Meeting Program

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Sessions, Panels, Posters, Plenaries, Committee Meetings, and Special Events

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Posters

  • Astronomy Poster

      • A Textbook for Using Astronomy to Teach Physics

      • PST2A01
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Enrique Galvez
      • Type: Poster
      • We present the chapter structure and examples of an upcoming textbook title on introductory calculus mechanics: “Physics from Planet Earth.” It emphasizes conservation laws, and uses astronomical themes and examples without sacrificing conventional mechanics. A first part emphasizes conservation of momentum, starting with motion, velocity, momentum, collisions, and center of mass. Going with these are themes such as Hubble law, rocket propulsion, and planetary flybys. A second part focuses on forces, covering acceleration, Newton’s laws, circular motion, oscillations, Kepler’s laws, and gravitation. It has rich astronomical themes that go with it, such as orbital motion, binary stars, exoplanets, and rings vs. moons. A third part covers energy and its conservation, highlighting gravitational potential energy. It is used to introduce escape velocity and planetary transfer orbits. A fourth part treats rotations, angular momentum, and torques, showcasing pulsars and the precession of equinoxes. A final synthesis highlights dark matter and dark energy.
      • Implementing and Assessing Interactivity in Astronomy Demonstration Videos

      • PST2A03
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Kevin Lee
      • Type: Poster
      • AU is a series of short videos of physical demonstrations appropriate for use in introductory astronomy classes. Considerable effort is made to make the videos interactive through embedded peer instruction questions and accompanying worksheets. This poster will illustrate the interactive mechanisms in recently developed videos on retrograde motion and stellar hydrostatic equilibrium. It will also present early results on a study of student engagement in different modes of video presentation. These materials are publicly available at http://astro.unl.edu and on YouTube and are funded by NSF grant #1245679.
      • Lightcurve Analysis of Six Asteroids

      • PST2A05
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Melissa Hayes-Gehrke
      • Type: Poster
      • We present the lightcurves of six asteroids and preliminary rotation period determinations. The asteroids were chosen by an undergraduate non-major class at the University of Maryland and observed in 2015 March/April using telescopes in Spain and New Mexico owned by itelescope.net and operated remotely by the students. We would like to thank the Astronomy Department of the University of Maryland for their support in this class.
      • Creating Opportunities for Astronomy Majors to Collaborate in Introductory Courses

      • PST2A07
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Derek Richardson*
      • Type: Poster
      • The University of Maryland courses ASTR120 and ASTR121 form a two-semesterintroduction to astrophysics required for the Astronomy major. Here we report on successes and challenges of transforming the courses to be more student-centered, drawing on existing research-based strategies and creating a new lab curriculum that teaches skills relevant for professional astronomers. We aim to provide equitable learning opportunities for all potential astronomy majors, by creating space for them to collaborate and reason about the content during class. We are adopting and building on materials that have been developed for astronomy non-majors (including Peer Instruction questions and Lecture-Tutorials). We are also using two-stage exams, where the second stage allows students to collaborate outside of class, in order to reduce stereotype threat and better align our assessments with other changes to the course. This effort is supported in part by a grant from the University of Maryland TLTC Elevate Fellows program.
      • Change for the Better: Improving Astronomy Students’ Attitudes about Science

      • PST2A02
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Shannon Willoughby
      • Type: Poster
      • Student attitudes toward science were measured for two years in Astronomy 110 using the Epistemological Beliefs about the Physical Sciences Survey. This data revealed that we should target two areas of student attitudes: whether or not the ability to learn science is a fixed human trait and how science knowledge is accumulated - absorption of facts versus integration with prior knowledge. The course was modified so that students were regularly reflecting on these two target areas; we also more closely linked the lecture material with discussions of the nature of science, skepticism, and metacognitive tasks. The EBAPS was administered in the modified course for two semesters and further information was collected through audio taping interviews with students concerning their views of science. Statistical comparisons of EBAPS data between the baseline and modified courses are presented here, as are the materials developed to address our two target areas.
      • Leveling the Playing Field of Physics Through International Collaboration and Outreach in Space Studies in Ethiopia

      • PST2A04
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Abebe Kebede
      • Type: Poster
      • Recent advances in space exploration and astrophysical studies provide a fertile ground for international collaboration in these fields. In this communication we will describe our recent work in Ethiopia in collaboration with the Ethiopian Scientific and Academic Network (ESAN), University of Gondar, Adama University of Science and Technology, Debre Tabor University and a handful of schools and colleges in Arsi Asela Areas. Our activities led to the establishment schools that provide short-term advanced courses and hands-on training and use of radio jove, Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances (SID) monitors and use and operation of remotely controlled telescopes around the world. Space science in Ethiopia is in its beginning stages. The penetration of such vital resources is very limited in Ethiopia because of lack of information and limited knowledge of astronomy and space science. Our activities also include teacher training to help teachers access these resources and use them effectively in classrooms. Our collaboration paid specially attention to the underrepresentation of women in physics, and adaptive technologies for the blind. In this communication we present our recent activities in Ethiopia and the progress of our collaboration
      • The Astronomy Workshop Extragalactic: Web Tools for Use by Students

      • PST2A06
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Melissa Hayes-Gehrke
      • Type: Poster
      • The Astronomy Workshop Extragalactic (http://carma.astro.umd.edu/AWE) is acollection of interactive web tools that were developed for use in undergraduate and high school classes and by the general public. The focus of the tools is on concepts encountered in extragalactic astronomy, which are typically quite difficult for students to understand. Current tools explore Olbers' Paradox; the appearance of galaxies in different wavelengths of light; the Doppler Effect; cosmological redshift; gravitational lensing; Hubble's Law; cosmological parameters; and measuring masses of black holes by observing stellar orbits. The tools have been developed by undergraduate students under our supervision and we are continuing to add more tools. This project was inspired by the Astronomy Workshop (http://janus.astro.umd.edu) by Doug Hamilton which has web tools exploring more general astronomical concepts. We would like to thank the NSF for support through the CAREER grant NSF-AST0955836 and grant NSF-AST1412419, and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement for a Cottrell Scholar award.
  • Bringing Physics to Life

      • Maybe I Could Use this Again! Two IDEAL Labs Introducing Instrumentation

      • DC05
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Sean Bryant
      • Type: Poster
      • Physics lab students are introduced to custom instrumentation using Arduino-like microcontrollers which have allowed us to implement two labs of particular utility for life-science majors. Constructing a fluid circuit using the sponge-resistor model, flow sensors and an LCD display show the current through each section of pipe. The instrument can simultaneously measure and record 18 voltages, which enables us to record high-frequency “snap shots” of a signal generated on an RC-circuit model of an axon. The IDEAL lab collaboration is developing labs that are open, applied to life, and rigorously quantitative.
      • Physics for Pre-pharmacy: Is a Spirometer Faster than a Racecar?

      • DC06
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Alexander Wong
      • Type: Poster
      • Pre-pharmacy students and other allied health students are often heavily represented in introductory algebra-based physics classes. Pharmacy school faculty lament the difficulties incoming students have with word problems and math. By introducing clinical and pharmaceutical contexts into a community college algebra-based physics course, collaborating instructors at both institutions hope to improve student engagement and learning while promoting pharmacy career options. The basic concepts of physical motion, traditionally illustrated using calculations describing the acceleration of objects such as a racecars, can be introduced as analogous to concepts in the measurement of breathing (spirometry). For example, physical quantities such as instantaneous velocity are analogous to spirometric quantities such as peak flow. Similarly, graphs representing motion are conceptually similar to spirometric graphs. Early indicators suggest community college students find a spirometeric context to be helpful in developing their understanding of motion and relevant to their interests and career goals.
      • Pressure in the Human Body: Physics of the Respiratory System

      • DC07
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Nancy Donaldson
      • Type: Poster
      • This NSF-funded curriculum is a hands-on, active learning module covering the mechanics of breathing and the pressure differences in the body that guide air flow in the respiratory system in health and disease. The target learning audience is intermediate-level undergraduates, i.e., students who have already had a one-year introductory-level physics course; however, with the appropriate student background, it could be used in an Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences course. The module activities address Pre-Health Competency E3 (Demonstrate knowledge of basic physical principles and their applications to the understanding of living systems) and Foundational Concept 4B (Importance of fluids for the circulation of blood, gas movement, and gas exchange) and are directed toward an application of physics to medicine. Students particularly interested in these activities may be those pursuing graduate school/careers in medicine, health care, or medical physics or those interested in broadening their understanding of applications of physics.
      • Simulating Soft Matter in High School: The Case of Lipid Rafts

      • DC08
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Edit Yerushalmi
      • Type: Poster
      • Computational modeling can be useful for engaging students with relativelylittle background in statistical mechanics in modeling systems of soft and biological matter. We demonstrate the fundamental knowledge students need for computational modeling of the formation of lipid rafts. Lipid rafts are small domains of saturated lipids (that closely pack) "floating" in an environment of mostly unsaturated lipids (that cannot closely pack) in the cell membrane. An analytical model that predicts the size of the lipid domains is based on a recent theoretical paper (Brewster, Pincus and Safran 2009). We describe the modeling challenges faced by students engaged in a program for interested and talented high school students in constructing a Monte Carlo simulation (in particular, in representing the different types of lipids) and in reproducing the analytical model from the research paper, as well as their evaluation of analytical model vis-a-vis the results of the simulation.
      • Successes and Challenges in Scaling-up NEXUS/Physics Labs: UMD and Beyond

      • DC09
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Kimberly Moore
      • Type: Poster
      • 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 in 2013-Present, and adopted at several institutions (including TYCs, R-1 universities, and small 4-year colleges). 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 at UMD. We also have survey data from some of the initial adopting institutions. In this poster, we will provide a broad overview of what we have learned and a comparison of our large-enrollment results and the results from "first adopter" institutions to the results from our pilot study. Special emphasis will be placed on successes and challenges accompanying this scaling-up, both at UMD and beyond.
      • The Mystery of DNA—An Interdisciplinary Student Laboratory

      • DC10
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Becky Treu
      • Type: Poster
      • The increasing complexity of science demands that concepts and methods from different disciplines be merged. Many of the most interesting and important problems in science can be answered only through collaborative efforts. It is crucial for students to understand the importance of having strengths in multiple disciplines. In this laboratory, students will extract DNA from strawberries using chemical and physical techniques, characterize the DNA using optical methods, and discuss the interrelation between biology, chemistry, and physics. In addition, this laboratory can be used in conjunction with “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, a widely used college “one read” book choice. This relationship between science and literature further addresses the need for students to be proficient in reading and writing while covering discipline specific content.
      • The Physics of Human Performance: An IDEAL Lab

      • DC11
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by W. Blake Laing
      • Type: Poster
      • Physics lab goes to the gymnasium, where students calculate the mechanicalpower required to walk on an inclined treadmill in watts and convert to units power used to measure human performance: VO2, and METs. Students learn how to use two linear regression models: the ACSM "walking equation" to estimate the actual power expenditure of walking and the Rockport 1 mile test to estimate their own VO2max. Students use models to prescribe exercise parameters for themselves and for two cases. The IDEAL lab collaboration is developing labs that are open, applied to life, and rigorously quantitative.
      • Towards Authentic Problem-solving for the Pre-health Student in Introductory Physics

      • DC12
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Nancy Beverly
      • Type: Poster
      • What problem-solving skills do pre-med, pre-dent, pre-vet, or pre-PT students really need that physics can uniquely strengthen and support? Diagnosis and treatment planning requires asking questions, deciding what tests to give, looking for underlying causes, making a treatment plan based on a model of disease or condition, and evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment. Mimicking that approach, students at Mercy College now pose their own biomedical questions then reframe it in terms of an underlying physical mechanism. They determine the physical principles of an essential feature of the functioning and choose a model clarifying the relationships of the quantities involved, from which a calculated result may provide insight or allow making an inference to the larger question. They determine what information is needed, then measure, find, or estimate it, do the calculation, and then evaluate the significance and meaning of the result, including addressing limitations of the model.
      • Design Your Own Physics Text

      • DC14
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Donald Franklin
      • Type: Poster
      • Using Openstax.college you can emphasize the topics your students need rather than Chapters 1 to where ever you finish the semester or year. Also, you have other ebooks you can use to show how physics is related to all sciences.
      • Transforming the Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences (IPLS) Course at a Liberal Arts Primarily Undergraduate Institution

      • DC15
      • Tue 07/28, 9:30AM - 10:30AM
      • by Patricia Soto
      • Type: Poster
      • Creighton University is a private, coeducational and liberal arts PUI recognized in the Midwest as an institution with strong pre-health programs, including pre-medicine. The physics department strives to provide an educational experience that fulfills the current demands of life scientists, in line with the Jesuit mission of the institution. In the IPLS course, instructors use active learning techniques and focus on physics foundational principles to model quantitatively biological processes at the micro- and macro-scale. The course emphasizes numerical, graphical, and verbal representation of the life mechanisms under study, both in lecture and in a standalone laboratory course. In addition, students develop meta-cognitive self-monitoring skills through guided personal reflections; to help them develop ownership of their learning process and commit to effective study habits. We will discuss the sustainability and strengths of our course development, and provide examples of lecture and lab materials.
  • Labs/Apparatus

      • Non-Linear Oscillation of a Physical Pendulum". It is under the session name Labs/Apparatus

      • PST1D01
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Brian Swain
      • Type: Poster
      • A mathematical model was developed to predict the non-linear oscillation of a physical pendulum. The model was tested against experimental data obtained by using a water filled, long, cylindrical tube and allowing water to escape from the bottom of the tube while it was set into oscillation. After empirically determining the exponential decay of the oscillation amplitude, the theory was found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. As the first approximation, the exponential decay was assumed to be constant as well as the velocity of the water exiting the tube. To achieve better agreement between the experimental data and the model, it was necessary to take into account the variation of the water velocity.
      • Speed of Sound in Coca Cola Products

      • PST1D03
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Bob Powell
      • Type: Poster
      • The speed of sound in Coca Cola products (Classic Coca Cola, Diet Coca Cola, and Coca Cola Zero) has been measured using the Speed of Sound apparatus manufactured by Iowa Doppler. This study also involved freshly opened beverages with carbonation and “flat” or un-carbonated beverages at intervals of a day and a week after being opened to determine the effect of carbonation on the speed of sound. Classic Coca Cola had a speed of sound higher than both Diet Coca Cola and Coca Cola Zero; the speed of sound in the last two beverages was close to that of distilled water. In the Classic drink, there was little change in the speed of sound between the newly opened and the “flat” variety, but there were minor changes in the Diet and Zero flavor drinks depending on the amount of carbonation present.
      • The Smart Mass

      • PST1D05
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Scott Dudley
      • Type: Poster
      • In this poster we’ll present results from using accelerometers in devices such as tablets and smartphone to measure systems which are typically measured with video analysis. We allow the device itself to be the accelerating mass - which we call a “smart mass” – in systems such as Atwood’s machine or moment of inertia measurements.
      • Undergraduate Biophysics Laboratories for AFM

      • PST1D07
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Ashley Carter
      • Type: Poster
      • Biotechnology and medical engineering are promising areas for the next generation of physicists to make an impact. However, we must prepare our students for these opportunities. Here we describe several biophysical experiments that could be done in the undergraduate teaching laboratory using an AFM. In each laboratory, we image a biological material and quantify a biophysical parameter: 1) imaging cells to determine membrane tension, 2) imaging microtubules to determine their persistence length, 3) imaging the random walk of DNA molecules to determine their contour length, and 4) imaging stretched DNA molecules to measure the tensional force.
      • Using Kinematic Equations to Design and Control Linear Motions*

      • PST1D09
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Frederick Thomas
      • Type: Poster
      • A simple-to-construct motorized cart can move in response to functions entered in forms such as “x = x0 + v0*t + .5*a*t^2”, “v = v0 + a*t”, “x = 200*sin(pi(2)*t/10)” and more. Classroom uses include an algebra-driven extension to kinesthetic Graph Match activities with motion sensors. Other activities engage students in applying kinematic equations to engineering-style tasks, such as “Design a sequence of equations to make the cart carry an upright AA battery from one end of the track to the other as quickly as possible without the battery falling over.” Building instructions, software, and classroom activities will be available.
      • VersaLab: A Measurement Cryostat and Teaching Curriculum for Advanced Labs

      • PST1D11
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Neil Dilley
      • Type: Poster
      • The VersaLab Physical Properties Measurement System from Quantum Design provides a controlled temperature/field platform (50 K - 400 K / 3 tesla) which can host a variety of integrated measurements. These include DC and AC magnetometry, heat capacity, thermal transport and electronic transport, in addition to custom experiment possibilities. We have developed six experiment modules to enable instructors and students to quickly get under way with exciting modern physics experiments such as resistivity in YBCO and specific heat of the metal insulator phase transition in vanadium oxide. These modules build proficiency in synthesizing/mounting samples, using the VersaLab, and in scrutinizing the data produced. An important element of this curriculum is teaching about the inner workings of the VersaLab cryostat and measurements so that students understand instrument limitations. Being a well-established, state-of-the-art research platform, the VersaLab provides opportunities for students and teaching faculty to publish in leading research journals. Quantum Design has also launched a website dedicated to laboratory instruction where new experiments can be contributed, and where the physics instruction community can further collaborate on these experiments.
      • AAPT Recommendations for the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Curriculum: An Overview

      • PST1D13
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Joseph Kozminski
      • Type: Poster
      • A subcommittee of the AAPT Committee on Laboratories has produced the AAPTRecommendations for the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Curriculum document, which was endorsed by the AAPT Executive Board on November 10, 2014. This set of curriculum recommendations includes objectives, experiences, and learning outcomes for the introductory and advanced (i.e. beyond first year) labs that foster the development of many key 21st century skills and competencies. The recommendations are broadly written so that they can be implemented at any college or university. The recommendations generated by the subcommittee as well as some ideas on how to use this document will be presented.
      • Do We Charge More Each Time We Open the Refrigerator?

      • PST1D15
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Jiwon Seo
      • Type: Poster
      • There are a lot of common practices about the refrigerator: "When you openthe door of the refrigerator, the power consumption increases." and "Do not fill the refrigerator full to save electricity" etc. However, we do not pay attention to whether it is true or not. In this study, the change of refrigerator's power consumption has been monitored in various circumstance: Frequent refrigerator door opening, Full-filled refrigerator and Empty refrigerator. As an experiment device, "Electrical Energy Meter" was used to measure the amount of electrical energy usage, and the measured data was sent to the computer for data processing and result display.
      • Embedding Scientific Reasoning Instruction in the First Semester Introductory Laboratory*

      • PST1D17
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Larry Bortner
      • Type: Poster
      • College students with developed reasoning abilities have been shown to have enhanced chances at achievement in STEM classes. However, few courses specifically target scientific reasoning. In light of this, we changed our introductory lab course curriculum to include tailored instruction on these competencies. The classes are group-based inquiry labs where an instructor engages in Socratic dialog with a group at structured checkpoints. Four lab reports are required each semester and are scaffolded over several labs. Out-of-class assignments include readings that address these desired abilities which are then practiced and applied in hypothetical scenarios as well as during the actual in-class lab activities. Weekly online quizzes focus on the development of these skills and provide feedback to both student and instructor. Improvements in targeted areas of scientific reasoning by students in the revised labs are borne out by pre- and post-assessments and will be discussed during this presentation.
      • Performance Test -- Building a DC Circuit

      • PST1D19
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Dan Liu
      • Type: Poster
      • The investigation of a performance test in physics -- building a DC circuit is reported. The time for completing the test is a criterion to assess students' lab skills in this study. The problems found during implementing the test are discussed and the solutions are proposed, such as applying time criterion, gambled connecting cables.
      • Trying to Keep the Intro Lab from Being Mind-numbingly Boring

      • PST1D21
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Mark Masters
      • Type: Poster
      • Often times introductory physics laboratories become incredibly tedious for the students and the instructor. Even though we have had very successful laboratories (as measured by student learning), we have felt that the labs do not excite students. Therefore, we wanted to develop a laboratory that would get the students much more engaged in physics and mirror scientific experience. Our hopes were that this would be less boring. This poster will describe our most recent introductory laboratory innovation and some of our measures of success (or failure).
      • Citizen Science: A Tool for an Introductory Science Curriculum

      • PST1D23
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Carolin Cardamone
      • Type: Poster
      • Citizen Science, collaborations between professional scientists and members of the wider community, provide a unique educational opportunity for introductory science courses. Allowing students to participate in Citizen Science projects and to develop their own research questions creates an environment in which students can come to understand science as a vital and living process rather than an abstract set of knowledge. In this poster, I will describe an introductory science course, whose cornerstone is a semester-long student-developed research project. Students begin by participating in Citizen Science projects to build the confidence, attitude, and skills necessary to begin their own research. Research projects then create a collaborative learning environment that brings students into the instruction, asking them to explain their developing understandings of science and work with their peers to understand new ideas. I will discuss how this technique can be applied across a variety of curricula from introductory to advanced courses.
      • Sound Lab Suitable for Hearing Impaired Students

      • PST1D02
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Gregory Dolise
      • Type: Poster
      • This shows the methods and results of a physics lab suitable for students who are hearing impaired. Using relatively inexpensive electronic sound sensors, tuning forks, and sound sensors, a visual representation of sound intensity is produced. Modifying a pair of matched tuning forks with a simple rubber band produces beats at different frequencies. Beats can be clearly seen and beat frequency calculated using produced graphs even if the sound cannot be heard. This lab has been used successfully with all students in an introductory physics class, generating a great deal of enthusiasm.
      • The Development of a Suite of Physics Laboratory Activities for Life Science Students*

      • PST1D04
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Elliot Mylott
      • Type: Poster
      • Portland State University has been developing courseware for introductory and intermediate level Physics for the Life Sciences that strengthen the connection students make between physics and medicine. As part of these courses, we have created a number of laboratory activities that explore the fundamental physics behind ubiquitous medical devices. Topics explored in the activities include planar x-ray imaging, Computed Tomography, Pulse Oximetry, electrocardiogram, and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis. These activities feature original hardware and software, all of which are designed for easy adoption by other educational institutions. The materials have been assessed and refined over several iterations of an intermediate-level biomedical physics course and some have been adapted for the introductory physics lab for life science students. Together they offer students a dynamic, hands-on approach to exploring the relevance of physics to medicine.
      • Three Aspects of Teamwork that are Critical to Learning Physics

