In this article, we present several modifications to the Test of Understanding Graphs in Kinematics. The most significant changes are (i) the addition and removal of items to achieve parallelism in the objectives (dimensions) of the test, thus allowing comparisons of students' performance that were not possible with the original version, and (ii) changes to the distractors of some of the original items that represent the most frequent alternative conceptions. The final modified version (after an iterative process involving four administrations of test variations over two years) was administered to 471 students of an introductory university physics course at a large private university in Mexico. When analyzing the final modified version of the test it was found that the added items satisfied the statistical tests of difficulty, discriminatory power, and reliability; also, that the great majority of the modified distractors were effective in terms of their frequency selection and discriminatory power; and, that the final modified version of the test satisfied the reliability and discriminatory power criteria as well as the original test. Here, we also show the use of the new version of the test, presenting a new analysis of students' understanding not possible to do before with the original version of the test, specifically regarding the objectives and items that in the new version meet parallelisms. Finally, in the PhysPort project (physport.org), we present the final modified version of the test. It can be used by teachers and researchers to assess students' understanding of graphs in kinematics, as well as their learning about them.

Understanding a graph in pairs, in a productive way, improves the comprehension of a concept. In this research, we had 2 objectives: 1) to delve deep into the behavior of 15 pairs of remedial physics students when solving a problem with a graph of velocity, 2) to understand the interchange of personal meanings during their interactions. We posed the problem through an interview about velocity given a graph of position. We analyzed the participants' behavior based on the mathematical problem-solving theory of Schoenfeld. This analysis brought on the examination of interactions through grounded theory. We found that communication in the interchange of meanings and the quality of interactions is linked to productivity in problemsolving. We worked with a few emergent propositions based on behavior and interactions of pairs, then we identified specific alternative conceptions that students utilized to discuss the problem, how they managed their time and the richness of their contributions. Finally, we concluded that the mapping is a powerful tool that offers a view of students' mental paths while solving problems that allow to assess the nature of the conceptual models originated by the interaction.

The lack of feedback in the student-teacher relationship creates an incomplete perspective about the learning process in Mathematics, as for example in Advanced Algebra. This research was conducted in Mexico using a theoretical framework for performance assessment, based on the competencies for Advanced Algebra learning at the high school level. The objective sought to explore students' perceptions after a performance assessment process, using two groups of students who took Advanced Algebra for the second time because of low academic achievement. Mixed methods research was selected for understanding profoundly how performance assessment reports (PAR) could bring useful information to students for reaching expected performance levels. A performance rubric based on Marzano and Kendall's New Taxonomy, as well as semi-structured interviews, were used for data collection purposes. The findings confirm that changing the assessment method from traditional grading to performance assessing can be a clearer approach for understanding students' strengths and weakness as Advanced Algebra learners.

One of the most significant challenges of telepresence distance education is to bring the professor and the students closer together in a synchronistic educational experience where the professor is perceived as anatomically proportionate. Telepresence, an educational technology ecosystem using holograms, offers a way to solve this technological challenge. Our mixed exploratory research investigating this methodology had two purposes: (1) propose the key elements to teach distance courses synchronously in an educational technology ecosystem, and (2) demonstrate the technological, didactic practices that result in positive student learning outcomes in several specified courses. This methodology included applying a student questionnaire to collect their perceptions of the educational experience. The scores and written comments from the questionnaire were analyzed using Grounded Theory. On a Likert scale from 1 to 5, the students scored their educational experience, attaining a mean of 4.05. The positive perception affirmed that they valued: (a) recreating the natural dynamics of face-to-face classes, where the students perceived their professors as being physically present in the classroom; (b) professors renowned in their disciplines; (c) professor–student and campus and intercampus learning community interactions, and, finally, (d) class design and content. The main conclusions of this research were that students positively perceived the “wow” effect of the technology, feeling comfort, amazement, interest, and engagement. In addition, we found that professors and keynote speakers with excellent pedagogical skills and experts in their disciplines were well appreciated. Key elements for the success of the experience were professor-student, campus, and intercampus interactions and the quality of the technological and communication infrastructure.

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