Solving- DE02
- Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
- by Bijaya Aryal,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Teaching Computation in Physics Using SageMathCloud- DE03
- Tue 07/25, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
- by Todd Zimmerman,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Triode Tube Operation and Warm Guitar Amplifier Sound- DE04
- Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:10AM
- by David Keeports,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Cyberphysical Experiments: Exploring Affordances and Constrains of Visuohaptic Simulations for Friction Conceptual Understanding - DE05
- Tue 07/25, 9:10AM - 9:20AM
by Tugba Yuksel,, Alejandra Magana - Type: Contributed
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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.
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Using LASSO to Improve Your Teaching and Support Your Research- DE07
- Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 9:40AM
by Nancy Caravez,, Jayson Nissen, Angelica De La Torre, Daniel Caravez, Ben Van Dusen - Type: Contributed
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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.
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The Art and Science of Teaching
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Sharing the Beauty of Physics- DC01
- Tue 07/25, 8:30AM - 9:00AM
- by David Jackson,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Physics as a Transformative Experience for Underrepresented Students- DC02
- Tue 07/25, 9:00AM - 9:30AM
- by Valerie Otero,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Physics Course and Department Design – The Science is in the Details- DC03
- Tue 07/25, 9:30AM - 10:00AM
- by John Stewart,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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The Physics of the NSF IUSE Program
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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
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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.
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Addressing Dissemination: An Example from the C3PO Project*- BG03
- Mon 07/24, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
by Evan Frodermann, Leon Hsu, Ken Heller, Emily Smith, Jie Yang - Type: Invited
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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.
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Promoting Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Physics: The PIPELINE Network*- BG04
- Mon 07/24, 3:00PM - 3:30PM
- by Crystal Bailey,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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The Use of IOLab for Introductory Laboratory Reform
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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
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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.
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Open-ended Circuit Labs with the IOLab- EF02
- Tue 07/25, 1:30PM - 3:30PM
- by Louis Leblond,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Topics in Diversity I
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Survival Skills for New High School Teachers- BK01
- Mon 07/24, 2:00PM - 2:30PM
- by Jeffrey Rodriguez,
- Type: Invited
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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.
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Topics in Diversity II
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Equity, Inclusion, and Cookies: Addressing Physics Climate Through Diversity Discussions- AL01
- Mon 07/24, 8:30AM - 8:40AM
- by Katherine Rainey,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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U.S. and Japanese Comparative Study of High School Physics Lessons- AL06
- Mon 07/24, 9:20AM - 9:30AM
- by Sachiko Tosa,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Tuesday Afternoon Break in the Exhibit Hall
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Tuesday Afternoon Break in the Exhibit Hall - EXH09
- Tue 07/25, 3:30PM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Enjoy an afternoon snack in the exhibit hall.
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Tuesday Morning Break in the Exhibit Hall
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Tuesday Morning Break in the Exhibit Hall- EXH08
- Tue 07/25, 10:00AM - 10:30AM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Exhibit Hall
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Join the exhibitors for morning muffins and coffee.
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Tuesday Registration
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Tuesday Registration - REG06
- Tue 07/25, 7:00AM - 4:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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Upper Division Undergraduate
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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Light, Imaging, Vision: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Course and New Textbook*- GH06
- Wed 07/26, 1:50PM - 2:00PM
- by Philip Nelson,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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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
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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.
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A Toy Model for the Strong Nuclear Interaction- GH10
- Wed 07/26, 2:30PM - 2:40PM
- by Jarrett Lancaster
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Easy Examples of Emerging Entanglement- GH11
- Wed 07/26, 2:40PM - 2:50PM
- by Daniel Schroeder,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Assessing and Developing Mathematical Reasoning in Upper-Division Physics- GH12
- Wed 07/26, 2:50PM - 3:00PM
- by Michael Loverude,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Upper Division/Graduate Courses
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Bridging the Discrete to the Continuum Gap in Quantum Mechanics*- DH02
- Tue 07/25, 8:40AM - 8:50AM
- by Charles DeLeone,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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A Quantum Measurement Game for Undergraduates- DH03
- Tue 07/25, 8:50AM - 9:00AM
- by Theodore Corcovilos,
- Type: Contributed
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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.
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Wednesday Registration
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Wednesday Registration - REG07
- Wed 07/26, 8:00AM - 3:00PM
- AAPT AAPT
- Type: Registration
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