96
Portland
Tuesday afternoon
approximately 140 students. Analysis includes analytical and numerical as-
signments in addition to exam scores. We discuss results from this analysis.
EE03:
4:20-4:30 p.m. Research on Building Supportive
Undergraduate Communities Through Physics Seminars
Contributed – Gina M. Quan, University of Maryland, College Park, 082 Re-
gents Drive, Physics, College Park, MD 20742,
Andrew Elby, University of Maryland, College Park
Many universities have created programs to improve undergraduate reten-
tion through problem solving and community building. At the University
of Maryland, we are running a pilot seminar for freshmen physics majors
that seeks to give students opportunities for meaningful collaboration.
One component of the seminar has students develop physics disciplinary
problem-solving skills by working on Fermi-style estimation problems,
developing explanations of natural phenomena, and making sense of equa-
tions in small-group and whole-class discussions. The second half of the
seminar actively works on building a community by having students dis-
cuss what it is like to be a physics major, which includes how to form study
groups and students’ sense of identity as physicists. In this talk, we will
present classroom and interview episodes to discuss how the classroom
community evolved as well as how students’ sense of community relates to
attitudes and approaches toward learning physics.
EE04:
4:30-4:40 p.m. Coming Out of the Physics Closet
Contributed – Paul W. Irving, Kansas State University, 116 Cardwell Hall,
Manhattan, KS 66506-2600,
Eleanor C. Sayre, Kansas State University
As part of an ongoing investigation into identity development in upper-
level physics students, we present the case study of Sally. Upon entering
our study, Sally is a sophomore chemistry major and physics minor. She
identifies as a “chemist.” As the study progressed, Sally began working part
time in a physics research group and developed a greater affinity for phys-
ics as a discipline. She struggles with reconciling her identity as a chemist
and chemistry major with her growing aspiration to do physics and be a
physicist. In her junior year, Sally “comes out of the closet” and declares a
physics major, to her delight and relief. In this talk, we discuss Sally’s devel-
opment in light of a framework that conceptualizes identity as having three
integral aspects—personal, practice, and participation—by examining both
interview and observational data.
EE05:
4:40-4:50 p.m. Interdisciplinary Connections and
Physics Identity
Contributed – Tyler D. Scott, Clemson University, 104 Holtzendorff Hall,
Clemson, SC 29634;
Zahra Hazari, Geoff Potvin, Clemson University
Interdisciplinary thinking is important for the future of science and
engineering as it will help foster broader thinking, open new avenues
for research, and increase engagement amongst those who view science
as narrow and unconnected. However, it is not well understood how
interdisciplinary thinking can be fostered within the current culture of
science education, nor how this thinking is related to students’ science
interests. Drawing on data from a national study, we use a physics identity
framework to investigate the relationships between characteristics of inter-
disciplinary thinking among students and their attitudes towards physics.
Furthermore, this study also examines how pedagogical techniques,
particularly in physics classes, and school characteristics are related to
fostering interdisciplinary thinking.
EE06:
4:50-5 p.m. A Case Study in Leveraging Biology
Experiences in Physics
Contributed – Vashti Sawtelle, University of Maryland, College Park, 082
Regents Drive, College Park, MD 20742;
Chandra Turpen, University of Maryland, College Park
Julia Gouvea, University of California, Davis
When we discuss courses designed to be interdisciplinary, such as our
course in Introductory Physics for Life Science (IPLS) majors, we often fo-
cus on what students can gain from taking a course (physics) outside their
chosen discipline (biology). Rarely do we consider what advantages might
be gained from students’ experience with biology in learning physics. At
the University of Maryland we have designed an introductory physics
course that attempts to leverage students’ biology experiences in an authen-
tic interdisciplinary manner. In this presentation, we will examine case
study data of a student who initially describes herself as hating physics.
We will look at longitudinal data across her experiences with our yearlong
IPLS course and explore how, in an interdisciplinary classroom, her prior
experiences as a biology student came to influence her evolving relation-
ship with physics.
Session EF: Interactive Lecture
Demonstrations – Whats New? ILDs
Using Clickers and Video Analysis
Location: Parlor A/B
Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education
Co-Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies
Date: Tuesday, July 16
Time: 4–5 p.m.
Presider: Priscilla Laws
EF01:
4-4:30 p.m. Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Active
Learning in Lecture Including Clickers and Video
Analysis
Invited – David R. Sokoloff, University of Oregon, Department of Physics,
Eugene, OR 97403-1274;
Ronald K. Thornton, Center for Science and Math Teaching, Tufts University
The results of physics education research and the availability of microcom-
puter-based tools have led to the development of the Activity Based Physics
Suite.
1
Most of the Suite materials are designed for hands-on learning, for
example student-oriented laboratory curricula such as RealTime Phys-
ics. One reason for the success of these materials is that they encourage
students to take an active part in their learning. This interactive session
will demonstrate “through active audience participation” Suite materials
designed to promote active learning in lecture, Interactive Lecture Demon-
strations (ILDs),
2
including those using clickers and video analysis.
1. E.F. Redish,
Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite
(Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2004). 2.
David R. Sokoloff and Ronald K. Thornton,
Interactive Lecture Demonstrations
(Wiley,
Hoboken, NJ, 2004).
EF02:
4:30-5 p.m. Interactive Lecture Demonstrations:
Effectiveness in Teaching Concepts
Invited – Ronald K. Thornton, Tufts University, Center for Science and Math
Teaching, 4 Colby St., Medford, MA 02155;
David R. Sokoloff, University of Oregon
The effectiveness of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) in teaching
physics concepts has been studied using physics education research based,
multiple-choice conceptual evaluations.
1
Results of such studies will be
presented, including studies with clicker ILDs. These results should be
encouraging to those who wish to improve conceptual learning in their
introductory physics course.
1. David R. Sokoloff and Ronald K. Thornton, “Using Interactive Lecture Demonstra-
tions to Create an Active Learning Environment,”
Phys. Teach.
35
, 340 (1997).
