Patrick B. Kohl

Can Computer Simulations Replace Real Equipment in Undergraduate Laboratories

This paper examines the effects of substituting computer simulations in place of real laboratory equipment in the second semester of a large‐scale introductory physics course. The direct current (DC) circuit laboratory was modified to compare the effects of using computer simulations with the effects of using real light bulbs, meters and wires. Three groups of students, those who used real equipment, those who used computer simulations, and those who had no lab experience, were compared in terms of their mastery of physics concepts and skills with real equipment. Students who used the simulated equipment outperformed their counterparts both on a conceptual survey of the domain and in the coordinated tasks of assembling a real circuit and describing how it worked.

Introductory Physics Gender Gaps: Pre‐ and Post‐Studio Transition

Prior work has characterized the gender gaps present in college‐level introductory physics courses. Such work has also shown that research‐based interactive engagement techniques can reduce or eliminate these gender gaps. In this paper, we study the gender gaps (and lack thereof) in the introductory calculus‐based electricity and magnetism course at the Colorado School of Mines. We present eight semesters’ worth of data, totaling 2577 students, with four semesters preceding a transition to Studio physics, and four following. We examine gender gaps in course grades, DFW (D grade, fail, or withdrawal) rates, and normalized gains on the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM), and consider factors such as student ACT scores and grades in prior math classes. We find little or no gap in male/female course grades and DFW rates, but substantial gaps in CSEM gains that are reduced somewhat by the transition to Studio physics.

Expert and Novice Use of Multiple Representations During Physics Problem Solving

It is generally believed that students should use multiple representations in solving certain physics problems. In this study, we interview expert and novice physicists as they solve two types of multiple representations problems: those in which multiple representations are provided for them, and those in which the students must construct their own representations. We analyze in detail the types of representations subjects use and the order and manner in which they are used. Somewhat surprisingly, both experts and novices make significant use of multiple representations. Some differences emerge: Expert use of multiple representations is more dense in time, and novices tend to move between the available representations more often. In addition, we find that an examination of multiple representation use alone is inadequate to fully characterize a problem‐solving episode; one must also consider the purpose behind the use of the available representations.

Representational Format, Student Choice, and Problem Solving in Physics

Student problem‐solving ability appears to be tied to the representational format of the problem (math, pictorial, graphical, verbal). In a study of a 367‐student algebra‐based physics class, we examine student problem solving ability on homework problems given in four different representational formats, with problems as close to isomorphic as possible. In addition, we examine students’ capacity for assessing their own representational competence by giving follow‐up quizzes in which the students can choose between various problem formats. We report student performance and consider factors that may influence their ability or choices. As a control, part of the class was assigned a random‐format follow‐up quiz where students received quiz formats at random. We find that there are statistically significant performance differences between isomorphic problems. We also find that allowing students to choose which representational format they use improves student performance under some circumstances and degrades it in others.

Documenting the conversion from traditional to Studio Physics formats at the Colorado School of Mines: Process and early results

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) has taught its first‐semester introductory physics course using a hybrid lecture/Studio Physics format for several years. Over the past year we have converted the second semester of our calculus‐based introductory physics course (Physics II) to a Studio Physics format, starting from a traditional lecture‐based format. In this paper, we document the early stages of this conversion in order to better understand which features succeed and which do not, and in order to develop a model for switching to Studio that keeps the time and resource investment manageable. We describe the recent history of the Physics II course and of Studio at Mines, discuss the PER‐based improvements that we are implementing, and characterize our progress via several metrics, including pre/post Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) scores, Colorado Learning About Science Survey scores (CLASS), solicited student comments, failure rates, and exam scores.

Comparing Explicit and Implicit Teaching of Multiple Representation Use in Physics Problem Solving

There exist both explicit and implicit approaches to teaching students how to solve physics problems involving multiple representations. In the former, students are taught explicit problem‐solving approaches, such as lists of steps, and these approaches are emphasized throughout the course. In the latter, good problem‐solving strategies are modeled for students by the instructor and homework and exams present problems that require multiple representation use, but students are rarely told explicitly to take a given approach. We report on comparative study of these two approaches; students at Rutgers University receive explicit instruction, while students from the University of Colorado receive implicit instruction. Students in each course solve five common electrostatics problems of varying difficulty. We compare student performances and their use of pictures and free‐body diagrams. We also compare the instructional environments, looking at teaching approaches and the frequency of multiple‐representation u...

Student Representational Competence and the Role of Instructional Environment in Introductory Physics

In a previous study of a traditional, large‐lecture algebra‐based physics course, we demonstrated that giving students a choice of representational format when they solve quiz problems could have either significantly positive or negative performance effects, depending on the topic and representation used. Further, we see that students are not necessarily aware of the representation with which they are most competent. Here, we extend these results by considering two courses taught by a reform‐style instructor. These performance data are substantially different in character, with the students from the reform courses showing much smaller performance variations when given a choice of representation. From these data, we hypothesize that students in the reform courses may be learning a broader set of representational skills than students in the traditional course. We therefore examine major components of the courses (exams, homeworks, lectures) to characterize the use of different representations. We find that ...

Effect of paper color on students' physics exam performances

Prior work has established the existence of a color-performance relationship in achievement contexts and has demonstrated its presence in some undergraduate course examinations. This study examines the manifestation of such a relationship in an introductory, 430-student, calculus-based electricity and magnetism course during which the paper color used in examinations was varied. In this report, we analyze three separate exams and differentiate between students’ multiple choice, written response, conceptual, and computational performances. Also considered are factors such as the time students require to complete exams and their confidence levels prior to and immediately following assessment. Performance in all categories appears to be independent of paper color.

Direct and Indirect Approaches to Increasing Conceptual Survey Gains

Conceptual surveys like the FCI and CSEM are common, and course reforms often have the goal of improving student gains on these surveys. There exist various approaches to improving said gains, and there is occasionally concern that such methods “teach to the test” excessively. To our knowledge, however, there has been little direct experimentation on whether teaching to the test, even intentionally, has the expected result. In this paper, we report on a simple two‐semester experiment involving ∼900 students where we tried two different approaches to improving CSEM gains in an introductory E&M class. In the first trial, we gave students many of the questions from the CSEM as Peer Instruction‐style clicker questions in lecture. In the second, we redeveloped parts of our Studio physics curriculum to target CSEM concepts without replicating CSEM questions. Comparing the CSEM gains in the experimental sections to the previous year’s sections, we find that the first trial resulted in significant (∼0.20) shifts ...

Understanding and Promoting Effective Use of Representations in Physics Learning

We present a series of empirical studies on undergraduate students’ use of representation in introductory physics in order to describe when and how students use representations, and to understand the impacts of varied instructional strategies on student performance with representations. We demonstrate that student performance on isomorphic problems can vary, often dramatically, simply by changing the representational formats of the questions posed. Furthermore, we demonstrate that students do not have fixed forms of expertise; in some cases, students will perform better using one representational format and in other cases will perform more poorly using the same representational format. We also find that when students are given a choice of representational format on physics problems, their performance on these problems does not necessarily improve. On the macro-scale, we find that the educational environments in which students are taught can have dramatic impact. Those environments that regularly use multiple representations and those that hold students responsible for using multiple representations positively impact students’ performance and ability to work across representations.