      • PST1D06
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Karen Williams
      • Type: Poster
      • Teamwork is a skill that students must learn in this day and age of computers, Internet, and texting that isolates us all from other humans. I have seen three aspects of teamwork that are critical to student success in my courses. First students appear to learn better if they have someone to study with, interact with, and teach what they know to. Secondly they must have teamwork in the laboratory setting. For one not many of us have enough equipment for each student to do it alone. Secondly it is difficult to take data alone in some experiments plus the learning from others is absent. Students must have experience working with a variety of individuals in lab in this world of texting instead of communicating verbally. I also believe that students must have experience as a team working on part of a project while other teams work on other aspects of the same project. I call this the "NASA type" of real-world teamwork. I contend that teamwork is a laboratory skill that must be learned. This is not extensive research on teamwork, but I have taken assessment data for a year on our students teamwork skill in Jr Physics lab. I will discuss the situations in which different aspects of teamwork can be simulated in the lab and the instrument that we use to assess teamwork skill. I will also discuss student reactions to being forced to work with others and with other teams.
      • Using Batman and Other Shapes to Help Understand Circuit Elements

      • PST1D08
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Matt Olmstead
      • Type: Poster
      • One important function of an electronics lab is to learn, and gain hands-on knowledge, of the limitations of the theoretical devices covered in lecture. When a group of students saw the outline of Batman on their oscilloscope, the other students wanted to see. Although the circuit was built incorrectly, it became a great opportunity to both diagnose how the circuit was incorrectly connected and learn more about the elements in the circuit, in this case an operational amplifier. As a result of seeing Batman, the students have thought about what other shapes they can make when new circuit elements are introduced. With the recent introduction of a capacitor and an integrating amplifier, the students immediately began discussing how they could use these to make other patterns. Shapes have caused the students to take a strong interest in the analysis of their circuits, both theoretically and on the oscilloscope.
      • Visualization and Analysis of Joule Heating of Resistors

      • PST1D10
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Soo-Jeong Baek
      • Type: Poster
      • Visualization is an effective way of conveying physical concepts of invisible phenomena. One of the important and invisible phenomena is the heating of resistors in the electrical circuits. Since the heat is invisible, however, it is difficult to relate the formula to the actual power dissipation. To help students’ understanding, we took thermal images of resistors while passing current through them. And we analyzed from the thermal images the temperature increase before reaching the equilibrium by using a heat dissipation theory including the conduction loss. Resistance depends on the length and cross section of the material. To demonstrate this, we cut an aluminum foil in various shapes to make resistance of different values. The thermal images taken from the aluminum foil resistors successfully revealed how the resistance is related to the shape of the material. Our work serves as an example of how visualization can draw students’ interests into invisible phenomena and enhance their understanding of the underlying physics.
      • A Powerful Spectrograph Based Upon a Low Cost Spectrograph

      • PST1D12
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Timothy Grove
      • Type: Poster
      • We have been using low-cost spectrographs (made of cardboard and DVD fragments) for a few years. In the process of our study, we decided to make a spectrograph using the same optical design but with quality optical parts. This new spectrograph was found to be easily aligned, very accurate (~ 0.2 Angstrom accuracy), and enables intermediate and advanced students to study molecular spectral lines. We will present theory of operation as well as accurate photographs of molecular spectra.
      • Dirt Cheap and Versatile Spectrographs

      • PST1D14
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Timothy Grove
      • Type: Poster
      • Spectrographs (a device used to take pictures of spectra) are typically expensive and fragile. Our shoebox spectrograph is quite different. It is made of scrap corrugated cardboard, a DVD fragment, duct tape, and a cheap camera (we usually use a $30 webcam but a phone with a camera will also work). Despite the inexpensive parts, the shoebox spectrograph can be remarkably accurate (“accurate” based upon the “quality” of the component parts) and versatile. One obvious experiment is to take spectral photos of light from different atomic sources (our wavelength measurements for a well-built spectrograph are accurate within a nanometer and we can resolve the Hg 576.96nm line from the Hg 579.07nm line). But our dirt cheap spectrograph can be used in many more applications than just this. We have used it to examine transmission of white light through dye tinted water. We can observe the Fraunhofer lines in sunlight. We have done reflection spectroscopy including dandelion flower reflection spectroscopy. We have also developed an experiment we call laser induced fluorescence of Play Doh. All of this is done at low cost (assuming one has access to computers).
      • Eavesdropping By Using the Laser Beam Reflection Off a Window

      • PST1D16
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Eunhye Shin
      • Type: Poster
      • When someone speaks in a room, the sound pressure gives a stress to the window forcing the glass to bend accordingly. If one measures the vibration of the glass, one can reproduce the sound pressure. We used a laser beam and a photodiode to practice this well- known principle of eavesdropping. In order to find the optimal conditions of laser eavesdropping demonstration in the classroom, our first method was to measure the variation of the reflection angle of the laser beam incident from the window. Our second method was to measure the variation in the intensity of the laser light. We will share our experience in tuning the measurement conditions and discuss the results we obtained.
      • Experiment-based Test Problems

      • PST1D18
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Scott Dudley
      • Type: Poster
      • In this poster we’ll analyze some data based experimental problems from standardized tests (AP for example) and compare to actual measurements of the same problem.
      • Towards Optimal Experience: Students’ Attitudes in Design Labs

      • PST1D20
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Anna Karelina
      • Type: Poster
      • Students’ frustration can be a crucial factor preventing successful implementation of inquiry-based techniques. Here we describe our results of improving students’ attitudes towards open-ended ISLE labs where students have to design their own experiments. We apply the flow framework [1] for analysis of students’ responses to the survey about their experience during the labs. We describe the revision of the course based on this analysis that resulted in a significant improvement of students’ attitude toward the labs.
      • Using Laser Distance Sensors in the First Year Physics Labs

      • PST1D22
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Daniel Beeker
      • Type: Poster
      • Experiences and tips on using laser distance sensors in the first year physics labs are presented.
  • Lecture/Classroom

      • Three Case Studies on Student Attention in a Physical Science Class

      • PST2D01
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by David Rosengrant
      • Type: Poster
      • Previous research on student attention has been limited to observation, notebook analysis, or assessments that measure retention. In this set of three separate case studies we used an eye-tracker to study student attention. This tool allows us to follow what students look at during class. This presentation is the result of three separate semesters where we conducted a case study on one student in each semester. The same physical science class was the setting for each of the three semesters. The students taking the course (and those in the study) were all elementary education majors. The first semester had a student who was diagnosed with ADD. The second semester had an adult student taking the class and the final semester involved a traditional (21 year old) student. We analyzed differences in gaze patterns among the three students and how differences in content areas (physics versus chemistry versus astronomy) affected their attention.
      • Testing the Waters at Princeton

      • PST2D05
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Jason Puchalla
      • Type: Poster
      • A new introductory Physics for the Life Sciences course (PHY108) is being developed at Princeton University to meet the changing needs of biology and life science majors on campus. A desired outcome of this development effort is the option for biology majors to enroll in a one-semester physics course that is not limited to topics traditionally found in the first semester of a two-semester sequence. In Spring 2015, we offered a limited-enrollment version of this course intended to field-test various new (for Princeton) teaching techniques and student interest. Some of these techniques included: a modular classroom approach that moved away from the large weekly lecture, "5-minute" hands-on demos during lecture, and written assignments drawn from non-traditional sources that included non-statndard tasks such as "create your own MCAT question". Here I present some of the motivations for these approaches, the promising outcomes of the first offering and the challenges that lie ahead.
      • Using Biomedical Curriculum in Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences

      • PST2D07
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Warren Christensen
      • Type: Poster
      • A one-quarter-long algebra-based introductory physics course for pre-health and life science majors at Portland State features authentic biomedically inspired physics content. The course uses multimedia learning modules via the smartphysics online system. These modules include videos with biomedical experts explaining various aspects of specific biomedical equipment. Pre-lecture questions on both the medical content covered in the video media and the physics concepts in written materials provided for students were designed to probe their understanding of physics and prepare them for activities during the class. This flipped classroom allows for in-class activities such as group discussion and peer-led instruction. Following in-class instruction, students engaged with homework assignments that explore the connections of physics and the medical field in a quantitative manner. Although this course is in the pilot stage, initial results indicate that students recognize the course as being both time demanding and engaging.
      • A Five-Year Assessment Plan for Physics at SCCC

      • PST2D08
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Glenda Denicolo
      • Type: Poster
      • Since the spring semester of 2013, faculty of Suffolk County Community College has been engaged on a five-year plan of assessment for all its programs. We have been trained during professional development workshops on how to map our course learning outcomes (CLOs) with the program learning outcomes (PLOs). We have designed assessment tools that will probe the PLOs (through the mapped CLOs) during the five years. I will describe the mapping of CLO vs. PLO for the Physics program at SCCC, our long-term assessment plans, and the assessment tools used thus far.
      • Desert Island Survival Physics 101

      • PST2D02
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Mikhail Agrest
      • Type: Poster
      • “Give me a fulcrum and I will move the world” - shouted Archimedes, finding a perfect solution. Which is the best? A solution implemented with a perfect tool, or the Desert Island Survival Solution – one, executed with bare hands? A student stuck at a Desert Island on her way back from the Spring Break. Being inspired by her teacher’s solving problems via reasoning from the conceptual principles all the way to the answer; she did come up with a result without the unavailable Internet, but had an error that led to an incorrect answer. Another student based his answer on the information acquired from the Internet. Just a few steps led to the absolutely correct solution. Which work you would assign a higher grade? The author will share some examples of providing unnecessary information as well as examples of how to find solutions from limited, but sufficient conceptual information [1,2].
      • Modeling the Physical World: An Integrated Freshman Physics/Calculus Class

      • PST2D04
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Gintaras Duda
      • Type: Poster
      • A physicist and two mathematicians (the authors) have been teaching a combined calculus and introductory physics course at Creighton University since fall 2011. Calculus II is paired with Physics I and Calculus III (multi-variable) is paired with Physics II. This team-taught class uses a combination of lecture with active-engagement elements and project-based learning. This experiment also provides a model for inter-disciplinary teaching that is increasingly difficult given the sizes of most physics/mathematics courses and the difficult budgetary climates at many institutions. This poster will discuss student learning in this environment, the benefits of this tight integration between math and physics (to both students and faculty), and potential improvements in the future. We will particularly discuss the lessons learned after four years of teaching modeling, and comment on how to bring new instructors into the course as old instructors rotate out.
      • Two-Stage Exams as an Extension of Peer Learning

      • PST2D06
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Kristi Concannon
      • Type: Poster
      • The process of peer instruction is crucial in helping students to identifyand confront their misconceptions and to critically apply the fundamental principles learned in lecture to different and more complex situations. In most cases, though, peer learning ends at exam time. I have recently begun implementing two-stage exams in my courses under the premise that learning can and should take place throughout the entire semester, not just in compartmentalized chunks; hence, exams can both be an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they have learned and an opportunity for students to continue to increase their understanding of the course material. In this poster, I will describe the two-stage exam process and comment on my observations of its effect on student attitudes and student learning.
  • Other

      • A Continuing List of Climate Myths

      • PST1C01
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Gordon Aubrecht
      • Type: Poster
      • This continues the series of posters on climate myths.
      • SSEP: District Wide STEM Competition Mimics How Science Is Done

      • PST1C03
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by James Flakker
      • Type: Poster
      • With the help of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education(and others), we secured a mini-lab and transportation to and from the International Space Station. Then Berkeley Heights Publics Schools implemented a Science Experiment Design Competition to mimic how scientists compete for grants and the ability to carry out their experiment. Starting with a “Call for Proposals” for students grade 6-12 in our district to design an experiment that can test a physical, biological or chemical system in an environment seemingly without gravity. With over 1000 students participating, the winning experiment was selected and flew to ISS for six weeks this past winter.
      • Longitudinal Flow of Student Test Scores at the Campus Level

      • PST1C05
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Matthew Guthrie
      • Type: Poster
      • From 2003 to 2011, every student in the Texas public school system from third to 11th grade took the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). We analyze the student scores for the mathematics portion of this test using a nonlinear, nonparametric model inspired by fluid mechanics for the study of semi-deterministic data. This model has been used to highlight characteristics in the TAKS data set that might not be observed using other analytic techniques. For example, one previous analysis of TAKS using our model showed that a statewide initiative caused statistically significant gains in test scores for affected students. If we observed this effect at the state level, can we observe similar effects at the campus level? This poster will detail the extension of our model to campus level data, in particular by analyzing schools with similar demographics but differing pedagogical methods.
      • I-PERSIST: Combining STEM Course and Student Life Mentoring at a Technical University*

      • PST1C07
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Peter Persans
      • Type: Poster
      • I-PERSIST is a peer mentoring program in which disciplinary mentoring is integrated with student life and counseling in the first semester of calculus, physics, and chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Rensselaer is a technological university at which over 80% of the degrees granted are in STEM fields. Approximately 32% of the first year class in fall 2014 were female and 14% were underrepresented minorities. Rensselaer strives to increase these fractions and improve degree completion rates. I-PERSIST provides a supportive environment for all students, but a major goal is to improve the success of STEM under-represented groups. The disciplinary portion of I-PERSIST is fully integrated into each introductory course and usually has a percentage of the course grade associated with it. We will discuss the structure of the mentoring portion of our courses, recruiting and training peer mentors, and outcomes of mentoring for both mentees and mentors.
      • Sweet Experiments in Physics and Optics with Candy Glass

      • PST1C09
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by William Heffner
      • Type: Poster
      • We present a collection of hands-on experiments and home-built apparatus designed to explore physics and “real” glass science through a common and accessible sugar glass also known as hard candy. Experiments are all low-cost and inter-related and include: synthesis, phase diagram, refractive index measurement, nano-carbon fluorescence and crystallization phenomena, as well as apparatus for differential thermal analysis, electrical conductivity and “optical fiber” drawing. Most of the experiments can be assembled in a high school or college lab with minimal cost. The scientific content of these experiments progresses systematically, providing an environment to develop an understanding of glassy materials and participate in the process of scientific inquiry and discovery through experimentation, within a framework of active prolonged engagement.
      • Physics Principles in the Bathroom

      • PST1C11
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Russell Poch
      • Type: Poster
      • Have you ever wondered how a roll of toilet paper can be useful for illustrating basic physics principles? The answer to this question and other non-censored physics principles displayed in the bathroom will be illustrated.
      • Novel Physics Demonstrations for Easy Learning

      • PST1C13
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Ravin Kodikara
      • Type: Poster
      • Physics is an interdisciplinary science providing an important framework to better understand the complexities of many disciplines in science and technology. Comprehending and applying the basic principles of physics is therefore paramount to success in any science-related field. However, many students even at the collegiate level struggle to grasp seemingly undemanding physics-based concepts (author’s observations). For an example, the simple idea of "equilibrium of forces" explained using force diagrams could be a challenge for many students. This project describes several demonstrations developed to make physics concepts more accessible and understandable to students. These presentations will help students get an actual "feeling" of the concepts while encouraging them to investigate the ideas further. The setups are designed to be thought provoking thereby providing a platform for follow-up discussions. Additionally and most importantly, certain demonstrations have a combination of multiple theories and concepts to reveal cross-relationships among different fields and to promote inquiry.
      • Modern Physics for General Education Students: Teaching “Claims, Evidence, Reasoning”

      • PST1C02
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Andrew Pawl
      • Type: Poster
      • One of the most important goals of a general education science course is to teach students what it means to provide quantitative and/or experimentally-grounded evidence for a claim and how to explain the reasoning that links the evidence to the claim. The historical development of the three pillars of Modern Physics (kinetic theory, relativity, and quantum theory) provides a perfect context for teaching the Claims, Evidence, Reasoning framework of argumentation and at the same time supplies a motivation for introducing students to several core models of classical physics (particles, momentum, kinetic energy, electric energy and waves). In this presentation I describe an experimentally-grounded introduction to Modern Physics for a general education audience that was offered at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville for the first time in spring 2015. Laboratories, reading assignments, homework and exams all employed the Claims, Evidence, Reasoning framework in varying degrees. Course materials are available upon request.
      • Providing Feedback During an Exam to Enhance Learning

      • PST1C04
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Carl Schmiedekamp
      • Type: Poster
      • Studies have shown that students can learn during an exam if there are immediate feedback and iterative responding to the exam questions. Since the students in my classes were already using the WebAssign online homework system, I investigated using WebAssign for proctored, online exams. These techniques extend the immediate feedback and iterative responding to questions with numerical answers in addition to the usual multiple choice questions used in this way. Details of the scoring algorithms and preliminary results of using these techniques in an algebra based introductory physics course will be presented.
      • Assessing Student-led Discussions About Underrepresented Groups in STEM

      • PST1C06
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Libby Booton
      • Type: Poster
      • Equality Through Awareness (ETA) is a growing student club at the ColoradoSchool of Mines. ETA’s mission is to spread awareness and support for issues faced by underrepresented groups in STEM fields. In addition, ETA serves as an affinity group for the women in physics at Mines. One of the main components of ETA is a weekly meeting where students discuss an article related to underrepresented groups in STEM. Over the course of a semester, attendance has been monitored and the participants have been timed during the discussions to help the organizers better understand the participation dynamics of the group. This poster will explore the participation of men in a group focused on women and other underrepresented groups in STEM, and it will also explore how group dynamics are impacted when the role of the discussion leader is rotated each week.
      • How Can Lesson Study Promote Active Learning in College Physics?

      • PST1C08
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Sachiko Tosa
      • Type: Poster
      • University faculty members are often isolated in terms of discussing teaching strategies that are effective for helping students overcome difficulties in understanding the concepts they present. This study examines how a collaborative lesson planning and discussion scheme called Lesson Study can provide faculty in physics with a vehicle to discuss teaching in a content specific way. A symposium on Lesson Study and active learning was held in a college. Faculty’s attitudes towards collaboration and active learning strategies were measured by pre/post-program survey (N=32). The preliminary results indicate that the participants of the symposium feel more comfortable asking their colleagues questions about their teaching. The results also indicate that Lesson Study helps faculty see teaching in a more student-centered way. The effect of a content-rich discussion in the Lesson Study process will be further analyzed as a key factor for making the college-level Lesson Study sustainable.
      • Infared Imaging: Learning Physics from Cultural-Heritage Diagnostics

      • PST1C10
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Peppino Sapia
      • Type: Poster
      • Imaging techniques based on the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter play a key role in different fields, ranging from medical diagnostics to the diagnostics applied to the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. In the last case, Infrared Reflectography (IRR) constitutes a very useful investigation technique that allows non-destructively exploring the details underlying a painting or a pottery’s decoration. With a modified commercial digital camera and a bit of expertise, you can make an inexpensive device that can perform simple IRR, providing useful teaching suggestions for the discussion of the qualitative aspects of the interaction of radiation with matter. In this work, we present a sequence of didactical experiments performed with our home-modified camera - well suited for pre-college students -- aimed both to promote the qualitative learning of the radiation-matter interaction and the outreach of physics applications to fields of interest traditionally perceived as very distant from the empirical sciences.
      • Crafting Ray-Tracing Problems with Parabolic Reflectors Beyond the Paraxial Approximation

      • PST1C12
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Richard Zajac
      • Type: Poster
      • The pedagogical goals of geometrical ray-tracing with curved reflectors can be undermined by students’ numerical-only use of the mirror equation, especially in online environments where graphical work seldom gets submitted. We strategically generate ray-tracing problems involving large objects/images with true-parabolic reflectors for which the mirror equation’s paraxial approximation fails dramatically, making graphing strategies the least prohibitive means of obtaining a correct answer. The related problem space is mapped and useful areas of convergence are identified. We find that a strategic choice of parameters allows problems to be crafted for which a numerical submission alone is sufficient to verify the student’s correct application of graphical-only methods rather than numerical substitution into a formula. Such a purely numerical submission is ideally suited to online homework. The visible failure of the mirror equation in these problems is shown to impact students’ appreciation of the paraxial model under girding the mirror equation.
  • Physics Education Research

      • Characterizing Alternative Certification Candidates' Perceptions and Understandings of Physics Teaching

      • PST1E01
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Kathleen Falconer
      • Type: Poster
      • A reanalysis of the data from an earlier grounded theory study into alternative certification candidates' perceptions and understandings of physics teaching. Candidate beliefs and values about physics content and teaching are presented. Their views, perceptions, attitudes and beliefs about physics content and teaching were elicited through interviews with a variety of candidates from within the program, including new graduate students as well as recent graduates from the program. The alternative certification candidates’ perceptions of the teacher’s role in teaching physics and improving students’ understanding of physics content were explored with better understanding of physics content, reformed teaching and egalitarianism emerging as major themes. Implications for future physics teacher will be addressed.
      • College Student Conceptions About Buoyancy and Density

      • PST1E03
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by DJ Wagner
      • Type: Poster
      • We have developed taxonomies of alternate conceptions concerning buoyancy and density (see companion posters), and we are investigating the prevalence of many of those conceptions in the college student population at Grove City College (GCC) and other collaborating institutions. We conducted interviews with 14 GCC students during the 2013-2014 academic year. Additionally, students at GCC and collaborating institutions completed a Likert-style “conception survey” probing agreement with selected conceptions. This poster will present preliminary data from the interviews and conception surveys.
      • Delving Deeper: Exploring Differing Performance in Studio and Lecture Courses

      • PST1E05
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Caleb Kasprzyk
      • Type: Poster
      • Typical comparisons of normalized gains have shown improved performance onconcept inventories in a second-semester algebra-based studio-mode courses compared to a lecture-mode course taught by the same instructor with similar curricula. There could be several reasons for this increased performance; for example, students in the studio course could perform better on all topics or only particular topics. Here, we explore whether other recently promoted strategies for analyzing concept inventory data help us to better understand the differences between these courses. We apply both question-level gain and loss analysis and differential item functioning to our data set, which includes nine semesters of studio courses and four semesters of lecture courses. This work is supported in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation under grant DUE-1246024 and grant DUE-1347515.
      • Developing and Evaluating an Interactive Tutorial on Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with Single Photons

