7 research outputs found
Tale of two curricula: The performance of 2000 students in introductory electromagnetism
The performance of over 2000 students in introductory calculus-based electromagnetism (E&M) courses at four large research universities was measured using the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA). Two different curricula were used at these universities: a traditional E&M curriculum and the Matter & Interactions (M&I) curriculum. At each university, postinstruction BEMA test averages were significantly higher for the M&I curriculum than for the traditional curriculum. The differences in post-test averages cannot be explained by differences in variables such as preinstruction BEMA scores, grade point average, or SAT Reasoning Test (SAT) scores. BEMA performance on categories of items organized by subtopic was also compared at one of the universities; M&I averages were significantly higher in each topic. The results suggest that the M&I curriculum is more effective than the traditional curriculum at teaching E&M concepts to students, possibly because the learning progression in M&I reorganizes and augments the traditional sequence of topics, for example, by increasing early emphasis on the vector field concept and by emphasizing the effects of fields on matter at the microscopic level
Comparing large lecture mechanics curricula using the Force Concept Inventory: A five thousand student study
The performance of over 5000 students in introductory calculus-based
mechanics courses at the Georgia Institute of Technology was assessed using the
Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Results from two different curricula were
compared: a traditional mechanics curriculum and the Matter & Interactions
(M&I) curriculum. Post-instruction FCI averages were significantly higher for
the traditional curriculum than for the M&I curriculum; the differences between
curricula persist after accounting for factors such as pre-instruction FCI
scores, grade point averages, and SAT scores. FCI performance on categories of
items organized by concepts was also compared; traditional averages were
significantly higher in each concept. We examined differences in student
preparation between the curricula and found that the relative fraction of
homework and lecture topics devoted to FCI force and motion concepts correlated
with the observed performance differences. Limitations of concept inventories
as instruments for evaluating curricular reforms are discussed.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Am. J. Phys. arXiv admin note:
substantial text overlap with arXiv:1112.559
Implementing and assessing computational modeling in introductory mechanics
Students taking introductory physics are rarely exposed to computational modeling. In a one-semester large lecture introductory calculus-based mechanics course at Georgia Tech, students learned to solve physics problems using the VPython programming environment. During the term, 1357 students in this course solved a suite of 14 computational modeling homework questions delivered using an online commercial course management system. Their proficiency with computational modeling was evaluated with a proctored assignment involving a novel central force problem. The majority of students (60.4%) successfully completed the evaluation. Analysis of erroneous student-submitted programs indicated that a small set of student errors explained why most programs failed. We discuss the design and implementation of the computational modeling homework and evaluation, the results from the evaluation, and the implications for computational instruction in introductory science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses