108
Portland
Wednesday morning
PST2C26: 9:15-10 a.m. Student Resource Use in Upper-Level
Laboratories
Poster – Xian Wu, Kansas State University, 116 Cardwell Hall, Manhattan,
KS 66506-2601;
Eleanor C. Sayre, Kansas State University
As part of an ongoing study into upper-level physics students’ identity
development, we present a case study of a group of three students working
in a junior-level Advanced Lab course. The data collected for this analysis
include video-based observations of students working together in the lab,
working in different groups in a prior lab course (Modern Physics), and in-
dividual interviews with each student. We use discourse analysis and Tan-
nen words to analyze the students’ interactions with each other, the labora-
tory equipment, and the lab handout. We correlate their in-class discourse
and behavior with their out-of-class interviews to paint a fuller picture of
their resource use and identity development in laboratory contexts.
PST2C27: 8:30-9:15 a.m. Students’ Use of Modeling in the
Upper-Division Physics Laboratory
Poster – Benjamin Zwickl, University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of
Physics, 390 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309;
Noah Finkelstein, H. J. Lewandowksi, University of Colorado, Boulder
Modeling, the practice of developing, testing, and refining models of
physical systems, has gained support as a key scientific practice in the K-12
Next Generation Science Standards, and in curricula such as Modeling
Instruction, RealTime Physics, ISLE, and Matter & Interaction. However,
modeling has gained less traction at the upper-division undergraduate
level. As part of a larger effort to transform upper-division physics labs to
incorporate scientific practices, including modeling, we conducted a series
of think-aloud experimental activities using simple electronic and optical
components in order to investigate how students use modeling with mini-
mal explicit prompting in a laboratory setting. We review general patterns
in students’ use of models, describe our coding scheme, and conclude with
a discussion of implications for the design of modeling-focused lab activi-
ties and lab-appropriate assessments.
PST2C28: 9:15-10 a.m. Cognitive Tutors for Studio Physics
Poster – Jan Beks,* The Petroleum Institute, PO Box 2533, Sas Al Nahl, Abu
Dhabi 0000, United Arab Emirates;
Kofi Agyeman, Curtis C. Bradley, The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi
We describe innovative cognitive tutor software that has been developed
for Studio Physics coursework at the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi.
Cognitive tutors are sophisticated computer-based instructional programs
that include a user-friendly interface with built-in tutoring, expert-
domain, and student-progress modules. Cognitive tutors monitor student
progress in order to provide timely guidance and feedback. The software is
spreadsheet-based, using Visual Basic for Applications to provide powerful
graphical tools and rapid prototyping. We will discuss (i) how cognitive
tutors support a Studio Physics curriculum, (ii) our unique approach to
building cognitive tutors, and (iii) evidence of their positive impact on
student attitudes and learning outcomes. In addition, we will share our
plans for refinements relating to quality control of student-generated data,
improved and varied forms of tutor feedback, student decision-making and
improved branching in tutor design, and some very early steps toward the
use of text-based, natural language dialog.
*Sponsored by Vince Kuo
PST2C29: 8:30-9:15 a.m. To Use or Not to Use Diagrams: The
Effect of Drawing a Diagram in Solving Introductory
Physics Problems*
Poster – Alexandru Maries, University of Pittsburgh, 5813 Bartlett St., Pitts-
burgh, PA 15217;
Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh
Drawing appropriate diagrams is a useful problem-solving heuristic that
can transform a given problem into a representation that is easier to exploit
for solving it. A major focus while helping introductory physics students
learn problem solving is to help them appreciate that drawing diagrams
facilitates problem solution. We conducted an investigation in which 111
students in an algebra-based introductory physics course were subjected
to two different interventions during recitation quizzes throughout the
semester. They were either (1) asked to solve problems in which the
diagrams were drawn for them or (2) explicitly told to draw a diagram. A
comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. We
developed a rubric to score the problem-solving performance of students
in different intervention groups. We present results for two problems in-
volving electric field and electric force. We also compare the performance
of students in finding electric field to finding electric force in similar
situations both immediately after instruction in a quiz and a while after
instruction in a midterm exam.
*Work supported by the National Science Foundation
PST2C30: 9:15-10 a.m. John Francis Woodhull: An Early 20th
Century Physics Education Visionary
Poster – Diana Murray, Stony Brook University, Center for Science and Math-
ematics Education, 092 Life Sciences Building, Stony Brook, NY 11794-5233;
Keith Sheppard, Stony Brook University
“We cannot teach the principles of physics except through an experience
with their applications.” (J.F. Woodhull, 1915.) This presentation provides
an account of John Francis Woodhull, one of the most influential science
education reformers during the early 20th century. As a professor of
physical science, he was a founding member of Teachers College. Along
with C.R. Mann, a physicist at the University of Chicago, and G.S. Hall, a
pioneer in adolescent development, he strongly advocated child-centered
education and condemned the highly quantitative high school physics
course established by Harvard at the turn of the century. It is widely unrec-
ognized that Woodhull conceived the project method of science teaching
which was based on the exploration of real-world problems. Woodhull was
instrumental in the development of General Science as an introductory,
integrated science course for all students, and he stressed the importance of
the “science of teaching” over the “teaching of science.”
D – Technologies
PST2D01: 8:30-9:15 a.m. Designing a Model Rocket to Deliver
Air Quality Sensors
Poster – Kathleen Melious, T Wingate Andrews High School, 1900 Cana
Road, Mocksville, NC 27028;
James P. Healy, UNCG
Shan Faizi, Kyle Payton, Thomas Lyons, Blake Compton, T Wingate Andrews
High School
In 2013 the EPA estimates that it will spend close to $1 billion on projects
related to improving the air quality of the United States.
1
While the air
quality across a community is easily monitored at ground level, crucial data
about the health of an area’s atmosphere can be obtained by monitoring
conditions at low altitudes (100 - 800 meters) across a community.
2
The
goal of our project is to construct a delivery system for air quality sensors
from commonly available amateur rocketry supplies. The delivery system
must be reliable in delivering the payload to a constant and reproducible
altitude and allowing for safe and reliable recovery of the system after each
flight.
1. FY 2013 - EPA Budget in Brief,
.
2. Campaign to diagnose air quality concludes in California,
news/870.
PST2D02: 9:15-10 a.m. Fluid Simulations for Undergraduates*
Poster – Daniel V. Schroeder, Weber State University, 2508 University Circle,
Ogden, UT 84408-2508;
Modern computers and algorithms make it feasible to teach many aspects
of fluid dynamics through interactive simulations. Two-dimensional