      • PST1E07
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Chandralekha Singh
      • Type: Poster
      • We are developing and evaluating a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) on a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with single photons to expose upper-level students in quantum mechanics courses to contemporary applications. The QuILT strives to help students develop the ability to apply fundamental quantum principles to physical situations and explore differences between classical and quantum ideas. The QuILT adapts visualization tools to help students build physical intuition about quantum phenomena and focuses on helping them integrate qualitative and quantitative understanding. We also discuss findings from an in-class evaluation. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • Developing Questions to Assess Causal and Correlational Reasoning Abilities

      • PST1E09
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Lindsay Owens
      • Type: Poster
      • There has been an increasing push for the refinement of curricula in university-level algebra-based and calculus-based physics classes to focus on reasoning skills in addition to content knowledge. This study gathers and analyzes data for determining the validity and reliability of four questions targeting college physics laboratory students’ causal reasoning and correlational reasoning abilites. A modified version of Weidenfeld, Oberauer, & Hörnig's (2005) causal stories assessment was used for two questions and served as a template for the other two. The literature suggests that students entangle causal and correlational scenarios claiming the presence of causal links to correlated variables. This study will serve as a starting point for a larger effort to target students’ causal and correlational scientific reasoning abilities within physics laboratory curriculum.
      • Does the Pedagogical Learning Bicycle Promote Transfer?*

      • PST1E11
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Claudia Fracchiolla
      • Type: Poster
      • Research has shown that transfer -- defined as the ability of applying what you learned in one context to a different context -- can be affected by instructional practices of framing learning context (Engel, et al. 2012). A physics course for future elementary teachers at Kansas State University is structured around the pedagogical learning bicycle (PLB). In this model students learn physics concepts and also learn about how kids learn those concepts. The PLB model frames students’ learning around their future careers as elementary teachers, which may promote transfer. In our research we investigate, through student survey and class observation, if the PLB can serve as an instructional model that promotes transfer by facilitating students to expansively frame their learning (Engel, et al. 2012).
      • Effect of Cues and Video Solutions on Reasoning and Correctness*

      • PST1E13
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Tianlong Zu
      • Type: Poster
      • Online videos are pervasive in our lives and have been used in instruction. Research has shown that visual cueing can be useful in facilitating learning. We investigated how visual cueing and video instructions affect students’ performance in solving conceptual physics tasks with diagrams. We conducted think-aloud interviews with students in an algebra-based physics class. Each interview contains four problems sets. Each set of problems contains one initial problem, training problems, a near transfer and a far transfer problem. Visual cues were given during the training session and a video solution to the task was provided after the training session based on the conditions. The effect of visual cueing and video instructions are compared. We will discuss how students’ reasoning and correctness were influenced in the two conditions.
      • Electrostatic Dimensional Transformations Constructed by Novice Physics Students

      • PST1E15
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Jaclyn Murray
      • Type: Poster
      • Visualization is the meaning-making of representation. Current models and theoretical frameworks neglect to explain a direct link between visualization and conceptual understanding. Findings acquired via empirical research are inconclusive; how best to utilize representation for the purpose of constructing internal visualizations (i.e. mental models) is unclear. An exploration into how introductory undergraduate physics students and pre-service middle school teachers visualize and comprehend electrostatic concepts in relation to representation across dimensional transformations is the focus of this investigation. Both visuospatial ability and initial electrostatics concept knowledge supplement participant construction of 3D representations from 2D schematics, and the design of 2D representations from 3D models. The overall question under examination is how do novice physics students represent electrostatics phenomena in two- and three-dimensions when provided a representation within another dimension? In other words, what strategies do novices employ to make sense of two- and three-dimensional representations?
      • Enrollment Fluctuation: Effect on Qualitative In-Class Data Analysis

      • PST1E17
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Andrew Mason
      • Type: Poster
      • Audiovisual data of an in-class group problem-solving exercise was taken during two different semesters of a first-semester introductory algebra-based physics course. The spring 2014 semester’s course reflected a distribution of majors typical of most semesters. However, a one-time unanticipated shift in enrollment occurred, from a plurality of life science majors in the spring 2014 semester course to a plurality of health science majors (who reside in a separate college from the Department of Physics and Astronomy) in the fall 2014 semester course. We examine qualitative data of lab group performance to examine whether certain trends appear consistent between semesters and which trends do not, e.g. stability of laboratory groups and ability to finish a more complex problem within an allotted time of 50 minutes.
      • Establishing Reliability When Coding for Resources

      • PST1E19
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Darrick Jones
      • Type: Poster
      • The resource-based model of cognition has helped provide physics educatorswith a deeper understanding of the fine-grained mechanics of student reasoning. However, a multitude of studies that utilize the resource-based model of cognition rely strictly on qualitative analyses. While these studies are important and necessary, their nature limits the scope of knowledge that we can gain using the resource-based model of cognition. Adopting a mixed methods approach can help us uncover and communicate patterns in data that we would not be able to find if we only used a qualitative approach. To adopt a mixed methods approach, we must develop coding schemes to reliably code for resources. In this poster we present a coding scheme for identifying resources and discuss how we have achieved reliability using these methods.
      • Evaluation and Evolution: Twenty Years of Studio Physics at Rensselaer

      • PST1E21
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Peter Persans
      • Type: Poster
      • Since its introduction in 1993, nearly 1,000 STEM students per semester have taken either calculus-based Physics 1 or Physics 2 in some variety of “Studio Physics" at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. As introduced, Studio Physics integrated short lectures, collaborative group work, and experimental activities into two 2-hour classes per week for each of 20 sections taught in parallel. The goal of the Studio model was to more actively engage students in teaching themselves and one another. Physics 1 (Mechanics) has been maintained in a closely related format since that time. Starting in 2007, Physics 2 (Electromagnetics and Quantum Physics) has been taught in a variety of related models with the goal of increasing student engagement in student-centered, collaborative learning. We will report the effects of teaching model on both student performance and student course evaluations.
      • From Instructional Goals to Grading Practices: The Case of Graduate TAs

      • PST1E23
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • Teaching assistants (TAs) are often responsible for grading student solutions. Grading communicates instructors' expectations, thus TAs have a crucial role in forming students' approaches to problem solving in physics. We investigated the grading practices and considerations of 43 first-year graduate students participating in a TA training course. The study utilized four student solutions, selected to reflect expert and novice approaches to problem solving and to elicit conflicting considerations in assigning grades. TAs were asked to list solution features and to explain how and why they weighed the different features to obtain a final score. We will describe how discussions of grading practices in the course, as well as one semester of teaching experience, impacted how the TAs grade student solutions. We will relate our results to the findings of a larger study to understand instructors' considerations regarding the learning and teaching of problem solving in an introductory physics course.
      • Examining the Effects of Testwiseness Using the Force Concept Inventory

      • PST1E25
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Seth DeVore
      • Type: Poster
      • Testwiseness is generally defined as the set of cognitive strategies used by a student and intended to improve their score on a test regardless of the test’s subject matter. To improve our understanding of the potential effect size of several well documented elements of testwiseness we analyze student performance on questions present in the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) that contain distractors, the selection of which can be related to the use of testwiseness strategies. We further examine the effects of both the positive and potential negative effects of testwiseness on student scores by developing two modified versions of the FCI designed to include additional elements related to testwiseness. Details of the development of the modified versions of the FCI and the effect sizes measured in all versions of the FCI will be discussed.
      • Helping Students Solve Quantitative Physics Problems Involving Strong Alternative Conceptions*

      • PST1E27
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Shih-Yin Lin
      • Type: Poster
      • It is well-known that introductory physics students often have alternativeconceptions that are inconsistent with established physical principles and concepts. Invoking alternative conceptions in quantitative problem-solving process can derail the entire process. In order to help students solve quantitative problems involving strong alternative conceptions correctly, appropriate scaffolding support can be helpful. The goal of this study is to examine how different scaffolding supports involving analogical problem solving to influence introductory physics students’ performance on a target quantitative problem in a situation where many students’ solution process is derailed due to alternative conceptions. Three different scaffolding supports were designed and implemented in calculus-based and algebra-based introductory physics courses involving 410 students to evaluate the level of scaffolding needed to help students learn from an analogical problem that is similar in the underlying principles involved but for which the problem solving process is not derailed by alternative conceptions. We will present the findings.
      • How Would Multimedia Hints Affect Physics Problem Solving Performance*

      • PST1E29
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Xian Wu
      • Type: Poster
      • The long-term purpose of this study is to facilitate the creation of useful hints in computer-assisted instruction for a nearly infinite variety of problems involving graphs and figures. Since computer-assisted instruction usually involves auditory, text, or visual animation, the outcome of those different modalities should be tested. We recruited 144 pre-service elementary teachers for our study, which showed that different hint modalities enabled our participants to perform physics problem solving differently. According to our results, the Multimedia Learning Theory may need to be revised in order that we may provide improved guidance toward building effective assistance in order to facilitate physics problem solving.
      • Improving Knowledge Transfer Skills and Attitudes in Physics for Pre-Med Majors in an Hispanic-Serving Institution

      • PST1E31
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Liang Zeng
      • Type: Poster
      • Most professors at the University of Texas-Pan American, an Hispanic Serving Institution, perceive pre-med majors to have relatively weak backgrounds in high school physics and math and have little interest in learning physics at a deep level. They also feel that many students only want to get high grades so that the transcripts look good. The general physics courses consist of mechanics, fluids, heat, waves, sound, electricity, magnetism, optics, atomic physics, and nuclear physics. The prerequisite for the course is college algebra. Through implementing various teaching methods including curriculum alignment with MCAT standards, classroom demonstrations, problem-solving examples within various contexts, just-in-time teaching and psychological safety, we found that we can possibly improve student knowledge transfer skills and attitudes towards learning physics. The significance of this pilot research study is that it has potential to impact a significant number of pre-med students in learning physics at the college and university levels.
      • Influence of Learning in the School on Students' Energy Concepts

      • PST1E33
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Seo Bin Park
      • Type: Poster
      • Pupils construct concepts on energy, fundamental in science, in their everyday lives as well as learning in school. However, the meanings of abstract energy concepts are slightly different from those in a science context. We’d like to know how it affects the pupils’ concepts to learn energy in school. We examined the words elementary school students had associated, before and after the energy classes, in the viewpoint of those quantities, contents, and the structure of the mind map they have made. We also analyzed the relation between learning contents on energy at school with the conceptual change. We considered the students’ achievements as an important variable. We will draw up some implementations of energy education in the school; the importance and the role of formal education.
      • Learning Introductory Physics via Web-Based Tutorials and Scaffolded Prequizzes

      • PST1E35
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Seth DeVore
      • Type: Poster
      • Web-based tutorials based upon research in teaching and learning of physics can be a useful self-study tool for increasing exposure to expert like problem solving strategies in introductory physics in which the student population is generally quite diverse. One challenge with web-based self-study tools is that the level of student participation and engagement with these tools depends on how disciplined students are and what value they discern in learning from these tools. We developed both a set of web-based tutorials and scaffolded prequizzes designed to improve introductory students' understanding of physics. The scaffolded pre-quizzes mirror the structure of web-based tutorials developed via research and can be implemented in the classroom where participation from all students is easier to mandate. We discuss investigation of the effectiveness of the web-based tutorials and scaffolded prequizzes and weigh on the strengths and weaknesses of each intervention. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • Perceptions of Learning and Teamwork: Practice-based Introductory Physics

      • PST1E37
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by James Brian Hancock, II
      • Type: Poster
      • At Michigan State University, one section of a calculus-based introductoryphysics course for scientists and engineers has been transformed to focus on developing students’ use of scientific practices (e.g., developing and using models, designing experiments, using computational modeling) through participation in a community-based learning environment. We present qualitative data from interviews with students based on their participation in the calculus-based course, which we call Projects and Practices in Physics (P3). In this course, students learn core physics concepts by engaging with scientific practices. The researchers investigated student perceptions of learning through the practices developed in P3. Preliminary results on the perception and nature of teamwork and learning in this environment (and how those perceptions are connected) will be presented, as well as potential implications to consider when incorporating scientific practices and alternative teaching methods in undergraduate introductory physics courses.
      • Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together: Teachers’ Reasoning About Student Thinking

      • PST1E39
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Alicia Alonzo
      • Type: Poster
      • Learning progressions (LPs) – descriptions of increasingly sophisticated ways of thinking – are influencing materials for teachers. Underlying much of this work is a strong, though often tacit, assumption that students' conceptual thinking is theory-like and context-independent. Yet theoretical perspectives (e.g., naïve conceptions, knowledge-in-pieces) and empirical evidence suggest more fragmented models of student thinking. Interested in this potential mismatch, we explored how high school physics teachers reasoned about student thinking when presented with LP-based diagnostic information. While teachers were able to make sense of the LP perspective, they tended to treat student thinking about force and motion as less coherent. Each teacher switched among several different perspectives to interpret the information provided, with variation in the amount of structure they attributed to the “pieces” comprising understanding of force and motion. We consider how these results can inform LP-based professional development that leverages teachers’ multiple perspectives about student cognition.
      • Relating the Car and Passenger Problem to the FVA Test

      • PST1E41
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Jennifer Blue
      • Type: Poster
      • The Car and Passenger Problem, attributed to Patricia Heller, University of Minnesota, is notoriously difficult for students. (See Blue, Second Law or Real Forces? PERC 2013, and Blue, Examining Students’ Reservations about Forces, AAPT W2013.) Among the difficulties students have is confusion relating the direction of net forces to direction of acceleration, which is addressed by the FVA Test (Rosenblatt & Heckler, PRST-PER 7[020112], 2011). In this study, student performance on key questions from the FVA Test is related to performance on the Car and Passenger problem. Data was taken from 80 students in a second-semester calculus-based physics class, several months after their instruction on forces.
      • Student Ability Reasoning with Multiple Variables for Graphed/Non-Graphed Information

      • PST1E43
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Rebecca Rosenblatt
      • Type: Poster
      • Past findings analyzing student difficulties reasoning with data showed that in graphed and pictured cases students were much more likely to incorrectly reason about situations in which a variable has no relationship or an unknown (data is not conclusive) relationship with another variable. Expanding on this, students were given graphs with more data points and multiple trend-lines. Student responses about these more detailed graphs support original findings and allow for some additional distinctions. In addition, students were asked to create their own graphs. These graphs tended to be either a line graph with legend, like the graphs given in the original study, or a bar graph with clusters that showed the third variable. Students’ graph style did not affect their ability to answer line-graph questions. Lastly, I present the effects on student reasoning when a set of physical demonstrations equivalent to the pictured phenomena are used to show students the physical data.
      • Student-Made Video Solutions as Comprehension and Peer Instruction Tools

      • PST1E45
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Gerardo Giordano
      • Type: Poster
      • We describe the implementation of an assignment requiring students to record video solutions to homework problems in a college- level calculus-based introduction to mechanics. The videos are uploaded to the course website and available to all enrolled students. We expect that the level of understanding required in order to create an effective video presentation, and the element of peer instruction available to the other students, enhances the learning experiences of both the presenters and their audience. We investigate the effects of this tool on the students' comprehension by means of the Force Concept Inventory Test, regular exams, and a dedicated rubric.
      • The Development of Purdue’s Computerized Interactive Teaching Assistant (CITA)

      • PST1E47
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Cyrus Vandrevala
      • Type: Poster
      • Building off CPlite from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Purdue University developed the Computerized Homework in Physics (CHIP) system in 1997. Due to its success at Purdue, we are developing a Computerized Interactive Teaching Assistant (CITA) for the next generation of CHIP. We aim to extend the ideas behind the interactive examples created at UIUC, raising them to a higher level of interaction between the students and the online learning tool, by applying the current findings of multimedia learning and physics education research. Unlike most computerized homework systems for physics that only provide students with a "correct" or "incorrect" response to their answers, the CITA program will guide students through fundamental concepts and appropriate problem solving techniques. It will provide students with dynamic feedback to their responses, thus allowing them to learn from their mistakes as they analyze each problem.
      • Towards Understanding How Computation Influences Group Discourse in Introductory Mechanics

      • PST1E49
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Michael Obsniuk
      • Type: Poster
      • With the advent of high-level programming languages capable of quickly rendering three-dimensional simulations, the inclusion of computers as a learning tool has exploded in the classroom. Although work has begun to study the patterns seen in implementing and assessing computation in introductory physics, more insight is needed into the mechanisms by which groups of students come to view the computer as a useful tool for "doing" physics. In a newly adopted format of introductory calculus-based mechanics, called Projects and Practices in Physics, groups of students work on short modeling projects – which make use of a novel inquiry-based approach – to develop their understanding of both physics content and practice. Preliminary analyses of observational data of groups engaging with computation, coupled with synchronized computer screencast, demonstrate the different mechanisms groups employ in developing an understanding of physical concepts through computation.
      • Using Eye Tracking Technology to Study Motion Graphs

      • PST1E51
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Jennifer Docktor
      • Type: Poster
      • We will report results from a study that used eye tracking technology to investigate how introductory students and graduate students view and interpret motion graphs. Participants viewed several graphs of position, velocity, or acceleration versus time on a computer screen and were asked to match a region of the graph with a description of the object’s motion. We will compare performance on the questions with audio-recorded explanations and eye movements recorded using an eye tracker.
      • Using Primary-Trait- Analysis to Evaluate a Reformed Engineering Mechanics Course

      • PST1E53
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by David Beardmore
      • Type: Poster
      • While using a standardized concept inventory before and after instruction to evaluate a course is standard, previous research* shows that existing concept inventories are not appropriate for use with Matter and Interactions courses. As an alternative, we have utilized Primary-Trait-Analysis (PTA) since 2012 to evaluate our reformed Matter and Interaction Modern Mechanics course at Purdue University. To utilize PTA, we identified the core concepts (primary traits) covered within the course. With this technique, we then total the percentage points scored for each trait on each exam. Finally we normalize these scores by the test averages. This allowed us to judge the success of the course at teaching the different concepts. Results from multiple semesters will be presented.
      • Visual Cueing and Outcome Feedback Influencing Transfer, Retention, and Confidence

      • PST1E55
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Elise Agra
      • Type: Poster
      • Research has demonstrated that visual cueing and outcome feedback can facilitate problem solving. In this study, we investigate the effects of visual cues and outcome feedback on students’ performance on conceptual physics problems with diagrams. Students enrolled in an introductory mechanics course were individually interviewed using a think-aloud protocol. In one interview, students worked through four problem sets, each set containing an initial problem, four isomorphic training problems, a near transfer problem, and a far transfer problem. Students in the cued condition saw visual cues on the training problems, and students in the feedback condition were told whether their responses were correct or incorrect. The students returned after two weeks for a second interview, during which they solved the transfer problems from the first interview. We discuss the influence of both cueing and feedback on students’ confidence and performance on the training, transfer, and retention problems.
      • Using Students Ideas of Conditionals and Bi-conditionals to Probe Conceptual Understanding

      • PST1E02
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by David Maloney
      • Type: Poster
      • We provided students with a basic guide for conditional and bi-conditionalstatements and how to draw inferences from them. We then constructed a task format that required the students to determine the validity of a statement involving basic physics concepts, correct it if it was not valid, identify the statement as either conditional or bi-conditional, and then apply it to a physical situation. Students were then presented with a sequence of these tasks as homework assignments and test items. We report on the struggles the students had with two aspects of these tasks. First they had difficulty understanding the logical characteristics in the tasks, e.g. distinguishing conditionals from bi-conditionals and determining what could reasonably inferred from them. Second they had difficulty determining validity and type of statement that were about fundamental physics concepts.
      • Compartmentalization of Energy Concepts

      • PST1E04
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Timothy French
      • Type: Poster
      • We are interested in learning how students compartmentalize concepts related to the universal idea of energy. Often students segregate facets of energy to specific scientific domains. For example, heat and temperature are often put in the realm of chemistry, whereas translational kinetic energy is thought of as physics. Through semi-structured interviews with students and faculty, we hope to determine which facets of energy are pigeonholed into which scientific domains by categorizing and interpreting the language used by the interview subjects. We also hope to better understand the reasons behind this compartmentalization upon analyzing the interview transcripts and finding commonalities in the obtained responses. By learning more about how and why compartmentalization occurs, instructors can better understand and pinpoint the conceptual barricades that exist in order to efficiently and effectively break them down and increase student learning.
      • Developing and Evaluating a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial on a Quantum Eraser

      • PST1E06
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • We are developing and evaluating a quantum interactive learning tutorial (QuILT) on a quantum eraser for students in upper-level quantum mechanics. The QuILT exposes students to contemporary topics to quantum mechanics and uses a guided approach to learning. It adapts existing visualization tools to help students build physical intuition about quantum phenomena and strives to help them develop the ability to apply quantum principles in physical situations. The quantum eraser apparatus in the gedanken experiments and simulations students learn from in the QuILT uses a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer with single photons. We also discuss findings from a preliminary in-class evaluation.
      • Developing and Evaluating Quantum Mechanics Formalism and Postulates Survey*

      • PST1E08
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • Development of multiple-choice tests related to a particular physics topicis important for designing research-based learning tools to reduce the difficulties related to the topic. We explore the difficulties that the advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with quantum mechanics formalism and postulates. We developed a research-based multiple-choice survey that targets these issues to obtain information about the common difficulties and administered it to undergraduate and graduate students. We find that the advanced undergraduate and graduate students have many common difficulties with these topics. The survey can be administered to assess the effectiveness of various instructional strategies.
      • Does the Mathematical Complexity of Synthesis Problem Influence Conceptual Performance?*

      • PST1E10
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Bashirah Ibrahim
      • Type: Poster
      • A comparison was made between physics students’ conceptual performance andthe mathematical complexity of a synthesis problem. Three versions of the problem were designed with increasing levels of mathematical complexity. They all require two concepts, energy conservation, and projectile motion, for problem solving. A rubric was developed for categorizing the students’ actions into three levels: (i) recognition of appropriate concepts; (ii) commitment to follow up on the identified concepts; (iii) application of concepts. Scores were also allocated at each rubric level. The sample has an overall better conceptual performance on energy conservation than projectile motion. However, no significant interactions were observed between the students’ conceptual performance on energy conservation and the task’s mathematical complexity. A similar trend was noted for projectile motion. Mathematical complexity therefore does not seem to influence students’ performance in physics, specifically recognition and application of appropriate concepts, when handling the synthesis problem.
      • Effect of Manipulating Display Design on Students’ Reasoning*

      • PST1E12
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Bahar Modir
      • Type: Poster
      • Previous studies have shown that expert students attend to the relevant parts of a problem to activate the corresponding resources, while novice students attend to the irrelevant parts, which leads to activation of incorrect resources. In this study we investigate the role of different kinds of cues on students’ reasoning based on Wickens’ principle of compatibility and proximity. Cues can direct students’ attention to attend to relevant features on the diagram and activate the related resources; however, in addition to activating the relevant resources, students may activate other information based on their intuition or prior knowledge that corresponds to the irrelevant features on the diagram. In research on attention, manipulating different aspects of a display can also be interpreted as a kind of visual cue to facilitate the required perceptual process in the presented task. We investigate how different display designs and cueing attract subjects’ attention in processing visual information and activating appropriate resources to solve a problem correctly.
      • Elective Recitation Sections in Physics Freshman Service Courses

      • PST1E14
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Steve McCauley
      • Type: Poster
      • Students from 23 departments on the Cal Poly Pomona campus are required totake freshman physics service courses. Many of them struggle to succeed. Introductory physics courses at Cal Poly Pomona do not normally include any recitation sections focused on concepts and problem solving skills. We present data that we used to assess the effectiveness of elective recitation sections as we experimented with different formats.
      • Energy-->Momentum-->Force-->Kinematics: Redesigning the High School Mechanics Curriculum

      • PST1E16
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Alexander Robinson*
      • Type: Poster
      • While much of the early research on “misconceptions” focused on the rationality of these ideas, current physics curriculum materials and assessments emphasizing well-documented “misconceptions” about mechanics seek to “root out” students’ intuitive ideas and to replace them with the correct scientific ones. Yet by the time students enter high school physics classrooms, these ideas have worked well in over a decade of experience interacting with moving objects. Thus, over the past three years, we have engaged in iterative cycles of curriculum design research, exploring whether we can leverage (rather than root out and replace) students’ intuitive ideas about motion by reversing the order in which mechanics topics are typically taught in high school physics. Drawing on classroom videos, weekly video-recorded student cognitive interviews, and student responses to a multiple-choice diagnostic assessment administered five times each semester, we describe how student thinking develops using our redesigned curriculum.
      • Enrollment Fluctuation: Effect on Quantitative Assessment of Student Attitudes

      • PST1E18
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Andrew Mason
      • Type: Poster
      • An unanticipated fluctuation in student enrollment trends may influence students’ interpretation of and response to a given instructional interpretation, with respect to prior class sections for a given instructor. In an algebra-based introductory physics course for a given instructor, a one-time unanticipated shift in enrollment occurred, from a plurality of life science majors in the spring 2014 semester course to a plurality of health science majors (who reside in a separate college from the Department of Physics and Astronomy) in the Fall 2014 semester course. We discuss possible effects this fluctuation had on interpretation of quantitative pre-post data taken of student attitudes and force concepts, e.g. differences in pre-test data and whether trends hold by major from semester to semester. We also investigate whether any data trends are robust enough to withstand a one-semester enrollment fluctuation, and whether other demographic shifts may have occurred and/or influenced results.
      • Evaluating Teaching Assistant Actions in Recitations and Inquiry-based Labs*

      • PST1E20
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Matthew Wilcox
      • Type: Poster
      • Through the use of the Real-time Instructor Observing Tool (RIOT) we evaluate the effects of TA actions in mini-studios, which combine student- centered recitations with inquiry-based labs. TA actions observed include open or closed dialogue, passive or active observing, and clarifying or explaining to students. We observe multiple TAs teaching algebra-based first-semester physics labs to approximately 30 students per section. Individual TAs create an action profile that consists of the proportion of time spent on each action for that specific TA. These action profiles are found by averaging the duration of TA actions across multiple labs for a single TA. We explore the relationship between prevalent or non-prevalent actions to students’ normalized gains on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and their responses to the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS).
      • Exploring Student Reasoning Using Item Response Curves

      • PST1E22
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Alexander Axthelm
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of a larger project to study middle school teachers' knowledge of their students' ideas, the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership (NSF #0962805) has developed a multiple-choice survey on energy that has been administered to thousands of students. We analyze our results using a modified version of Item Response Theory which does not focus on correctness of answers but instead focuses on the ideas that students use when choosing their answers. In this talk, I will present a coding scheme which goes beyond the "correct/incorrect" paradigm, and looks at the possible lines of thought that could lead a student to a particular response. By comparing ideas used across many questions, we can conclude which resources are most productive for students. I use these results to describe productive student reasoning about energy on this survey.
      • Group Work in an IPLS Course

      • PST1E24
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Erin Scanlon
      • Type: Poster
      • In this poster session I will present data collected from observations of students working together to solve introductory physics problems. Introductory algebra-based physics courses composed mainly of students majoring in the life sciences at a small, liberal arts college in central Texas were observed. Data analysis focused on how students negotiate and work together to solve problems in a laboratory setting and to comparing students individual and group problem solving habits.
      • Growth Mindset In the Details: Overlapping Interests Projects in Physics

      • PST1E26
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Angela Little
      • Type: Poster
      • Growth mindset, an important construct studied mainly in psychology, has been shown to correlate with math improvement and success in K-16. Typically, the construct of growth mindset has been measured through large-N surveys asking students about whether it's possible to become more intelligent or talented. In this exploratory work, we ask: how might we adapt the construct of growth mindset to understand students' introductory college physics experiences? In particular, we draw on one-on-one student interviews to begin to develop a qualitative framework. This would allow for tracking growth mindset in the details to better understand what affects it. Our interviews also address Overlapping Interests Projects: in-depth projects where students bring together their core interests with physics to answer an open-ended question over a semester. Students complete these projects as part of their introductory physics experience, and we examine it as a place where growth mindset is most likely to develop.
      • How Does Laboratory Reform Affect Students’ Learning Attitudes?

      • PST1E28
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Zeynep Topdemir
      • Type: Poster
      • The Physics Education Research Group at Georgia State University has reformed the laboratory format of calculus-based introductory physics courses in order to improve students’ understanding. The redesign converted traditional three-hour experiments into one-hour tutorials and two-hour inquiry-based experiments. In the first hour, University of Washington tutorials are led by undergraduate Learning Assistants with the assistance of graduate Teaching Assistants (TA). For the remaining two hours, TAs guide students in inquiry-based experiments with a main goal of improved conceptual understanding. Over 150 students in the first course in the sequence (mechanics) and completed the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) and Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) pre- and post-instruction before the lab reform in the fall 2013 and after lab reform in fall 2014. This study will compare the shifts in students’ learning attitudes before and after the redesign in order to examine how learning attitudes change. We also report the effect of the redesign on learning gains as seen from FCI scores. This study reveals the effects of the laboratory reformation on students’ attitudes and conceptual understanding in introductory.
      • Impacting Self-Efficacy Through Overlapping Interests Projects in Introductory Physics

      • PST1E30
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Vashti Sawtelle
      • Type: Poster
      • Educational psychology studies have linked self-belief constructs to success in STEM, including self-efficacy (the belief in one’s ability to succeed at specific tasks) and growth mindset (seeing intelligence as something that can be developed through dedication and effort). However, most of the work with these constructs uses traditional psychology large-N quantitative studies that show that change happens without describing in qualitative detail the mechanism by which it happens. This presentation will focus on efforts to develop a framework to explore these mechanisms. We build from a case study of experiences in an in-depth course project that was completed in conjunction with an introductory physics course. We present evidence from this case that even a student who sees herself as competent in the sciences, still sees physics as particularly difficult. We will explore the ways in which this overlapping interests project created opportunities to impact students’ sense of competence in physics.
      • Improving Students' Understanding of Lock-In Amplifiers*

      • PST1E32
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Seth DeVore
      • Type: Poster
      • A lock-in amplifier (LIA) is a versatile instrument frequently used in physics research. However, many students struggle with the basic operating principles of a LIA which can lead to a variety of difficulties. To improve students' understanding, we have been developing and evaluating a research-based tutorial that utilizes a computer simulation of a LIA. The tutorial is based on a field-tested approach in which students realize their difficulties after predicting the outcome of simulated experiments involving a LIA and check their predictions using the simulation. Then, the tutorial guides and helps students develop a coherent understanding of the basics of a LIA. The tutorial development involved interviews with physics faculty members and graduate students and iteration of many versions of the tutorial with professors and graduate students. The student difficulties and the development and assessment of the research-based tutorial are discussed.
      • Integrating Scientific Practices into Introductory Physics Assessments

      • PST1E34
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by James Laverty
      • Type: Poster
      • The Physics and Astronomy Department at Michigan State University recentlybegan to redesign its introductory physics courses. At the center of this transformation effort is an attempt to include scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas in the assessments and instruction of the courses. As part of a research effort, we have been developing the Three-Dimensional Learning Assessment Protocol (3D-LAP) to characterize how assessments used in introductory courses change over time. This instrument provides criteria by which scientific practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas can be identified within assessment items. Additionally, this instrument can be used to help write new assessment items or improve existing ones. This poster will focus on the 3D-LAP and using it to track changes in assessments over time as well as to build assessment items that incorporate all three dimensions.
      • Negotiating Positionings within Small Groups in Introductory Physics

      • PST1E36
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by May Lee
      • Type: Poster
      • To provide opportunities for students to engage meaningfully with core disciplinary concepts and practices in physics, an introductory calculus-based mechanics course was designed so students collaborated in small groups to solve complex story problems. Our research focuses on how collaboration between group members affects their opportunities to learn and do physics. Qualitative methods were used to analyze video-recorded small group discussions over a three-week period. The dynamics of the social interactions between group members were analyzed through positioning theory (Davies & Harré, 1990). Preliminary findings indicate that group members seemed to position themselves as capable of doing physics. Additionally, each group member was positioned by his or her peers and/or instructor as either more or less knowledgeable in doing physics. As a work in progress, we report on how students negotiate these positionings from multiple sources.
      • Professional Development of Physics Teacher Leaders in a Professional Learning Community (PLC)

      • PST1E38
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Smadar Levy*
      • Type: Poster
      • A physics teaching team at WIS enacts a PLC of physics teacher-leaders leading 10 regional PLCs of high-school physics teachers (200 teachers) all over Israel. The PLCs aim to develop student-centered and engaging teaching. Using a "fan model" led by the WIS team, 25 physics teacher-leaders meet every two weeks for four hours throughout the year preparing the consecutive meetings of their PLCs. Prior to these meetings, the teacher-leaders engage as learners in research-based teaching strategies; implement customized-versions in their classes; reflect collaboratively with peers on evidences from their practice; and conceptualize the learning process. These stages act as a model for running their own PLCs and are supported there by insights gained in the previously described process. Research indicates that the teacher-leaders develop a strong sense of community; deepen physics knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK); and acquire leading skills. The rational and the model will be elaborated.
      • Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) on Quantum Key Distribution*

      • PST1E40
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Seth DeVore
      • Type: Poster
      • We are developing and assessing a quantum interactive learning tutorial (QuILT) on quantum key distribution to expose students to contemporary applications of quantum mechanics. One protocol used in the QuILT on quantum key distribution involves generating a shared key over a public channel for encrypting and decrypting information. One protocol uses single photons with non-orthogonal polarization states, while another protocol makes use of entanglement. The QuILT actively engages students in the learning process and helps them build links between the formalism and the conceptual aspects of quantum physics without compromising the technical content. Details of the development and assessment will be discussed.
      • Self-Regulation and Performance in Introductory Physics

      • PST1E42
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by John Stewart
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster examines the degree to which students regulate their study activities and time-on-task in calculus-based introductory physics. Ten years of class performance data from a large public university is combined with self-reported time-on-task and study behavior data collected using a survey instrument. The degree to which student behavior evolves within the semester due to the stimuli of either low or high test grades is presented. The changes in student time use and behavior patterns are also investigated longitudinally as the course studied underwent revision. Students regulate their reported study time for exams as a result of varying exam grades but there is little evidence of regulation of the time investigates in other behaviors such as working homework.
      • Student Engagement: Looking Beyond the Classroom

      • PST1E44
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Brian May
      • Type: Poster
      • Measuring student engagement is often looked at as an in-class activity only. However, looking at students’ involvement in their courses beyond the classroom reveals hidden dynamics factoring into students’ learning. Course Networking (CN) is a course management system (CMS) designed to provide a medium for students to engage socially/academically outside of the classroom. In our study, we utilized both qualitative and quantitative research techniques to evaluate each student’s engagement outside of the course. By comparing this evaluation to the students’ respective grades we hope to determine if there is any correlation between CN use and final course grade.
      • Students' Own Words: The Automated Analysis of Constructed Response Project

      • PST1E46
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Matthew Steele
      • Type: Poster
      • Constructed response questions (short-answer, open ended items) have the potential to provide insight into student thinking about the core concepts of STEM fields. The Automated Analysis of Constructed Response (AACR, www.msu.edu/~aacr) Research Group is focused on making these assessment tools more accessible to instructors of large enrollment courses by 1) developing a research-based body of constructed response questions addressing a wide range of STEM topics, 2) constructing a system to automatically analyze these items, and 3) fostering Faculty Learning Communities at multiple institutions to support instructors employing the AACR products in their classrooms. In this poster we discuss the goals and current work of the ACCR Research Group, with emphasis placed on the new work in physics and astronomy.
      • The Effects of Formative Feedback in Introductory Physics

      • PST1E48
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Paul Irving
      • Type: Poster
      • An important focus of the Projects and Practices in Physics (P^3) classroom at Michigan State University is the development of scientific practices. However, it is difficult for students to learn scientific practices, such as communicating scientific information or constructive argumentation, without feedback based on observing students engaging in these practices. As part of the instruction in P^3, students are provided with written feedback that is aimed at guiding the students in the appropriation of scientific practices. Through interviews, we examine student's reflections on their interpretation of the purpose of the feedback and what effect if any it had on their participation. Through observational analysis using video of the P^3 classroom, we also interpret the effect that feedback had on each group. By understanding how students respond to feedback, we can investigate how it aids in the appropriation of scientific practice and the development of an identity as a scientist.
      • Unpacking the Reasoning behind Newton’s Second Law

      • PST1E50
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Eugene Torigoe
      • Type: Poster
      • A recent article by Fredlund et al described the importance of the unpacking of complex physics representations. One particular example of a concept that has been condensed over time is the concept underlying Newton’s second law (N2L). There has been a large body of research demonstrating student difficulties with N2L. One aspect of that difficulty is the complex network of reasoning underlying the equation F_net = m*a. In this poster I will show my attempt to unpack the lines of reasoning underlying N2L. I will also give examples of how I use it as a visual guide to practice reasoning with N2L.
      • Using Peer Review to Improve Laboratory Report Writing

      • PST1E52
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Scott Bonham
      • Type: Poster
      • Technical writing is an important skill for science and engineering students. We have used examples, rubrics and scaffolding to teach writing. We conducted a trial using peer review followed by self-revision, potentially powerful tools for developing writing skills. Students in two physics lab sections submitted formal lab reports each week to the instructor, while in two other sections students wrote four formal reports for peer review, revision, and final submission to the instructor, with brief reports the other weeks. We found that the quality and improvement of writing over the semester of the peer review group generally comparable and in a few areas superior. The majority of both groups thought the peer review approach more effective and preferable, and it also reduced instructor workload. Both data and student feedback indicated that helping students to provide quality, critical feedback to each other is critical for an effective peer review system.
  • Physics Education Research II

      • “Because Math”: Epistemological Stance or Defusing Social Tension in QM?*

      • PST2E01
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Erin Ronayne Sohr
      • Type: Poster
      • Often in environments where students are collaboratively working on physics problems, students need to manage social conflict alongside grappling with conceptual and epistemological differences. At the University of Maryland, our PER group has been developing QM tutorials to help students more carefully navigate between classical and quantum models. In this presentation, we document several outlets that students use as tools for social framing and managing social conflict. These resources include epistemic distancing, humor, playing on tutorial wording, and looking ahead to subsequent questions. Our data come from video-records of a focus group at the University of Maryland, where students work through a tutorial on the Particle in a Box. We see evidence of students using mathematics in ways that may normally be interpreted as indicating an epistemological stance, but are actually used as a means of defusing social tension.
      • “Tiered,” Conceptual iClicker Recitation Introductions

      • PST2E03
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by David Blasing
      • Type: Poster
      • At Purdue University we are testing a method of interactive engagement in an introductory electricity and magnetism course (that has about 300 students per semester, primarily from the engineering departments). This course has weekly, 50-minute recitations, where students answer sophisticated problems in small groups of three or four. Starting in the fall of 2013, at the beginning of roughly half of our recitations, we began introducing these sophisticated problems conceptually with series of 4-6 conceptual, “tiered,” iClicker questions. These series are administered by a graduate teaching assistant during the first 15 minutes. In the remaining 35 minutes, the students continue to use these concepts in their small groups to solve the same problems as their peers in recitations without the iClicker introductions. Our goal is understand which style of recitation is most effective for helping our students learn as measured by BEMA gains and course performance.
      • A Taxonomy of Conceptions About Buoyancy

      • PST2E05
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by DJ Wagner
      • Type: Poster
      • Numerous studies, dating back at least as far as Piaget, have used buoyancy to probe students’ understanding of density. A few studies have instead probed students’ understanding of buoyancy in terms of pressure, buoyant force, and Archimedes’ Principle. In this poster, we present an overview of our buoyancy conception taxonomy. Included conceptions were collected both from prior studies involving subjects having a variety of ages, and from our own interviews and assessments given to college students.
      • AACR: Automated Analysis of Constructed Response Physics and Astronomy Questions

      • PST2E07
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Matthew Steele
      • Type: Poster
      • Multiple-choice questions have long been a staple of student assessments and education research instruments. Often these items are used not because they provide the best window into student understanding, but because they provide the lowest cost per data point. The Automated Analysis of Constructed Response (AACR, www.msu.edu/~aacr) Research Group is working to provide instructors with greater insight into student thinking by building a system to automate the analysis of constructed response (open-ended, short-answer) questions. In this poster we describe the process of developing machine-scorable constructed response questions that assess some of the foundational concepts in physics and astronomy. Specifically we focus on the creation and testing of items investigating student conceptions of energy and light's role as data carrier.
      • Analysis of Acquisition and Difficulties of Students Related to 'Sound'

      • PST2E11
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Park Hana
      • Type: Poster
      • This study planned to find any characteristics of students’ concepts, after the researcher teaches a unit of "Sound of nature" which is based on a national elementary school curriculum. In this study we intended to find the characteristics of acquisition process about the concepts of sound. And for this study, we hoped to find some areas in which students feel difficulty, and if they feel difficulty, to learn what the cause is. The researcher from this study is to understand the concept acquisition process of sound of the third grade elementary students. In addition, by analyzing the degree of difficulty associated with learning about sound, to provide implications to teaching.
      • Assessing Gender Differences in Students' Understanding of Magnetism

      • PST2E13
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Chandralekha Singh
      • Type: Poster
      • We investigate gender differences in students' difficulties with concepts related to magnetism using a multiple-choice test whose reliability and validity have been substantiated earlier. We also conduct individual interviews with a subset of students to get a better understanding of the rationale behind their responses. We find that females performed significantly worse than males when the test was given both as a pre-test and post-test in traditionally taught calculus -based introductory physics courses. In the algebra-based courses, the performance of females was significantly worse in the post-test but there was no statistical difference in the pre-test performance of males and females. We discuss possible reasons for these differences. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • Assessing the Maryland Learning Assistant Program

      • PST2E15
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Chandra Turpen
      • Type: Poster
      • This presentation gives an overview of findings from the first four years of running a Learning Assistant (LA) program[1] at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). At UMCP, LAs have supported educational transformation efforts across 12 different science courses and engaged 22 different instructors in research-based educational practices. In assessing the impact of this program on LAs, we have replicated CU-Boulder’s finding that LAs’ conceptual understanding is improved through participation in the LA program (~10% average absolute gain on FMCE[2]) [3]. We are investigating the longitudinal impacts of the LA experience on LAs and how LA programs may be cultivating change agents. We find that many of our former LAs continue to be involved in some teaching and work to change how learning environments are structured. LAs also report that their experiences in the program were transformative for the ways that they thought about teaching and learning science.
      • Changes in Student Reasoning about Graphical Work During Introductory Physics

      • PST2E17
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by John Thompson
      • Type: Poster
      • In a study on student understanding of graphical representations of work, students in introductory calculus-based physics were presented with a force-position graph (F-x) that showed two different mechanical processes with identical initial and identical final values for force and position. The task, to compare the works done in each case, was administered at three points along the two-semester instructional sequence to probe differences in student responses and reasoning and compare findings to results from analogous questions in thermodynamics. Response prevalence varied little across administrations; however, the reasoning students used showed variation. Analysis of reasoning used showed a higher use of “area under the curve” for a correct response, and a more prevalent invocation of “path independence” or “conservative forces” for the major incorrect interpretation, with instruction. These findings support earlier speculation that thermodynamics students associate work with conservative forces due to introductory instruction.
      • Correlating Students’ Use of Multiple Representations on the FMCE

      • PST2E19
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Trevor Smith
      • Type: Poster
      • Studies show that students solve problems differently if they are posed verbally or graphically [1]. Similarly, class average scores on the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) often differ for questions involving verbal statements about forces and those involving graphs of force over time [2]. We expand on this work by examining individual students’ responses to two question clusters on the FMCE (Force Sled and Force Graphs [2]) and seeking correlations between student use of both correct and common incorrect models. Data are drawn from pre- and post-instruction surveys at several institutions, including a four-year research-intensive university and a two-year college.
      • Discovering Mechanics Problems with Dependent Responses in a MOOC

      • PST2E21
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Trevor Balint
      • Type: Poster
      • We searched for pairs of problems that students answer similarly in the MIT’s MOOC 8.MReVx. We plan to use such pairs, or groups of pairs, to identify skills that students actually use to solve problems. To avoid false dependencies that arise when skillful (unskillful) students answer both problems correctly (incorrectly), we divided the students into ability-based groups using three sorting methods: skill from Item Response Theory, success rate on attempted problems, and success rate on all problems. The results show similar trends for all three methods, with each method yielding consistent numbers of dependent problem pairs well above chance. We will discuss our findings, implications for instruction, as well as our plans to cluster the pairs of problems and identify the types of skills associated with each cluster.
      • Exploring One Aspect of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Physics Instructors and Teaching Assistants Using the Force Concept Inventory*

      • PST2E23
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • The Force Concept Inventory (FCI) has been widely used to assess student understanding of introductory mechanics concepts by a variety of educators and physics education researchers. One reason for this extensive use is that many of the items on the FCI have strong distractor choices that correspond to students’ alternate conceptions in mechanics. Instruction is unlikely to be effective if instructors do not know the common alternate conceptions of introductory physics students and explicitly take into account students’ initial knowledge state in their instructional design. Here, we discuss research involving the FCI to evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of both instructors and teaching assistants (TAs): knowledge of introductory student difficulties related to mechanics as they are revealed by the FCI. We used the FCI to design a task for instructors and TAs that would provide information about their knowledge of common student difficulties and used FCI pre-test and post-test data from a large population (~900) of introductory physics students to assess this aspect of pedagogical content knowledge of physics instructors and TAs. We find that while both physics instructors and TAs, on average, performed better than random guessing at identifying introductory students’ difficulties with FCI content, they did not identify many common difficulties that introductory physics students have, even after traditional instruction. Moreover, the ability to correctly identify students’ difficulties was not correlated with the teaching experience of the physics instructors or the background of the TAs.
      • Foothold Principles for Teaching Physics

      • PST2E25
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Nicole Ruszkay*
      • Type: Poster
      • Physics educators are all familiar with laws or guiding principles in physics. When we were students in innovative introductory physics and biology courses, we developed a deep understanding of the guiding principles of physics and came to value such frameworks for reasoning about the world. When we began making sense of teaching as Learning Assistants at Maryland, we decided that we should have a similar set of guiding principles for our teaching. In this presentation, we will share the set of consensus “foothold” principles that we iteratively developed for guiding our teaching practice including: 1) Don’t give students the solution, help them to get it themselves; 2) Know the materials you are going to teach, but be willing to admit when you don’t know; 3) Notice where your students are coming from; 4) Make learning a social/dialogic activity; and 5) Build personal connections with your students.
      • How Physics Tutorials Activate Student Metacognition and Facilitate the Use of Argumentation

      • PST2E27
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Ozden Sengul
      • Type: Poster
      • At Georgia State University, we have initiated a collaborative research study with two other universities to explore successful instructional strategies for the implementation of studio physics in the algebra-based physics classes. As part of this study, we are interested in the basic features that are present in research-based course materials and their impacts on the development of students’ metacognitive knowledge. We looked for the specific features of research-based physics tutorials from the literature and did content analysis in order to explore how tutorials helped non-major students develop metacognitive skills and utilize argumentation while working in small group work activities. We analyzed transcriptions of video-recordings of seven small group work discussions to identify students’ metacognitive behaviors and understand how these behaviors are associated with the use of argumentation and students’ learning.
      • Influence of Elementary School Students’ Everyday Experiences on Heat Concepts

      • PST2E29
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Hyunjung Kang
      • Type: Poster
      • There are many studies examining how everyday experiences influence the formation of students' scientific concepts. However, current studies investigating how and what everyday experiences influence the formation of concepts regarding thermal phenomena are insufficient. We aimed to determine the kinds of activities that either help students form accurate thermodynamic concepts, or hinder their construction. We were also curious as to whether students' textbooks reflected experiences that were familiar to them. We therefore investigated fifth grade students’ experiences with thermal phenomena, and analyzed the relationships of those experiences to associated science concepts, by developing a questionnaire about scientific phenomena, students' everyday experiences, and the connection between these two. From students' responses to these questionnaires, we determined the features of everyday experiences that were useful for students’ understanding of scientific concepts. We also evaluated students' science textbooks to determine whether they made use of explanations of phenomena that were easy to understand.
      • Investigating Student Difficulties with Time dependence of Expectation Values in Quantum Mechanics

      • PST2E31
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Chandralekha Singh
      • Type: Poster
      • Quantum mechanics is challenging even for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. In the Schrödinger representation, the wave function evolves in time according to the Time-Dependent Schrödinger Equation. The time dependence of the wave function gives rise to time dependence of the expectation value of observables. We have been exploring the difficulties that advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with time dependence of expectation values in quantum mechanics. We have developed and administered conceptual free response and multiple-choice questions to students to investigate these difficulties. We also interviewed 23 students individually using a think-aloud protocol to obtain a better understanding of the rationale behind students’ written responses. We find that many students struggle with time dependence of expectation values of observables. We discuss some findings. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • New Electricity and Magnetism Assessment for General Physics

      • PST2E33
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Michele McColgan
      • Type: Poster
      • A new 30-question conceptual electricity and magnetism assessment for the freshman physics sequence was developed at Siena College. The assessment went through several iterations. Student pre- and post- results over several years were used to adjust the wording of questions and the question difficulty. The assessment and student normalized results are presented.
      • Outcome of Exposure to Advanced Topics in General Physics Classes

      • PST2E35
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Sunil Dehipawala
      • Type: Poster
      • The variation of science interest and general performance by physics students due to exposure to advanced topics in physics were studied. Two sections of the same physics course were taught by the same instructor. Students in one section participated in group study of advanced material. Another section of the same course was taught with traditional lectures. Both groups were taught identical physics concepts each week. Course objectives of both groups were assessed by quizzes, exams, and concept inventories (FCI), as well as student assessment of learning gains (SALG) and science learning attitude (CLASS) surveys. At the end of the semester, the understanding of basic physics, problem solving skills, attitudes towards physics and science interest levels of both groups were compared to determine whether exposing students to more advanced physics with real-life applications can help improve students’ basic physics knowledge, interest, and attitude towards physics.
      • Preparation for Future Learning: Troubleshooting or Problem Solving? Findings

      • PST2E37
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Edit Yerushalmi
      • Type: Poster
      • Troubleshooting activities engage students in diagnosing/explaining embedded mistakes in teacher-made erroneous solutions for physics problems. We hypothesized that students engaged in troubleshooting activities (aided by principle-based prompts and sample diagnoses when reviewing their own diagnoses) would outperform students engaged in problem-solving activities (aided by sample solutions when reviewing their own solutions) in their preparation for future learning: understanding of the concepts required to solve these problems, as well as inclination to self-repair one's understanding when reviewing his/her work. We will describe the findings of a comparison between two groups of 10th graders from the Arab sector in Israel, one performing troubleshooting activities and the other problem-solving activities in the context of geometrical optics We will present an analysis of students' articulations that manifest self-repair when reviewing their own work, aided by instructors' diagnosis of an erroneous solution as well as analysis their performance on transfer problems.
      • Preparing Students for Physics-Intensive Careers in Optics and Photonics

      • PST2E39
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Benjamin Zwickl
      • Type: Poster
      • Initial results will be described from an ongoing study that is investigating both academic and industrial career paths in optics and photonics. By grounding the discussion of workforce development in education research, we can have more productive discussions and a more accurate understanding of contentious topics such as skills gaps, shortages of skilled STEM workers, and similarities and differences between academic and industrial careers. The study is refining our understanding of the broad skills needed for success and how specific math, physics, and communication skills are utilized in academic and industrial labs. The information should inform physics departments seeking to link their curriculum with students' future careers and serve as a case study for linking physics education research with national priorities in workforce development.
      • Reforming Introductory Physics and Chemistry Sequences at a Large Research University through Interdepartmental Collaborations

      • PST2E41
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Ameya Kolarkar
      • Type: Poster
      • The Physics and Chemistry departments at Auburn University are collaborating on a number of levels related to reformed instruction in the introductory sequence. Interdisciplinary STEM education ideas are being introduced through collaborative in-class lessons and a co-designed Learning Assistants program is being implemented. Collaborative lessons help students see the inter-connectedness between the STEM courses that they previously saw as isolated from one another, while the Learning Assistants from their own and other connected disciplines facilitate these transformations. These reforms have been situated both in active group learning spaces built in the SCALE-UP model, as well as traditional large lecture halls. Another experiment conducted related to student learning in physics courses is the “student-sourcing” of exam problems in which students create their own exam problems. Preliminary findings indicated that those students involved in creating their own problems showed greater improvement than the rest of the class on the student-sourced exams. They also showed higher performance on the non-student-sourced final exam.
      • Students Reading a Physics Textbook: Evidence from Eye Tracking

      • PST2E43
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Marina Malysheva
      • Type: Poster
      • The ability to read and comprehend scientific texts is important for students. The interrogation method, a question-based reading strategy, was developed to help students to learn and perfect this ability. We use this method in a reformed introductory physics course at Rutgers University. The students are presented with text-based questions as part of their weekly homework, as well as exams. They are prompted to read a section of the textbook and write a short essay explaining why a particular scientific assertion is true (or false). We use eye-tracking technology to explore students' behavior and attention when they work on this task. This study investigates the strategies employed by students, the differences in their reading patterns, and their attention to different parts of the text. We present the results of our analysis of the data, and discuss the implications for development of effective learning material.
      • Students’ Explanations of the Dirac Delta Function During Group Problem-Solving

      • PST2E45
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Leanne Doughty
      • Type: Poster
      • Upper-division physics courses require the use of sophisticated mathematics. In introductory physics, studies have shown that students often lack conceptual understanding of calculus concepts and struggle to implement calculus tools. Research into students’ understanding and use of mathematics in upper-level courses is in its early stages. To further this research, we have observed students engaged in group problem-solving during weekly recitation sessions for an upper-division electricity and magnetism course. Early in the course, one task required students to use a Dirac delta function (DDF) to write an expression for the charge density on the surface of a charged hollow cylinder. We report on two group discussions where different students gave a variety of explanations about the purpose of a DDF in this context. By examining these explanations, we can determine the types of understanding students’ have about DDFs and which are most productive for their use in physics contexts.
      • Teachers’ Pedagogical Decisions When Facing Gaps in Content Knowledge

      • PST2E47
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Gregory Kranich
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership (NSF #0962805), we havestudied a group of middle school teachers’ modifications of curriculum materials, and their developing of common assessments for measuring student understanding. A team of teachers has made modifications to problematic areas of a force and motion unit, placing a new emphasis on a conceptual development of ideas that were found to be missing, specifically uniform and non-uniform motion. We observe a shared discomfort with the concept of acceleration, the implications of its sign, an inherent coordinate system choice, and whether an object is speeding up or slowing down. In this talk, I will discuss how teachers’ ideas about the sign of acceleration affected their choices for planned instruction and assessment of student understanding.
      • Word Problems and Student Commitment to Solving Them

      • PST2E49
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by A. Tabor-Morris
      • Type: Poster
      • In mathematics classes, students are often heard to complain about word problems. Mathematics teachers then sometimes even feel guilty about “torturing” students with these types of problems. Yet problems in real-life situations, that is, the types of situations that students are most likely to encounter in life, are almost always in the format of word problems, with information issued verbally or in a written format. Word problems are essentially the only type of problem presented in physics assignments. Based on the literature, types and creation method factors from a mathematics teaching point of view are presented. Discussion is made and suggestions for applications of these ideas in the creation of physics word problems.
      • Traditional Physics Versus IPLS: Comparing Student Interest and Engagement*

      • PST2E51
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Tessa Williams**
      • Type: Poster
      • Swarthmore College life science students take a traditional first semesterphysics course, but have the option of taking an innovative Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences (IPLS) course in the second semester. This curricular structure presents a unique opportunity to compare students’ experiences across these different instructional environments. We have used multiple conceptual and attitudinal survey instruments, and have interviewed a number of students over the course of the year, in an effort to assess students’ evolving relationship with physics across these two different experiences. In this talk we present some of our findings from these survey and interview data, comparing epistemological and affective features of students’ experiences across the traditional and IPLS environments. This comparison allows us to identify some of the features that students find especially engaging about the IPLS course in particular.
      • Utilizing Informal Science Programs to Understand and Promote Connections Between Physics Identity and Racial Identity*

      • PST2E53
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Simone Hyater-Adams
      • Type: Poster
      • The mission to increase diversity in STEM fields has been taken up by manyoutreach programs across the country, especially in the physical sciences. A common structure of these programs involves dominant members of the field attempting to reach out to populations in non dominant cultures, and few if any studies have been done to determine the impacts of this approach. These programs may be improved given an understanding of how cultural backgrounds affect a student’s ability to identify as a scientist. Using an established research-based informal science program at the University of Colorado Boulder, Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Community (PISEC), we are conducting studies to explore the possible connections and disconnections between students’ cultural backgrounds and their identification as physicists. Integrating the work of Zahra Hazari on student Physics Identity and Na’ilah Nasir on Racialized Identities in learning environments, we offer a conceptual lens to examine the relationship between racial and physics identities. Through a process of reviewing the program and documenting its capacity to develop a student’s interest and identity in science, we create a preliminary framework to examine the identity negotiations of students of color in informal physics learning environments.
      • “Classical-ish”: Negotiating the Boundary Between Classical and Quantum Particles*

      • PST2E02
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Benjamin Dreyfus
      • Type: Poster
      • Developing physical intuition about quantum mechanics can seem like a departure from our everyday experience of the physical world, but we build new ideas from our existing ones. In this presentation we examine video data from a focus group doing a tutorial about the “particle in a box.” In reasoning about the properties of a quantum particle, the students bring in elements of a classical particle ontology, which are evident not only through the students’ language but through their use of gestures. But this is modulated by metacognitive moments in which the group explicitly takes up questions of whether classical intuitions are valid for the quantum system. Through this reflection, the students find some cases in which classical ideas can be usefully applied to quantum physics, and others in which they directly contrast classical and quantum mechanics. Negotiating this boundary is part of the process of building quantum intuitions.
      • A Study on Science Teaching-Learning Methods Based on Smart Learning and Group Inquiry Teaching Model related to the Instruction of ‘Weight Unit’

      • PST2E04
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by KIM JI YE
      • Type: Poster
      • Inquiry teaching model allows students to experience lessons that enable them to pursue research and arrive at a generalization themselves, and in this regard, can be considered effective in strengthening the problem solving ability of students. Smart learning makes learner-oriented education through the data communication learning environment using smart devices. This study of science teaching-learning methods related to the instruction of ‘Weight Unit’ applies smart learning and group inquiry teaching model, and its purpose is to design a lesson model for science class of elementary School and to study how it shall be able to analyze the effect on elementary science studies and to draw positive response from students. There are three points to note on the results of this study. First, test applying smart learning and group inquiry teaching method were able to draw interest and improved learning attitude from the participating students. Second, test applying smart learning and group inquiry teaching method showed improved knowledge of the participating students on fundamental concepts and theories. Third, test applying smart learning and group inquiry teaching method resulted in an improved cooperation and a strengthened problem-solving ability of the participating students.
      • A Taxonomy of Conceptions About Density

      • PST2E06
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Ashley Miller
      • Type: Poster
      • Conceptions concerning density have been the subject of many studies, dating at least as far back as Piaget. These studies have probed many aspects of density understanding in various domains. In this poster, we present a taxonomy of conceptions about density. The conceptions described in this taxonomy have been identified by prior studies and/or our own interviews and assessment results.
      • Aligning Course Outcomes to Marketplace Skill Demands Using GAP Analysis Methodology

      • PST2E08
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by C. Phillips
      • Type: Poster
      • Engineering faculty at NorthWest Arkansas Community College use project-based learning to create an entrepreneurial, curriculum- based, skills development learning environment. Undergraduate students taking the Introduction to Engineering course are given the opportunity to learn the different aspects of a career in the engineering field while gaining valuable professional experience in collaborative project research and design methods. During the past two years, faculty have engaged in the functional design of curriculum based on prerequisites. Alignment of courses is done by using the newly developed GAP Analysis-Skills creation assessment, which integrates the project-based learning program level requirements, those of the course learning outcomes and those of the market-driven "Skill Quality Levels." The program level outcomes are measured with the GAP Analysis Methodology in order to ensure desirable Skill Quality Levels prior to delivery in the marketplace.
      • Analogous Patterns of Student Reasoning Difficulties in Introductory Physics and Upper-Level Quantum Mechanics

      • PST2E10
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Emily Marshman
      • Type: Poster
      • Very little is known about how the nature of expertise in introductory andadvanced courses compares in knowledge-rich domains such as physics. We develop a framework to compare the similarities and differences between learning and patterns of student difficulties in introductory physics and quantum mechanics. Based upon our framework, we argue that the qualitative patterns of student reasoning difficulties in introductory physics bear a striking resemblance to those found for upper-level quantum mechanics. The framework can guide the design of teaching and learning tools. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation.
      • Aspects of Factor Analysis Applied to the Force Concept Inventory

      • PST2E12
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Matthew Semak
      • Type: Poster
      • The application of factor analysis to the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) has proven to be problematic. Some studies have suggested that factor analysis of test results serves as a helpful tool in assessing the recognition of Newtonian concepts by students. Other work has produced at best ambiguous results. We report on our analysis of over 500 pre- and 400 post-tests. The factor structure is more pronounced in the post-test with a more readily identifiable association between factors and physical concepts.
      • Assessing the Efficacy of Computer Coaches for Problem Solving

      • PST2E14
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Evan Frodermann
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster describes a study to measure the educational impact of computer problem-solving coaches in an introductory physics class, taking into account the multiple challenges provided by the difficulty of measuring students’ problem-solving skills, constructing appropriate comparison groups, and managing the many factors that may block or mask such skills in student performance. Experimental design, data analysis, and results are presented. This work was partially supported by NSF DUE-0715615 and DUE-1226197.
      • Background and Perspectives on the CSU Learning Assistant Program*

      • PST2E16
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Mel Sabella
      • Type: Poster
      • The Learning Assistant (LA) Program at CSU involves undergraduate STEM majors as facilitators in the introductory chemistry and physics classes. As LAs, CSU STEM majors participate in a pedagogy course where they explore different methods of instruction with peers, Chicago area High School Faculty, and CSU Faculty. LAs then apply these methods in a classroom setting working alongside the course instructor. LAs are given the opportunity to solidify their content understanding, build communication skills, and help other students tackle challenging coursework. Students enrolled in introductory courses can improve their understanding of the topics and be motivated by working with experienced undergraduate students. In this poster we describe the CSU LA Program from the standpoint of the LAs and describe how the expertise of High School teachers is utilized to build effective instructional practices. The CSU LA Program is based on the University of Colorado LA Program.
      • Classroom Technology and Belonging Among Underrepresented Students

      • PST2E18
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Margaret McAdam
      • Type: Poster
      • Students from underrepresented groups (e.g. historically marginalized groups, first generation college students and students from lower socioeconomic status) may experience feelings of self-doubt and question their abilities to succeed at college [1]. These experiences contribute to the persistent achievement gap in higher education and quantitative fields such as physics [e.g. 1, 2, 3]. We conduct a mixed-methods study investigating the experience of students from underrepresented groups with technology in the classroom. Through digital literacy surveys and in-depth interviews with students at a large public research university, we specifically explore students’ perceptions of technology in the classroom, their ability to effectively use this technology and potential challenges such as access or familiarity. We further investigate whether the use of digital technology in the classroom enhances or hinders students’ senses of belonging (feelings of affiliation and identification with the institution) in quantitative/STEM fields.
      • Developing a Protocol to Assess Instructional Artifacts in Physics

      • PST2E20
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Robert Zisk
      • Type: Poster
      • Content knowledge for teaching (CKT) is a practice-based theory of the professional knowledge that a person needs to be able to carry out tasks of teaching in the classroom (Ball, Thames and Phelps, 2008). One such task of teaching is developing instructional materials and assessments that meet the goals of instruction. This poster will describe the development process of a protocol that we developed to assess such artifacts from the CKT point of view. We provide examples of artifacts collected from teachers used in their units on mechanical energy. These artifacts will be used to illustrate how the coding scheme captures differences in both the content of the artifacts and the types of tasks the students must complete. Finally, initial results from coding of artifacts from 10 teachers will be compared to other measures of teachers' Content Knowledge for Teaching Energy.
      • English Skills for Physics

      • PST2E22
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Stephen March
      • Type: Poster
      • English skills are vital for students in learning physics. This poster shows the result of research into which English skills are the most important for success in a physics class. It also includes examples of motivational strategies used to motivate students in developing the necessary English skills.
      • Exploring One Aspect of Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Teaching Assistants Using the Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics*

      • PST2E24
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • The Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics (TUG-K) is a multiple choice test developed by Beichner in 1994 to assess students’ understanding of kinematics graphs. Many of the items on the TUG-K have strong distractor choices which correspond to students’ common difficulties with kinematics graphs. We evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of first year physics graduate students enrolled in a teaching assistant (TA) training course related to topics covered in the TUG-K. We used the TUG-K to design a task forTAs that would provide information about their knowledge of common student difficulties and used the TA data and the data from Beichner’s original paper for introductory physics students (which was collected from over 500 college and high-school students) to assess this aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of the graduate students, i.e., knowledge of student difficulties related to kinematics graphs as they are revealed by the TUG-K. We find that, although the graduate students, on average, performed better than random guessing at identifying introductory student difficulties on the TUG-K, they did not identify many common difficulties that introductory students have with graphs in kinematics. In addition, we find that the ability of graduate students to identify the difficulties of introductory students is context dependent and that discussions among the graduate students improved their understanding of student difficulties related to kinematics graphs. Moreover, we find that the ability of American graduate students in identifying common student difficulties is comparable with that of foreign graduate students.
      • PhysPort: Supporting Physics Teaching with Research-based Resources

      • PST2E26
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Sarah McKagan
      • Type: Poster
      • Physics education researchers have created research results, teaching methods, curricula, and assessments that can dramatically improve physics education. PhysPort (www.physport.org) is a one-stop shopping place for ordinary physics faculty to find resources for research-based teaching and assessment. First released in 2011 as the PER User's Guide, PhysPort has undergone re-branding, redesign, and expansion, including many new resources: overviews of over 50 research-based teaching methods and over 40 research-based assessment instruments, Expert Recommendations, the Virtual New Faculty Workshop, the Periscope collection of video-based TA training and faculty professional development materials, and the Assessment Data Explorer, an interactive tool for faculty to get instant analysis and visualization of their students’ responses to research-based assessment instruments including the FCI, BEMA, and CLASS, and compare their results to national averages and students like theirs. The development of PhysPort includes research to determine faculty needs and usability testing to ensure that we meet those needs.
      • If Energy Is Always Conserved, Then Why Do We Care About Saving It?*

      • PST2E28
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Abigail Daane
      • Type: Poster
      • “Sociopolitical energy” (the energy used to generate electricity, run automobiles, etc.) and “physics energy” are not typically connected in K-12 and university education. Physics energy is conserved; the same quantity of energy exists at the end of any process as at the beginning. Sociopolitical energy is used up; it becomes unavailable for use in performing the same tasks again. We asked learners (5th, 9th, and 12th grade students, as well as pre-service and in-service teachers) to answer the question, “If energy is always conserved, then why do we care about saving it?” We analyzed learner responses about the relationship between these two apparently disconnected concepts and argue that learner ideas are resources for learning about the principle of energy conservation.
      • Investigating Student Difficulties with Dirac Notation

      • PST2E30
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Chandralekha Singh
      • Type: Poster
      • Quantum mechanics is challenging even for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Dirac notation is a convenient notation used extensively in quantum mechanics. We have been investigating the difficulties that the advanced undergraduate and graduate students have with Dirac notation. We administered written free response and multiple-choice questions to students and also conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 23 students using a think-aloud protocol to obtain a better understanding of the rationale behind their responses. We find that many students struggle with Dirac notation and they are not consistent in using this notation across various questions in a given test. In particular, whether they answer questions involving Dirac notation correctly or not is context dependent. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • Mathematical Bottlenecks in Solving Physics Synthesis Problems*

      • PST2E32
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Lin Ding
      • Type: Poster
      • Differing from textbook-like single-concept exercises, synthesis problems require students to coordinate and apply multiple concepts in concert to reach a successful solution. This means that students need to have a sufficient mastery of individual concepts, be able to recognize their relevance to the task at hand, and be able to jointly apply such concepts. In an effort to empirically identify and remediate students’ difficulties at these key steps, we find that mathematical complexity, inherent in quantitative problems, is yet another possible bottleneck that hinders students’ success in tackling synthesis problems. A study was conducted, containing three student groups, each of which solved one version of a problem involving the same set of physics concepts but at different levels of mathematical complexity. Although the three groups performed similarly in their application of physics concepts, their approaches to handling math equations (substitution/isolation of variables) differed consistently with the complexity level.
      • Online Concept Inventories: How Easy Is It To Cheat?

      • PST2E34
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Patrick Kelley
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of a larger study investigating the equivalency of out-of-class use of online concept inventories to in-class use of pencil/ paper versions of the same concept inventory, we began studying how easy it is for students to cheat on an online concept inventory. As part of this study, we invited two groups of students to take an online version of the FCI. With the first group of students, we encouraged them to look up the answers online in an unproctored environment. The second group of students completed the online version of the FCI in a proctored environment. For both groups, we collected data on how long it took students to answer each question, as well as keeping track of any different websites they visited to obtain the answers. We were able to determine this by using monitoring software to monitor students’ activities while taking the online concept inventories.
      • Further Investigations into the Effectiveness of Collaborative Group Exams

      • PST2E36
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Joss Ives
      • Type: Poster
      • I will report on two years of results of a study designed to measure the effectiveness of an instructional strategy known as two-stage exams or collaborative group exams. This exam format first has the students take the exam individually. Once all the students have handed in their individual exams, they organize into collaborative groups of three or four and take the same exam again with only a single copy of the exam being given to each group. Different versions of the group exam feature different subsets of the questions from the individual exam. Questions isomorphic to the exam questions were administered on the end-of-course diagnostic and comparisons, using the relevant isomorphic question, are made between the students that saw a given question on the group exam and those that did not.
      • Preparation for Future Learning: Troubleshooting or Problem Solving? Methodology

      • PST2E38
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Sawsan Ailabouni
      • Type: Poster
      • Troubleshooting activities engage students in diagnosing/explaining embedded mistakes in teacher-made erroneous solutions for physics problems. We hypothesized that students engaged in troubleshooting activities (aided by principle-based prompts and sample diagnoses when reviewing their own diagnoses) would outperform students engaged in problem-solving activities (aided by sample solutions when reviewing their own solutions) in their preparation for future learning: understanding of the concepts required to solve these problems, as well as inclination to self-repair one's understanding when reviewing his/her work. We will describe the methodology used to examine this hypothesis, comparing two groups participating in on-line year-long interventions, a troubleshooting and a problem-solving intervention, both focused on the same problems. Students' performance before and after the interventions were examined using the double transfer methodology: Solving a transfer problem after studying a learning resource: instructors' diagnosis and correction of an erroneous solution to an isomorphic problem.
      • Probing Students' Understanding of Sizes and Distances in the Universe

      • PST2E40
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Vinesh Rajpaul
      • Type: Poster
      • The Introductory Astronomy Questionnaire (IAQ) was translated into Norwegian and given in modified form to (i) 42 pre-service science teachers at the largest teacher-education institution in Norway, before and after instruction of an astronomy module, and (ii) 922 high-school students at different schools in Oslo, the Norwegian capital, 557 of them age 12-13 (before instruction of a physics/astronomy module), and 435 of them age 14-15 (post instruction). This poster presents a ranking task that probed students’ understanding of sizes and distances in the universe, along with detailed results. Unexpected findings include significant fractions of high-school students – both before and after instruction – thinking that the radius of the Earth is smaller than the height of the Earth’s atmosphere (>55%), that the Pole star is contained within the Solar System (>60%), and that planets are larger than stars (>40%). The pre-service teachers fared better pre-instruction, and also showed more significant gains post-instruction.
      • Researching Ourselves: How Are We Helping Faculty to Change their Teaching?

      • PST2E42
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Alice Olmstead
      • Type: Poster
      • Faculty professional development (PD) workshops are a primary mechanism used to increase the adoption and adaptation of research-based instructional strategies (RBIS). PD workshops draw in many physics and astronomy instructors and serve a critical role in changing instructional practices within our community. Our research focuses on two of the largest and longest-running workshops for faculty: the New Physics and Astronomy Faculty Workshop and the Center for Astronomy Education Teaching Excellence Workshop. We are developing a real-time professional development observation tool to document what happens during workshops. We reveal opportunities to improve these PD efforts through increased awareness of instructors’ experiences and prior knowledge. We assume that all instructors have some pedagogical ideas that align with education research results, their “productive resources.” We analyze interviews to demonstrate the nature of these resources and consider how different PD practices create different opportunities for instructors’ resources to be built on.
      • Students’ Engagement in Modes of Collaboration While Solving Problems in Groups

      • PST2E44
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Alanna Pawlak
      • Type: Poster
      • Group work is becoming increasingly common in introductory physics classrooms. Understanding how students engage in these group learning environments is important for designing and facilitating productive learning opportunities for students. We conducted an exploratory study in which we collected video of groups of introductory physics students working on conceptual electricity and magnetism problems. In this setting, students must negotiate a common understanding and coordinate group decisions in order to complete the activity successfully. We observed students engaging in several distinct modes of collaboration while solving these problems. Closer analysis of these observations has been focused on identifying these different modes of collaboration and articulating what defines each one. We present preliminary analysis of a small number of videos that will inform future work, including identifying new modes and determining how different modes may be related.
      • Studying the Complex Roles in a A Multi-Institution Collaboration to Prepare Future Physics Teachers*

      • PST2E46
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Mel Sabella
      • Type: Poster
      • Diverse constituents in the physics education and science education community bring unique expertise to the preparation of future physics teachers. The PhysTEC Project centered at Chicago State University has engaged Two Year College (TYC) faculty and high school teachers as leaders in these efforts and has developed a joint effort with supportive faculty that are interested in common themes around physics education and preparing future teachers. These relationships were developed through informal lunchtime meetings, collaborative grant proposals, co-attendance at local and national conferences, and a multi-institutional Learning Assistant Program. Interviews with participating faculty suggest a diverse set of roles that they develop in the context of the project: consumer-collaborator, reciprocal collaborator, collaborator for building curriculum and resources, collaborator for informing about diversity, and collaborator for enhancing academic presence. In this poster we describe these roles and discuss how they can inform the development and sustainability of different types of partnerships.
      • The Challenge of Helping Students Learn: How Too Much Scaffolding Can Hinder Performance on Representational Consistency*

      • PST2E48
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • Prior research suggests that introductory physics students have difficultywith graphing and interpreting graphs. Here, we discuss their difficulties in translating between mathematical and graphical representations and the effect of increasing levels of scaffolding on students’ representational consistency for a problem in electrostatics. Ninety-five students in calculus-based introductory physics were given a typical problem that can be solved using Gauss’s law involving a spherically symmetric charge distribution in which they were asked to write a mathematical expression for the electric field in various regions and then plot the electric field. A preliminary small-scale study indicated that students have great difficulty in plotting the electric field as a function of the distance from the center of the sphere consistent with the mathematical expressions in various regions, and interviews with students suggested that what partly accounts for this difficulty is not understanding that the electric field is a piece-wise defined function with different behaviors in different regions. Therefore, two scaffolding interventions with levels of support which built on each other (i.e., the second level built on the first) were implemented in order to help them. The comparison group was not given any scaffolding support. Analysis of the student performance with different levels of scaffolding reveals that scaffolding from an expert perspective beyond a certain level may hinder students’ performance and they may not even discern the relevance of the additional support. We provide possible interpretations of these findings based on in-depth interviews with some students.
      • The Pedagogical Value of Conceptual Metaphor for Secondary Science Teachers*

      • PST2E50
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Abigail Daane
      • Type: Poster
      • The abstract nature of energy encourages the use of metaphorical language in educational settings. K-12 teachers and students use conceptual metaphors implicitly to express their ideas about what energy is or how it functions in particular scenarios. Attending to the use of conceptual metaphors in the classroom can expand teachers’ repertoire for formative assessment of student ideas. Yet science education research on analogies and metaphors has predominately focused on explicit, instructional analogies, rather than attending to such implicit, ubiquitous features of natural language in science. In a secondary science teacher professional development course, we observe teachers engage in an instructional activity designed to increase awareness of conceptual metaphor in everyday language and in descriptions of energy. These teachers come to value the application of conceptual metaphor in educational settings; they acknowledge that if they identify metaphors present in their students’ science language, they will better understand their students’ ideas about energy. We present possible mechanisms for teacher growth in learning and valuing the use of energy metaphors and illustrate how to support teachers in noticing, understanding, and valuing metaphors for energy.
      • Unpacking the Source of Student Interest in an IPLS Course

      • PST2E52
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Benjamin Geller
      • Type: Poster
      • Effectively teaching an Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences (IPLS) course means engaging life science students in a subject for which they may not have considerable preexisting interest. We have found that the inclusion of authentic life science examples supports students whose initial interest in physics is less developed, but that different examples and models vary in their effectiveness at engaging student interest. In this talk we begin to unpack this variability, exploring why some life science examples may be more successful than others at sparking and sustaining student interest. By analyzing data from (1) survey instruments assessing student interest in particular life science examples, and (2) interviews conducted with students before and after instruction, we identify features of our IPLS course that appear to be particularly important for fostering student engagement. We suggest that some of these features might also foster student interest in more traditional introductory physics courses.
      • What Are Students Learning In Your Lab Class? A New Tool to Find Out

      • PST2E54
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Natasha Holmes
      • Type: Poster
      • The AAPT recently endorsed a set of goals for physics laboratory curriculum. These goals, which focus on six skill-based areas, were published as guidelines and recommendations for developing laboratory curricula. I will present recent work on developing and validating an easily used test of these skills, a lab concept inventory. The test focuses on aspects of modeling and constructing knowledge, with emphasis on evaluating a physical model in light of measured data. I hope this poster will elicit feedback and input to help tailor the test to the needs of the community.
  • Post-Deadline (Poster)

      • The University of Maryland Electron Ring: A Compact Accelerator for Research and Student Training*

      • PST2F03
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Santiago Bernal
      • Type: Poster
      • The University of Maryland Electron Ring (UMER) is a low-energy, high-current machine for research and training in accelerator and beam physics. The ongoing program includes non-linear dynamics, collective effects, and diagnostics of high-intensity beams with potential applications for advanced new particle accelerators. UMER provides research opportunities not only to graduate students at the University of Maryland, but also to many undergraduate and high school students. Students develop electronics and instrumentation, design and measure magnets for focusing and deflecting beams, write software for data acquisition and control, and do beam simulations and experiments. We describe the basic physics behind UMER and some of the contributions from undergraduate and high school students.
      • Physics for Elementary Teachers; Student Framed vs. Traditional Approach

      • PST2F07
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Wendy Adams
      • Type: Poster
      • We will present a comparison of two very different approaches to teaching Physical Science Concepts to elementary teacher candidates. We have developed a course which is a deep look at the fundamentals of physics framed within student self reported confusion, learning and their wonderings. The literature shows that pre-service elementary teachers have lower personal interest than most, if not all, other populations that have been evaluated with the CLASS instrument. This is very concerning for the future students of these teacher candidates. In this poster data will be presented comparing this new approach with traditional instruction at our institution. Evidence of attitudes and beliefs, conceptual understanding and student opinion will be presented. We have found significant increases in personal interest of students and substantial learning gains when instruction is framed around topics the students are curious about.
      • Student Approach to Online Homework

      • PST2F13
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Andrew Cahoon
      • Type: Poster
      • The student approach to online homework assignments in introductory physics is reviewed. Attitudes, effort, and homework scores are correlated to exam performance. Student feedback comparing online and paper assignments are presented.The sample of students is primarily biology and exercise science students taking physics as a requirement for their major. We used Sapling Learning software for online homework assignments.
      • Identifying and Analyzing Actions of Effective Group Work

      • PST2F15
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Jennifer Keil
      • Type: Poster
      • Research indicates that cooperative learning leads to an increase in both student achievement and motivation. Yet, instructors often encounter difficulties facilitating group work, especially at the high school level. This study investigates the characteristics of collaborative learning groups participating in the Physics and Everyday Thinking High School (PET-HS) curriculum. Video data of groups engaging in PET-HS activities were collected from eight teachers piloting the curriculum, and salient characteristics of group interactions were identified. These characteristics were organized into a continuum rubric, which provides indicators to suggest the level at which groups are functioning. Reliability and consistency of this tool were assessed. The continuum rubric can then be utilized in the classroom to gauge the current state of group dynamics and inform future interventions to advance student groups along the continuum. Implications for assessing group dynamics, efficacy of interventions, and student achievement will be discussed.
      • First Experiences with Honors Physics in a Two-Year College

      • PST2F17
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Sherry Savrda
      • Type: Poster
      • This poster will describe the trials and tribulations of establishing an Honors Physics sequence at a two-year college. Details of planning and implementation will be provided. In addition, student projects that resulted from the course will be described. Successes, challenges, and plans for the future will be included.
      • Ideas of Astronomy and Physics Students

      • PST2F19
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Bethany Reilly
      • Type: Poster
      • Students in introductory courses of astronomy and physics were surveyed regarding their ideas about science, and in the case of the physics students, their understanding of physics concepts. Surveys were given at the beginning and end of the semester. Results are broken down by gender and whether the student is a STEM field major. The astronomy students mostly had no prior astronomy experience. They were asked about their impressions on the ease or difficulty of learning astronomy, as well as questioned regarding their ability to differentiate between astronomy and astrology. The physics students were in their second semester of physics. They were asked about their ideas regarding what it means to learn and do physics, as well as questioned regarding their knowledge of certain classical mechanics and electricity and magnetism topics.
      • Two Simple Projects from a Unique Optics Teaching Laboratory

      • PST2F25
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by John Noe
      • Type: Poster
      • The Laser Teaching Center at Stony Brook University is a unique educational environment in which young students (over half female) are introduced to research by creating and documenting simple but open-ended hands-on optics-related projects in collaboration with a mentor. (See my papers from ETOP 2007 in Ottowa.) We will describe two such recent projects by freshmen undergraduates that could be useful in more traditional instruction. Jasmine's project involved creating Maltese cross polarization patterns with readily available birefringent materials. Max's project provided an introduction to the rich optics of Fresnel diffraction by examining the light field near a 0.5 mm aperture with a 10x microscope objective. Other recent somewhat more advanced projects (some by full-time summer high school students) have involved the mode structure of HeNe lasers, the creation of Airy beams, and trapping forces in optical tweezers. The tweezers project was recognized by an Intel Finalist award, our third in 15 years.
      • The Effect of Reading Quizzes for Introductory Physics Courses

      • PST2F27
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Colleen Countryman
      • Type: Poster
      • Pre-class reading assignments have been a common feature of flipped classrooms. In this study, we investigate the educational impact of these reading quizzes by using two identical sections taught by the same instructor and given the same homework assignments and exams. The control section has no reading quizzes while the experimental section was asked to complete weekly online pre-class reading quizzes. As shown in the quantitative comparison of the daily Clicker questions and the exam grades of these two sections, the experimental section overall performed better than the control section. Survey data from the beginning and middle of the semester indicate that the majority of the students in the experimental section appreciate the benefits of the readings quizzes. We will also discuss how best to improve these reading quizzes in future implementations.
      • College Students’ Awareness About Pseudoscience and Understanding of Physics Concept

      • PST2F31
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Sungmin Im
      • Type: Poster
      • Promoting students’ scientific literacy has been one of the most importantobjectives of physics education at all levels, but many students can easily meet various pseudoscience such as clairvoyance, astrology through mass media like TV, Internet, newspapers, and so on. So it is necessary to identify what extent students believe in pseudoscience and how such beliefs may affect their learning physics. For this reason, the authors investigated students’ awareness about pseudoscience based on a previous study and also measured their understanding of physics concepts using the FCI. And then, the authors identified the correlation between the awareness about pseudoscience and the understanding of physics concepts. 101 freshmen from science and engineering in Korea were involved in this study. As a result, college students’ awareness about pseudoscience showed negative correlation with conceptual understanding of physics, but it had no correlation with typical misconception in physics.
      • HS/UG Observational Research at the UMD Observatory

      • PST2F33
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Elizabeth Warner
      • Type: Poster
      • In 2013, the UMD Observatory transformed its Explore the Universe class from a service-learning project into a hands-on, experiential research project for undergrads and high school interns. Each year since 1997, the UMD Observatory has hosted a small number of sophomores from the College Park Scholars Science Discovery and the Universe (SDU) program working on their capstone projects. The class, Explore the Universe, was originally designated as "Service Learning" because, in addition to the college students, there were also several high school students. The college students mentored the high school students through their science fair projects. Over the years, participation by college and high school students declined due to various reasons. During the 2012-2013 academic year, we had no students. This forced us to rethink how we carried out student research. We will present how we transformed the class and the research opportunities available at the UMD Observatory.
      • Nanoscience: Working with Matter at the Nano-scale

      • PST2F35
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Krithika Venkataramani
      • Type: Poster
      • Nanoscience is the study of physical phenomena and systems at the nanometer scale (1-100 nm). The current progression of technology toward miniaturization has made Nanoscience the most dynamic and rapidly evolving multidisciplinary field in applied physics. A study by NSF predicted that six million Nanotechnology workers will be needed by 2020 with two million in the U.S. alone. Nanoscience has already gained huge importance in higher education research. Many efforts are currently directed towards early engagement of students in exploration of Nanoscience topics in high school and undergraduate institutions using affordable bench-top state-of-the art nanoprobes. I will present in my poster various interesting aspects of nano-scale physics; important nano-characterization techniques; current state of research in some important areas; and finally, examples of a few successful initiatives undertaken by universities to integrate hands-on Nanoscience activities in their existing undergraduate curriculum.
      • Physics Wonder Girls: Sustaining Interest in STEM Among Middle School Girls*

      • PST2F37
      • Wed 07/29, 1:00PM - 1:45PM
      • by Roberto Ramos
      • Type: Poster
      • To contribute to sustaining the pipeline of girls interested in STEM, the broader impact component of an NSF-sponsored grant in condensed matter physics consisted of a novel Physics Day Camp for Middle School Girls in Central Indiana. Dubbed “Physics Wonder Girls,” the annual camp consisted of three full days of activities designed to intensity and sustain interest in physics of a select cohort of eighth grade girls identified by science teachers from the community. The camp has been offered free of charge over a period of three years on the campus of Indiana Wesleyan University. An inter-disciplinary student crew helped participants experience hands-on experiments, demonstrations, problem-solving, and activities surrounding different themes including building and operating a submersible, buoyancy, materials science, superconductivity, and nanotechnology. Other notable signatures of the camp include a women-only discussion led by a panel of female STEM researchers, a colorful classroom decorated with pictures and information about women STEM models and with encouraging adjectives buoying up girls' interest in STEM, and a capstone Physics Show given by participants to their families, friends and teachers. In this presentation, insights, observations and lessons learned regarding the mechanics of conducting such STEM programs for middle school girls will be shared. The Physics Wonder Girls camp has been cited nationally by the Society of Physics Students, by the local media, and is registered with the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP).
      • A Comparison of Co-Teaching Models in Large-Scale Introductory Physics Courses

      • PST2F01
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Jared Stang
      • Type: Poster
      • Co-teaching has been suggested as a method for dissemination of evidence-based teaching strategies and offers potential benefits for both students and faculty [1,2]. We report on two co-teaching arrangements, both involving non-PER (Physics Education Research) mid-career faculty being paired with PER faculty. Data was collected using a variety of methods, including in-class observations of instructor behaviours and student engagement, student surveys and diagnostic tests, and pre- and post-semester interviews with the faculty involved. The two arrangements adopted different co-teaching models. In the first, the instructors took a blocked approach, with a different instructor taking primary control of facilitation in each half of the semester. The second arrangement adopted a more explicitly collaborative approach, with multiple changes of control within each lecture. We will report on the differences and similarities in these two models, including instructor dynamics in the classroom, instructor perspectives, and the resulting student perspectives, engagement, and learning.
      • Correlating Student Backgrounds with Learning Gains for More Effective Comparisons

      • PST2F02
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Brent Barker
      • Type: Poster
      • Comparing learning gains between different offerings of the same course ishelpful for studying effectiveness of instruction. In small classes, fluctuations in student background can introduce confounding variables and make direct comparison difficult. In the present work, we correlate student backgrounds with learning gains on conceptual inventories in introductory physics and show a method for accounting for differences in student backgrounds.
      • Increasing Minoritiy Participation Through the LS-OKAMP Program at ECU

      • PST2F04
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Carl Rutledge
      • Type: Poster
      • For over 20 years, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program at East Central University in Ada, OK, has been helping increase the number of minorities (primarily Native Americans) in physics and astronomy going to graduate school. Methods and results will be presented.
      • PhysicsTeaching and Interests in India-- Review of Three Decades*

      • PST2F10
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Kasam Ramadevi
      • Type: Poster
      • It is quite obvious that a review of the interest in physical education among the student community for the past and present in any fast developing country like India may help the teacher community and might also help them in developing the nuts and bolts for fixing the system. In the present work the author reviewed and reported the above for the past three decades --1985-95, 1995-2005, and 2005-2015 in all 29 states of India. The simple statistical analysis was conducted on this data and the results were discussed. A steady significant growth in the interest in physical sciences among the students was observed during these three decades.
      • Student Ideas Around Vector Decomposition in the Upper-Division

      • PST2F14
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Anna Turnbull
      • Type: Poster
      • The Colorado Classical Mechanics/Math Methods Instrument (CCMI) is an open-ended assessment designed to investigate student skills in upper-division classical mechanics. With a large number of student responses compiled (N=443), we conducted an analysis of student-written work to identify student ideas and trends in student difficulties. Here, we present our examination of student responses to one CCMI question that targets vector decomposition in multiple coordinate systems. Through iterative and cooperative efforts to hand-code student responses, we identified common patterns in students’ final expressions, resulting in broad categories. We identified approaches to the problem inferred from features of student solutions. For example, when decomposing a velocity vector in a Cartesian coordinate system, we found that students either differentiated a position vector or used trigonometry to visualize the components. We observed that certain approaches more commonly resulted in particular errors. Investigating productive student approaches is a step towards pedagogical improvement.
      • Outcomes and Effects of a High School Physics Teacher Professional Development Program

      • PST2F16
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Donna Stokes
      • Type: Poster
      • Seventeen physics teachers participated in a year-long, intensive (120 contact hours), and sustained professional development program in physics at the University of Houston during the academic year 2014-15. The professional development program was focused on building physics teachers’ content and instructional skills, and was supported by peer mentoring, materials, and technology. The professional development program is a part of broader Community of Practice which involves University of Houston’s STEM Teaching Equity Project (STEP), College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Houston area school districts. Concept tests (electricity & magnetism, waves, and modern physics) and surveys of instructional strategies were used to document participants’ changes in cognitive and affective outcomes before and after the intervention. We will discuss the participants’ outcomes, and additionally share some unanticipated effects on physics faculty, which resulted from their active participation in the Community of Practice.
      • Development and Implementation of Tutorial-like Active Learning in Japan

      • PST2F18
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Yoshihide Yamada
      • Type: Poster
      • In Japan, reformations of physics classes influenced by Physics Education Research have been spreading only recently. The author, as a novice university teacher, developed an introductory optics curriculum (worksheets) based on Physics Education Research and has implemented it over the four years. These classes are provided as a course of general education. So the content of this curriculum was made concept-oriented and contains only popular topics such as rectilinear propagation of light, plane and curved mirrors, and convex and concave lenses. In addition, the technique of parallax is explicitly treated as an essential observation skill to locate an image, though it is uncommon in Japan these days. The class style is tutorials-like which follows Washington’s and Maryland’s. But it does not accompany a lecture class. It consists exclusively of group work. The gains of these classes were between 0.33 and 0.44. I will report the remaining problem on this curriculum.
      • Methods for Displaying Mobile Devices for Classroom Use

      • PST2F20
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Corey Gerving
      • Type: Poster
      • One of the challenges faced by users of mobile devices is how to project your screen for others to see. (Without this capability, many would argue that your mobile device is nothing more than an expensive notebook.) This poster will describe several different methods for institutions to implement to allow for maximum flexibility in the use of mobile devices on their campuses. It will also present the user with some easy options they can implement if they find themselves in need of a projection platform.
      • Metacognition Activities Infusion in Intro Physics: Effective and Simple

      • PST2F22
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Sara Julin
      • Type: Poster
      • Research shows that successful problem solvers actively practice metacognition. However, the self-monitoring and self-questioning that makes up metacognitive practice is largely private, and is rarely modeled or valued explicitly in high school and college STEM courses. Physics teachers face enormous challenges helping students develop metacognitive skills. If significantly evolved metacognition ability is a key to how people successfully learn, then how can we help students recognize, practice, and build on their emerging metacognitive skills? What kinds of manageable changes to instruction can help students improve these skills in the context of the learning physics? This poster discussion will highlight several strategies that I have used successfully in the introductory calculus-based course, with a range of students having very low to high entry skills. The presentation is intended to provide practical examples of instructional actions that can support metacognitive practice and be woven into the daily life of physics students.
      • Comparison of Active Learning Technologies vs. Traditional Lecturing

      • PST2F24
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Branislav Djordjevic
      • Type: Poster
      • Beginning with the fall 2013 semester, George Mason University began teaching first semester (PHYS-160) and second semester (PHYS-260) calculus-based physics courses in an ALT (active learning technologies) environment simultaneously with traditional lectures. Previous results of students’ performance comparisons consistently showed that ALT courses were more effective means for students’ learning than traditional lecturing. Average final grades, as well as the average exam grades in ALT courses regularly surpassed grades in traditional courses by 10-15%. We also cross-compared performance of our students in the PHY-260 course in all four combinations of students coming from PHYS-160 TRAD, or ALT course to either style of the PHYS-260 courses. We did our analysis for all available pairs of consecutive semesters starting from fall 2013 and ending with spring 2015. Results from this analysis clearly indicate that students’ performance is greatly improved through the ALT experience.
      • The Importance of Computational Physics Education: An Undergraduate Perspective

      • PST2F26
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Matthew Parsons
      • Type: Poster
      • The incorporation of computational physics coursework into the undergraduate curriculum is a challenge, but one that can't be ignored. Throughout my undergraduate career, my own experience with Drexel's curriculum in this area has proven to be invaluable in my development as a physicist. As a case study, I'll give my perspective as a graduating physics student with examples of computational coursework throughout my four years at Drexel.
      • A Key for Team Exams: Balanced Teams

      • PST2F30
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Hyewon Jang
      • Type: Poster
      • Assessments can be used to improve students' problem solving. However, current physics education using only individual assessment has limitations to improve students' achievement. A few studies have reported that the greater effect on student learning of collaborative testing, however, educational efforts for fair team exams were not fully addressed. We applied five blended exams to evaluate undergraduate students' physics problem-solving skills with two-step processes; an individual exam and then a team exam with instant feedback using an online response system. We find that team scores in team exams are significantly correlated with the average of individual scores, the standard deviation of individual scores, and the best-in-team student's score in a team. In our conclusion, forming balanced teams is the first condition for fairness and effectiveness in team exams.
      • Feline Statistics & Exponential Behavior

      • PST2F32
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Patricia Allen
      • Type: Poster
      • Many introductory and upper-level physics students have difficulty applying statistics to make meaningful comparisons between values, especially in laboratory settings. In addition, students are often uncomfortable using exponential functions to model growth or decay in physical systems. Information from AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) and APPA (American Pet Products Association) publications demonstrate large and small number statistics dealing with the total number and lifespans of owned felines in the United States. In contrast, controlling feral cat population (~# of owned cats) showcases the power of exponential behavior. Using these and other examples, the role of feline statistics and exponential behavior in appropriate courses will be presented and discussed, including some suggestions for student assignments.
      • Integrating Student Feedback into Inquiry-based Physics Laboratory Experiences

      • PST2F34
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Tracy Cator-Lee*
      • Type: Poster
      • Over the last decade interest in potential benefits of inquiry-based labs has increased substantially. George Mason University presently offers laboratories in both traditional and inquiry-based formats. In an effort to gauge students’ perceptions of these two distinct styles, assessments were created and given to students near the end of the spring 2015 semester. It has long been understood that traditional laboratories fail to engage students or activate their critical thinking skills. It is also known students may resent the extra work required to complete the inquiry-based format. By reviewing student feedback, the laboratory experience can be modified to maximize students’ enthusiasm. Through inquiry in the laboratory and feedback modifications, students will approach scientific questions and develop effective experimental strategies to resolve them.
      • Pathways to Solve an Estimation Problem; Engineering or Physics

      • PST2F36
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Hyewon Jang
      • Type: Poster
      • Estimation requires one to make assumptions based on one's knowledge and experience. However, pathways of students’ solving estimation problem have not been reported yet. We collected data from 84 undergraduate students to solve an estimation problem as an assignment. In this study, first, we illustrate that pathways of students' solving an estimation problem are diverse. Second, using network analysis, we visualize the distribution of pathways with the similarity in the personal background. Third, we identify the tendency of pathways to solve an estimation problem according to students’ backgrounds; engineering students tend to seek optimal process, but students who learn physics tend more to think of a big picture first.
      • Teaching for Deep Learning: Facilitating Classroom Discourse in a Model-Centered Physics Classroom

      • PST2F38
      • Wed 07/29, 1:45PM - 2:30PM
      • by Mark Lattery
      • Type: Poster
      • Science learning is greatly enhanced when science teaching reflects scientific practice. An important aspect of this practice is discourse between scientists during the discovery process. It is therefore natural to ask what teacher-guided student discourse can contribute to science learning. The purpose of this poster is to review recent research, resources, and practical tips for facilitating discourse in a model-centered physics classroom. Special attention is given to strategies that elevate the quality and quantity of student interactions during large-group whiteboard discussions.
  • Pre-college/Informal and Outreach

      • Promoting Critical Evaluation in the Science Classroom*

      • PST2B01
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Doug Lombardi
      • Type: Poster
      • "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" states that critique and evaluation of scientific explanations has been under emphasized in many science classrooms (NRC, 2012). Consequently, this lack of instruction has, in part, contributed to students not being able to critically evaluate alternative explanations of natural and engineered phenomena. The Model-Evidence Link (MEL) diagram, originally developed by researchers at Rutgers University (Chinn & Buckland, 2012), is an instructional scaffold that promotes students to critically evaluate alternative explanations and increase their ability to understand complex scientific concepts (Lombardi, Sinatra, & Nussbaum, 2013). Our poster will feature four MEL diagrams that focus on the following science topics: climate change, wetland resources, fracking, and the Moon's formation. These MELs are being developed as part of NSF-funded project, with all materials being freely available to instructors.
      • Impact of Physics Modeling Instruction Workshops on Physics Major Production

      • PST2B03
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Idaykis Rodriguez
      • Type: Poster
      • Over the past 10 years, Florida International University (FIU) has conducted summer Modeling Instruction workshops for high school physics teachers. The workshops have impacted teachers and also influenced the number of physics majors at FIU coming from these participating high schools. We collect data of physics majors at FIU for the past 10 years and determine which of these majors come from high schools participating in the Modeling workshops. Out of the 56 schools that participated in the Modeling workshops, 29 of the schools have produced over 90 physics majors, where 40% of those majors come from five high producing schools. The physics teachers at these schools have long-standing ties with the FIU physics community by participating in all three Modeling workshops, monthly Fizmo meetings, and communicating with FIU faculty and staff. We also present interviews of teachers commenting of the strengths of FIU and local high school partnership.
      • Can Teachers Help Undo Climate Myths?

      • PST2B02
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Gordon Aubrecht
      • Type: Poster
      • As educators and citizens, we have been disappointed to see science slighted in many policy areas, including global warming. This poster will suggest how we can help bring the reality of human-caused climate change to the attention it deserves.
      • Enhancing Physics Demonstration Shows Through Use of the Arts

      • PST2B04
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Timothy Uher
      • Type: Poster
      • Physics demonstrations are widely used by universities in undergraduate education and public outreach to engage students and teach physics concepts. At the University of Maryland, the Physics is Phun public demonstration programs are a vehicle for public outreach with longstanding success (dating back to 1982). A recent program, “Out of the Dark,” presented the evolution of the fields of electricity and magnetism by merging physics demonstrations with history and performing arts. In this session, we will discuss methods by which these outside fields can be utilized in a demonstration program. We will also discuss the outcomes of these methods in enhancing engagement of audience members and undergraduate majors alike.
  • SPS Undergraduate Research and Outreach Poster session

      • Acoustic Impedance Measurements on Woodwind Instruments

      • SPS02
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Herbert Jaeger
      • Type: Poster
      • The acoustic impedance is a key quantity for the characterization of acoustic properties of an air column. We have built a simple impedance transducer and used it to measure the acoustic impedance of a clarinet and a tenor saxophone. Moreover, we studied the effect of tone holes on the acoustics of an air column. This poster will detail the workings of the transducer and present results of impedance measurements on these woodwind instruments.
      • A Taxonomy of Conceptions About Density

      • SPS03
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Ashley Miller
      • Type: Poster
      • Conceptions concerning density have been the subject of many studies, dating at least as far back as Piaget. These studies have probed many aspects of density understanding in various domains. In this poster, we present a taxonomy of conceptions about density. The conceptions described in this taxonomy have been identified by prior studies and/or our own interviews and assessment results.
      • PRISM: Developing a Student-Led Peer-Mentoring Program for Undergraduate Physics Majors

      • SPS04
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Manher Jariwala
      • Type: Poster
      • We describe a new, student-led peer-mentoring program at Boston Universityfor undergraduate physics majors called PRISM (PeeRs for Incoming Physics Majors). We discuss the process of working with undergraduates in initiating the effort and developing the goals of the program. We also detail the resulting structure of the program, featuring one-to-one meetings between upperclass mentors and first-year mentees, and the measurement of mentee attitudes regarding comfort, confidence, and identity as a physics major, at different points in their first year on campus. Throughout, we focus on the ownership role of students in this program and its impact on the undergraduate physics learning community within our department
      • Physics, Nuclear Energy and the Informed Voter: Connecting the Dots

      • SPS05
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Sarah Stroh
      • Type: Poster
      • Nuclear issues, while sometimes hotly contested, are not often contemplated or even considered by the average voter. Yet voter choices pertaining to nuclear energy decisions hold weight, often because they affect the surrounding environment and economy. One aim of the present study is to address the question: “What role does physics play in voter choices pertaining to nuclear energy issues?” To address this question, an electronic survey of American University students in the spring of 2015 investigated students’ conceptions of nuclear energy issues using a 3-tiered approach. The first tier targeted individual levels of understanding as they pertained to formal physical knowledge on issues involving nuclear energy. The second tier elicited individual conceptions regarding nuclear energy issues and how they translated into voter choices. The third focused on potential linkages between the respondents’ present knowledge and their voting patterns. A statistical analysis of the survey results will be presented.
      • Mapping Cold Absorption Clouds in the Milky Way

      • SPS07
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Erica Ling*
      • Type: Poster
      • The 20-meter radio telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Greenbank, WV, was used to detect the extent of cold absorption features in the 21-cm neutral hydrogen emission near the Milky Way’s equator. Multiple velocities were detected in the absorption features. Our results is compared to previously measured data.
      • An Optimization Algorithm of Lunar Spacecraft Orbit

      • SPS08
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Guodong Weng
      • Type: Poster
      • The fuel is very heavy for a spacecraft, so it is important to find a way to minimize the fuel consumption. In this paper, we try to study Chang’e 3 Rover’s orbit design launched by China in 2013 to find an optimum strategy. Chang’e 3 Rover start orbit modification at the perilune of elliptical orbit. After landing orbit, main reduction and rapid adjustment of three stages, the distance from spacecraft to lunar surface would be from 15 km to 2.4 km which is located at 19.51°W, 44.12°N. By using Genetic Algorithm to calculate the spacecraft’s orbit and the perilune of elliptical orbit. Then, we calculate the difference of squares for lunar surface’s height, and get the precise location for spacecraft landing and we also find out the best orbit to minimize fuel consumption.
      • Reactor Neutrino Flux Uncertainty Suppression on Daya Bay Experiment

      • SPS10
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Weiyi Wang
      • Type: Poster
      • The Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment has measured a non-zero value forthe neutrino mixing angle theta 13 with a significance of 5.2 standard deviations. A rate-only analysis finds the neutrino oscillation parameter , sin^2(2 theta 13) , in a three-neutrino framework.To maximize the sensitivity to theta 13, multi-detector experimental setups are applied for the reduction of the correlated errors and uncorrelated errors. Using the chi-square minimization, covariance matrix method, error propagating method, the suppression fraction is 0.05 for Daya Bay Experiment.
      • A Lagrangian for a Raindrop Accretion Model

      • SPS11
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jerome Quenum
      • Type: Poster
      • Application of an energy approach to the raindrop accretion problem yieldsan Euler-Lagrange formulation. The Lagrangian, with a factorable structure, has been determined; the associated symmetries and models of air resistance have been incorporated.
      • A Study of Backing Splash of Falling Water

      • SPS12
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Tianyuan Liu
      • Type: Poster
      • This paper focuses on a phenomenon of energy concentration. After a volume of water fallis freely into the deep water below, some splashes are caused and gain enough energy to reach the position that is higher than the free-fall height. Through experiment and theoretical analysis, the energy of each step during the process is calculated. Fluid mechanics and wave theory are also used to explain the formation mechanism.
      • Experimental Study on Falling Water Block’s Explosion

      • SPS13
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Diwei Li
      • Type: Poster
      • It is rarely known by people that a water block of a certain size would explode after falling in the air for some time. In our experiment, the presence of this phenomenon was verified and later we changed different variable quantities, such as its volume, temperature, and the kind of the liquid, to learn more about its process. Finally, we drew quantitative conclusions. Meanwhile, its principle was explained successfully by our intensive analysis, which has something to do with air resistance and liquid surface tension, as well as turbulent flow. It is believed that our study can inspire today’s agricultural irrigation system.
      • Mimicking the Heliosphere in the Sink

      • SPS14
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Yijie Xiao
      • Type: Poster
      • Recently, it was announced by NASA that the ‘Voyager 1’ satellite had reached the edge of the solar system, which is called "heliosphere". It is the first satellite that human beings have used to explore the outer space. Since we know little about the heliosphere, which is the furthest place where the solar wind can reach, we designed an experiment to simulate the solar wind and the heliosphere at home by pouring a stream of water into a sink. The experiment is aimed to investigate the relationship between the velocity and the edge of stream, which could be analogized to the behavior of solar wind. Qualitative and semi-quantitative results have been obtained, which might be a useful reference for further research.
      • On Helmholtz Carousel

      • SPS15
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Yifan Li
      • Type: Poster
      • The paper is mainly to explore the relationship between Helmholtz carouselrotation speed and bottle shape. We built up the carousels using empty mineral water bottles, and tested the device by changing the frequency of the voice and the shape of the bottleneck. Experiments show that the shape of the bottleneck does have strong influence on the system. Because of the collimator effect, the direction of the air in and out of the bottle is not parallel, the momentum is different as well, resulting in the rotation of the device.
      • On the Wheel Splashing Phenomenon

      • SPS16
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Chengqi Lyu
      • Type: Poster
      • Water will be splashed when the high-speed-rotating wheels touch the surface of it. Experimental data indicate that the angle of liquid increases first then decreases with the rotating speed increasing. The model which only considers surface tension fails to explain the phenomenon. As we take the extra force caused by the flow velocity difference into consideration, it matches the result of the experiment accurately.
      • Cosmic Ray Induced Bit-Flipping Experiment: A Project Update*

      • SPS17
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Matthew Parsons
      • Type: Poster
      • CRIBFLEX is a novel approach to mid-altitude observational particle physics intended to correlate the phenomena of semiconductor bit-flipping with cosmic ray activity. Here a weather balloon carries a Geiger counter and DRAM memory to various altitudes; the data collected will contribute to the development of memory device protection. We present current progress toward initial flight and data acquisition.
      • The Bounce of Ping-Pong Ball Filled with Liquid

      • SPS18
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Heng Fang
      • Type: Poster
      • We measure the bouncing altitudes of a Ping-Pong ball filled with certain amounts of water. In the experiment, the energy which transforms into the vibration energy of the liquid can be generally observed through the highest altitude. The ratio between vibration energy and total energy can be fit well using our theoretical model.
      • Observing Nebulosities: The Cygnus Superbubble

      • SPS19
      • Sun 07/26, 8:00PM - 10:00PM
      • by Christopher Christopherson*
      • Type: Poster
      • Observing Nebulosities, a student-led project at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, studies star-forming complexes in order to gain more understanding of their large-scale structure. Current observations reveal the Cygnus superbubble, the project’s first target, to be a giant ring of hot gas more than 1000 light years in diameter filled with regions of star formation. It is surrounded by a shell of cooler hydrogen gas and a complex network of gaseous filaments and dust structures. We are imaging a large 22 x 17 degree field in the Hydrogen-alpha, Hydrogen-beta and Oxygen-III emission lines. Our project complements existing archive data and provides additional details on the interaction between the massive stars and the surrounding interstellar medium. Comparisons between the emission line observations allow us to trace regions where physical conditions change rapidly as well as the distribution of interstellar dust. The valuable hands-on experience yields insights on the entire research process.
  • Teacher Training/Enhancement

      • Enhancing Diversity in Physics Teacher Preparation Through the Georgia State University PhysTEC Project

      • PST1A03
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30AM - 9:15PM
      • by Brian Thoms
      • Type: Poster
      • As a PhysTEC comprehensive site in the second year of a three-year grant, the Georgia State University team is working to develop an effective model of physics teacher recruitment and development at a diverse, urban research university. One of our goals is to prepare and support more physics teachers from under-represented minority groups. In addition to creating a well-qualified physics teacher work force in the Atlanta area, this also creates role models and mentors for a diverse high school student population to inspire them toward careers in science and engineering (and maybe even physics teaching). Recent efforts to build a thriving physics program with increased minority student success have established the foundation for producing a more diverse physics teacher force. Our PhysTEC project attempts to use our teacher-in-residence, learning assistants, and recruiting to bring more and more diverse students into physics teaching.
      • ATE Workshop for Physics Faculty

      • PST1A01
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Thomas O'Kuma
      • Type: Poster
      • The ATE Workshop for Physics Faculty project is into its fifth year and has finished its 23rd workshop/conference. In this poster, we will display information about the project, information about these workshops/conferences, and information about future workshops/conferences. Information concerning development of laboratory activities will also be displayed.
      • Involving Multiple Communities in the Preparation of Future Urban Science Teachers*

      • PST1A05
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Mel Sabella
      • Type: Poster
      • Involving multiple communities in the preparation of future science teachers builds on local resources and prepares our preservice teachers to tackle diverse teaching settings. In this poster we describe three activities that connect CSU students to elementary school students (Noyce), high school teachers and their students (PhysTEC) and the community on the southside of Chicago. To introduce prospective preservice teachers to the profession, the PhysTEC Program helps students make an informed decision about whether teaching is right for them by placing them in the instructor role in a high school classroom for a single lesson that they design. CSU students who have committed to pursuing science teaching applied their knowledge of inquiry-based instruction to a teaching session with elementary school children and engaged in an engineering design activity using the context of the CSU Aquaponics Facility.
      • Novice Teacher Sense-Making about Responsive Teaching: Important Points in the Development of Language and Practice*

      • PST1A07
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Amy Robertson
      • Type: Poster
      • Documented efforts to support novice teachers in the practices of attending and responding to student thinking have noted that novices are capable of engaging in responsive teaching and have described methods for supporting the development of responsive teaching practices. However, few of these efforts have attended to the experiences of novices as they learn to be responsive, including the tensions and questions that arise for them. This case study analyzes the experiences of one cohort of novice physics teachers as they explore responsive teaching over the course of two academic quarters. Their experiences crystallized around several recurrent and central points of sense-making, including, for example, questioning whether or not it is okay to leave students with “wrong” answers and wondering whether their content knowledge is sufficient for responsive teaching. In highlighting these points of sense-making, we illustrate where this cohort of novice teachers is coming from, at multiple points during their engagement with responsive teaching for the first time. We aim to foster teacher educators’ attention to novice teachers’ own questions and tensions, in addition to novices’ development of specific responsive practices.
      • The Value of Khan Academy in Pre-service Science Teacher Education

      • PST1A09
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15AM
      • by Christine Lindstrom
      • Type: Poster
      • Khan Academy (KA) is a free online learning tool for a range of subjects. The mathematics module is particularly well developed and covers topics ranging from counting to first-year university mathematics. In fall 2014, KA was integrated into the introductory physics course for 24 pre-service science teachers at the largest teacher education institution in Norway, where many students struggle with basic mathematics. Students were encouraged to complete four relevant mathematics topics prior to each of seven physics classes. Throughout the semester, students spent on average 12 hrs 22 mins (SD = 6 hrs 1 min; N = 22) on KA, and showed a statistically significant improvement of 5.2 marks of 52 on a test of relevant mathematics knowledge (N = 20). The "coach" feature in KA enabled the instructor to monitor student problem solving speed and accuracy, providing a realistic overview of the students' actual mathematics knowledge.
      • Beyond Content and Pedagogy: Challenges of the HS Physics Teacher

      • PST1A02
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Bradley Gearhart
      • Type: Poster
      • Teacher preparation programs are charged with providing pre-service physics teachers solid conceptual and pedagogical foundations to draw upon in their classroom instruction. However, in an authentic setting, content and pedagogy are but two strands in the thread of teaching as a profession. Navigating teacher evaluation systems, state standards, diverse student populations, building politics, logistical details, and various other facets of the profession are essential to maintaining a lasting career in teaching. My experience has shown that these are often overlooked aspects that are largely left “as an exercise for the reader.” Drawing upon my experience as a physics teacher at a private catholic, a public suburban, and a public urban high school, I attempt to outline the responsibilities and concerns of the high school physics teacher while offering some perspective on the preparation of these teachers for the purpose of obtaining, and maintaining, a career in the profession.
      • Future Faculty Training at Yale: The Scientific Teaching Fellows Program

      • PST1A04
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Rona Ramos
      • Type: Poster
      • The Yale Scientific Teaching Fellows Program is a semester long, future faculty training course for postdoctoral researchers and graduate students in the sciences. The course covers learning theory, backward design, evidence-based teaching methods, and creating an inclusive classroom. As a final project, fellows develop teaching materials and implement them in our classroom. Analysis of pre- and post-teaching statements, surveys, and final teaching projects showing the evolution of the fellows’ teaching philosophy will be presented. The shift in the fellows’ viewpoint from teacher-centered to learner-centered will be highlighted, as well as recent efforts to make the diversity training component more effective.
      • New Faculty Experience for Two Year Colleges: Program Update

      • PST1A06
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Todd Leif
      • Type: Poster
      • The New Faculty Experience for Two Year Colleges (NFE-TYC) recently finished another cycle of the AAPT/NSF sponsored professional development program and will soon begin to accept applicants for the next cohort of participants. This poster presents an update of the intensive four-day immersion conference, the commencement conference and the creation of a network of new two year college physics professionals who are developing additional roles within their teaching profession. Additional projects that are an outgrowth of this grant include two different "Leadership Conferences" for Two Year College Physics teachers and the organization of a TYC-Tandem meeting held at the AAPT Summer National Meeting. These project extensions will also be reviewed. For more information about the TYC-NFE contact: Scott Schultz , sfschult@delta.edu or Todd Leif, tleif@cloud.edu
  • Teaching and Learning in Upper Division Physics: Optics

      • Crafting Ray-Tracing Problems with Parabolic Reflectors Beyond the Paraxial Approximation

      • GI04
      • Wed 07/29, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
      • by Richard Zajac
      • Type: Poster
      • The pedagogical goals of geometrical ray-tracing with curved reflectors can be undermined by students’ numerical-only use of the mirror equation, especially in online environments where graphical work seldom gets submitted. We strategically generate ray-tracing problems involving large objects/images with true-parabolic reflectors for which the mirror equation’s paraxial approximation fails dramatically, making graphing strategies the least prohibitive means of obtaining a correct answer. The related problem space is mapped and useful areas of convergence are identified. We find that a strategic choice of parameters allows problems to be crafted for which a numerical submission alone is sufficient to verify the student’s correct application of graphical-only methods rather than numerical substitution into a formula. Such a purely numerical submission is ideally suited to online homework. The visible failure of the mirror equation in these problems is shown to impact students’ appreciation of the paraxial model undergirding the mirror equation.
      • Implementing Studio Optics in the Undergraduate Physics Curriculum

      • GI05
      • Wed 07/29, 2:30PM - 3:00PM
      • by Dyan Jones
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of the development of our upper-division physics curriculum, we have created a version of a Studio Optics course. This course is a hands-on course that minimizes "lecture" time and instead focuses on developing students' independent learning skills. This poster will highlight the key aspects of the course, including course design and implementation at a small private institution. It will also provide feedback about students' views on the nature of science and how participating in the Optics course contributes to their affective views about physics and their role as scientists.
  • Technologies

      • Turn Your Mobile Device into a Science Lab Space

      • PST1B05
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30AM - 9:15PM
      • by Rebecca Vieyra
      • Type: Poster
      • Learn to collect, export, and analyze data using your Android device. A few mobile devices will be available for you to play with during the poster session. Some opportunities for interaction at the poster session will include: Accelerometer - Determine acceleration due to gravity, estimate force during a jump; Magnetometer - Measure changes in magnetic field as a speaker produces sound; Light Sensor - Investigate how angle of incidence from sunlight causes the seasons; Tone Generator - Generate beats or cancel out sound; Sound Meter - Measure the changes in sound intensity as a speaker produces sound; Proximeter - Measure the period of a pendulum; Physics Toolbox Wear - Try on a smart watch to measure your motion; Hygrometer - Measure the relative humidity of the room or puff of your breath; Orientation – Use as an inclinometer.
      • Arkanoid

      • PST1B01
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Theodore Halnon
      • Type: Poster
      • This joint physics and robotics project was inspired by both the Smart Trash Can and the classic video game “Arkanoid”, in which the user needs to control a moving paddle in order to control the bounce of a ball in a desired direction. The goal of the project was to model how the trajectory of a ball is manipulated when it bounces off of a moving paddle and then to build a working model based on realistic physical parameters. We did experimental analysis to determine the optimal materials for a working model. The parts of the design were then interfaced with an Arduino microprocessor and accompanying circuit in order to be electronically manipulated. We were successful in modeling the trajectory of a ball bounced off a moving paddle given easily measureable/controllable physical parameters. However, we were not able to get a working model of a life sized Arkanoid.
      • Computation in a Modern Physics Course: Homework, Laboratories, and Exams*

      • PST1B03
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Marie Lopez Del Puerto
      • Type: Poster
      • There is a need to develop materials that introduce students to computational physics with problems that are meaningful and challenging, yet are neither overwhelming to the students nor take substantial time from the more traditional theoretical and experimental components of a course. We have been working on a project to introduce computational physics in the undergraduate curriculum by blending computation and experimentation in the Modern Physics course and laboratory with materials that discuss contemporary physics subjects (statistical mechanics, quantum dots, LASERs, superconductivity, etc). In this poster we will describe how computation has been embedded in homework problems, laboratories and exams for this course. We will also give interested faculty information on how to obtain these materials.
      • Using Interactive Whiteboards to Support Student Investigation and Communication

      • PST1B07
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Bor Gregorcic
      • Type: Poster
      • Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) have become a common piece of equipment in classrooms all over the world. In many cases, teachers continue to use them in teacher-centered lessons. We will present examples of how learners can use the interactive whiteboard to investigate new physics and communicate their ideas to each other in the process of scientific inquiry. The IWB's kinesthetic and graphical potential both play an important role in these instructional activities.
      • With Physics to Everywhere: Experiments Using Your Smartphone

      • PST1B11
      • Mon 07/27, 8:30PM - 9:15PM
      • by Arturo Marti
      • Type: Poster
      • Smartphone usage has expanded dramatically in recent years. According to press releases one billion smartphones were sold in 2013 worldwide. The use of smartphones goes considerably beyond the original purpose of talking on the phone. Indeed, it is everyday more frequent to use smartphones as clocks, cameras, agendas, music players or gps. More remarkable is the habit, especially among young people, of bringing their smartphones everytime and everywhere. From a physicist's point of view, it is impressive that smartphones usually incorporate several sensors, including accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers. Although these sensors are not supplied with educational intentions in mind, they can be employed in a wide range of physical experiments, especially in high school or undergraduate laboratories. Moreover, experiments with smartphones can be easily performed in non-traditional places as playgrounds, gyms, travel facilities, among many others. All the possibilities that smartphones exhibit, foster students interest in exploring, measuring and meeting the physical world around them.
      • MinecraftEDU Modeling Physics Labs

      • PST1B02
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Natasha Collova
      • Type: Poster
      • Worlds in MinecraftEDU are presented that represent modeling physics labs.Worlds include activities to help students to understand the models of constant velocity, constant acceleration, vectors, and energy.
      • Status Update on C3PO: Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online*

      • PST1B04
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Jie Yang
      • Type: Poster
      • The University of Minnesota Physics Education Research Group has for a number of years been developing Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online (C3PO), a web-based system designed to provide students with coaching to improve their problem-solving skills. This poster describes the current status of the project, including the design process and the types of problems and instructor customizations that are supported by the system. The poster session also includes an opportunity to work with a prototype of the system.
      • Undergraduate Self Directed Entrepreneurial Research and Outreach Projects: 3D Printing

      • PST1B06
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by C. Phillips*
      • Type: Poster
      • Undergraduate students from STEM courses are self-directed as they create their own innovative learning environment; use experimental project design and high-end computer technologies to create their own entrepreneurial learning experiences. Teams of highly motivated students work individually and collaboratively to develop new technologies and applications which combine GIS, 3D Graphic Design, and 3D Printing. They design and conduct K-12 workshops to teach innovative technologies. In addition they also train college level faculty, staff, and fellow students. Independent Study and Research students gain valuable professional experience as they learn to research and design projects as well as write funding proposals
      • Using Learning Catalytics in an Introductory Physics Course to Non-majors

      • PST1B08
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by James Rall
      • Type: Poster
      • The use of clickers as a student response system is widely used and accepted throughout Northern Arizona University. Using clickers can have a limiting way of assessing the student’s true knowledge. As such, I have implemented the use of Pearson’s Learning Catalytics in my College Physics course for non-majors. I use a number of different question types including sketches, highlighting, equation submission, numerical with units, drawing arrows, etc. Learning Catalytics gave me a method not only to assess student learning, but to evaluate and improve on different methods of teaching. Examples of this and others will be presented along with goals for expanding this technology in the classroom.
      • Video Supplements in Physics Courses at Colorado School of Mines

      • PST1B10
      • Mon 07/27, 9:15PM - 10:00PM
      • by Todd Ruskell
      • Type: Poster
      • At Colorado School of Mines we have developed online video materials for several courses in our Physics curriculum. In our Physics I course, we created video lectures for each topic to model problem solving. In our majors courses of Intermediate Mechanics and Advanced Electricity and Magnetism, pre-course videos are an essential component of the flipped classroom model. In mechanics, most these videos take the form of “pre-written” lecture notes, revealed and narrated in chunks. In E&M, the notes are written and narrated synchronously, with written notes often accelerated from their real-time pace. Video lectures in our senior-level elective Solid State Physics course take the form of scripted student-faculty dialogues, also in support of a flipped classroom. We discuss the differences in pedagogy for the videos in each course, the production tools used, the workflow for producing our videos, and the time commitment required by those looking to develop similar resources.
  • Upper Division and Graduate

      • Core Graduate Courses: A Missed Learning Opportunity?*

      • PST2C03
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Alexandru Maries
      • Type: Poster
      • An important goal of graduate physics core courses is to help students develop expertise in problem solving and improve their reasoning and meta-cognitive skills. We explore the conceptual difficulties of physics graduate students by administering conceptual problems on topics covered in undergraduate physics courses before and after instruction in related first year core graduate courses. Here, we focus on physics graduate students' difficulties manifested by their performance on two qualitative problems involving diagrammatic representation of vector fields. Some graduate students had great difficulty in recognizing whether the diagrams of the vector fields had divergence and/or curl but they had no difficulty computing the divergence and curl of the vector fields mathematically. We also conducted individual discussions with various faculty members who regularly teach first year graduate physics core courses about the goals of these courses and the performance of graduate students on the conceptual problems after related instruction in core courses.
      • Developing a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) on the Double-slit Experiment

      • PST2C05
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Ryan Sayer
      • Type: Poster
      • Learning quantum mechanics is challenging even for upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students. Interactive tutorials that build on students’ prior knowledge can be effective tools to enhance student learning. We have been investigating student difficulties with the quantum mechanics behind the double-slit experiment and have developed a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) that makes use of a simulation to improve their understanding. We describe the common student difficulties with the double slit experiment and the extent to which the QuILT was effective in addressing these difficulties. We thank the National Science Foundation for support.
      • The Optical-Mechanical Analogy in Galilean and Special Relativity

      • PST2C07
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Roberto Salgado
      • Type: Poster
      • We explore an analogy between the Lagrangians of a light ray expressed in terms of angle, of a classical free particle in terms of velocity, and of a relativistic free particle expressed in terms of rapidity. Similar to our earlier observation that the classical and relativistic kinetic energies can be expressed in terms of the Spacetime Trigonometry analogues of a now little-used trigonometric function (the Versed-Sine), these Lagrangians can be expressed in terms of analogues of the Secant, or more naturally, the Exsecant. These analogies support the argument by Enzo Tonti that, in general, the Kinetic Energy is more closely related to the Hamiltonian and that it is the Legendre transform of the Kinetic Energy that is more closely related to the Lagrangian.*
      • Learner Developed Podcasts in an Upper-Level Undergraduate Physics Course

      • PST2C09
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Matthew Wright
      • Type: Poster
      • We assign a group project in a junior electrodynamics course requiring students to develop podcasts. We provide the topics and project plan support. However, we provide little guidance on how the students will actually approach conveying the material other than the podcast must be a 10-20 minute video and must include all group members. We report on the initial findings that students have generated insightful, fun, and engaging podcasts. In addition to learning the physics concepts, students also learn project management and communication skills.
      • Measurement of Model of Hadley Cell

      • PST2C11
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Joel Berlinghieri
      • Type: Poster
      • The mechanism for the transport of thermal energy through the atmosphere is characterized by three wind cells, Hadley, Mid-latitude, and Polar. The Hadley cell which occurs in the equatorial region assumes three properties: the atmospheric circulation is constant, angular momentum is conserved, and ground level return air is subjected to friction. A simplified model of a Hadley cell has been studied using Schlieren techniques to picture the cell and high-resolution force transducers to measure air lift.
      • Developing and Evaluating a Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorial (QuILT) on Larmor Precession of Spin*

      • PST2C13
      • Tue 07/28, 5:00PM - 5:45PM
      • by Benjamin Brown
      • Type: Poster
      • We have been conducting research and developing and assessing a quantum interactive learning tutorial (QuILT) on Larmor precession of spin to help students learn about time-dependence of expectation values in quantum mechanics. The QuILT builds on students' prior knowledge and helps them organize their knowledge hierarchically. It adapts visualization tools to help students build physical intuition about these topics. Details of the development and assessment will be discussed.
      • Aerodynamics of Simple Structures

      • PST2C02
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Joel Berlinghieri
      • Type: Poster
      • A wind tunnel can be used to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of various shaped objects. Undergraduate physics majors, for their senior research requirement, investigated the lift, drag, and turbulence produced by blunt shaped objects. Blunt shape structures are of particular interest in designing radar evading aircraft, are usually aerodynamically unstable, and are often difficult to fly, requiring computer assistance. Measurements were made at speeds where incompressible flow can be assumed. Models were fashioned from simple but robust materials such as paper and plastic card stock using printed patents and from ABS plastic using 3D printing scripts.
      • Developing a New Laboratory Course to Prepare Students for Graduate Research in Astrophysics

      • PST2C04
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Christine Lindstrom
      • Type: Poster
      • Preparing undergraduate students for research is often one of the main goals of upper-division physics lab courses. We are developing a new upper-division lab course at the University of Cape Town in South Africa for students aiming to pursue graduate study in astrophysics. The course will build on the Advanced Lab transformation work done at the University of Colorado. We will study how to transfer the educational reform (e.g., philosophy, structure, materials, etc.) to a new environment. The first stage of the project focuses on identifying what knowledge and skills PhD advisers would like students to have when they begin their graduate research project, and to evaluate what knowledge and skills a representative student cohort has prior to taking such a laboratory course. We will report on the study methodology and initial results of faculty and student interviews.
      • Developing a Survey of Thermodynamic Processes and First and Second Laws*

      • PST2C06
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Benjamin Brown
      • Type: Poster
      • We developed a research-based multiple-choice survey on thermodynamic processes and first and second laws of thermodynamics. The survey was administered to students in introductory algebra-based and calculus-based courses and also to physics majors in an upper-level thermodynamics course and graduate students. Students at all levels were found to have great difficulty with these concepts. The development process of the survey and findings will be discussed.
      • Experiments for Junior Mechanics

      • PST2C08
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Grey Tarkenton
      • Type: Poster
      • We pay too little attention to demonstrations and experiments in upper-division physics courses. The standard junior-level mechanics topics are ripe for more sophisticated and challenging experiments that develop both experimental skills and theoretical methods. Two types of experiments are easy to set up with equipment already available: spring-coupled masses and gyroscopes. We discuss several configurations geared toward classroom demonstrations and lab activities.
      • Project-based Quantum Mechanics

      • PST2C10
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Gintaras Duda
      • Type: Poster
      • Although there has been interest in problem/project-based learning in the PER community as an active engagement strategy, most work done to date has focused on introductory courses. This poster will present research on upper division quantum mechanics, a junior/senior level course at Creighton University, which was taught using PBL pedagogy with no in-class lectures. Course time is primarily spent on lecture tutorials and projects, which included the alpha decay of Uranium, neutrino oscillations, spin oscillations/NMR, and FTIR spectroscopy of HCl. This poster will describe how PBL pedagogy was implemented in an upper-division physics course and will explore student learning in light of the new pedagogy and embedded meta-cognitive self-monitoring exercises, and the effect of the PBL curriculum on student attitudes, motivation, and epistemologies.
      • Student Difficulties with Boundary Conditions in Electrodynamics

      • PST2C12
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Qing Ryan
      • Type: Poster
      • “Boundary conditions” are an important physics topic that physics undergraduates are expected to understand and apply in many different contexts. In this poster, we will present student difficulties using boundary conditions in electrodynamics, primarily in the context of electromagnetic waves. Our data sources include traditional exam questions and think-aloud student interviews. The analysis was guided by an analytical framework (ACER) that characterizes how students activate, construct, execute, and reflect on boundary conditions. Solving these problems also requires using complex notation. While this mathematical tool could be independently analyzed with ACER, we decided to blend and merge the analyses of complex notation with boundary conditions. Thus we are pushing the boundaries of situations where ACER can be applied and we will discuss the benefits and limitations of this framework.
      • The Role of Metacognition in Troubleshooting in Upper-division Electronics Courses*

      • PST2C14
      • Tue 07/28, 5:45PM - 6:30PM
      • by Kevin Van De Bogart
      • Type: Poster
      • As part of an ongoing effort to assess and promote student metacognition in physics, we have been examining student metacognitive abilities in the context of upper-division laboratory courses on analog electronics. While there are many important goals of laboratory instruction, particularly in upper-division courses, relatively little work to date has focused on investigation of how students in such courses troubleshoot malfunctioning circuits. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Colorado, we have been conducting think-aloud interviews with pairs of students as they attempt to troubleshoot a basic operational-amplifier circuit. Video data were analyzed in order to examine the relationship between the troubleshooting strategies employed by students and the metacognitive behaviors they exhibited (e.g., planning, monitoring, and evaluating). Preliminary results will be presented and implications for instruction will be presented.