Attending to experimental physics practices and lifelong learning skills in an introductory laboratory course

Gandhi, Punit; Livezey, Jesse A.; Zaniewski, Anna; Reinholz, Daniel L.; Dounas-Frazer, Dimitri R.

doi:10.1119/1.4955147

Cited by 26 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(15 reference statements)

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“…Course work was the most frequently selected topic from the checklist, possibly because it was a salient aspect of students' experiences. Time management and organization were present in about one third of meetings; studies of physics students in other contexts show that these are considerable areas of focus for student growth (Gandhi et al;Dounas-Frazer and Reinholz 2015). Students also used the relationships for psychosocial support, including discussing social issues and stress, which were the most frequently discussed topics after course work.…”

Section: Topics Discussed In Meetingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing STEM success: a near-peer mentoring program in the physical sciences

2016

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Background: Mentoring supports professional success in a myriad of fields; in the physical sciences, mentoring increases the retention of diverse groups of students. While physics education has made progress in classifying the availability and structural components related to mentoring programs, little is known about the qualitative nature of mentoring relationships. This article draws from frameworks in science identity and belongs to analyze the nature of relationships in the mentoring program offered by the Sundial Project at Arizona State University, which aims to help new students with diverse backgrounds succeed in physics and related majors. To provide insight into mentoring relationships, we analyze over 150 reports submitted by mentors and mentees in a near-peer mentoring program. Results: Mentoring groups enjoyed positive rapport and often remarked upon becoming friends. As such, mentoring relationships provided mentees with both psychosocial and academic support. Mentoring supported students to deal with a wide variety of topics, ranging from academic to personal, according to the needs of individual mentees. Moreover, outcomes of students in the mentoring program were favorable; the mean GPA of participating mentees was 3.49 for their first college semester. Conclusions: Mentors acted both as guides who shared information and as caring friends who providing psychosocial support, including normalizing struggle. These connections supported students to develop a sense of belonging and positive science identities.

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Section: Topics Discussed In Meetingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing STEM success: a near-peer mentoring program in the physical sciences

2016

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“…Reflective writing exercises are a key step in metacognition, allowing the student to interrogate their own learning and laboratory process. Student reflections are a benefit for both assessing and supporting students' learning in laborato-ries [8,9]. Such reflection exercises have been shown to help students develop problem solving skills [10], content knowledge [11], conceptual understanding [12,13], and attitudes about physics [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using reflections to explore student learning during the project component of an advanced laboratory course

Cai¹,

Mainhood²,

Knobel³

2019

2018 Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings

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We redesigned an advanced physics laboratory course to include a project component. The intention was to address learning outcomes such as modeling, design of experiments, teamwork, and developing technical skills in using apparatus and analyzing data. The course included experimental labs in preparation for a sixweek team project in which students designed and implemented a research experiment. The final assignment given to students was a reflective essay, which asked students to discuss their learning and satisfaction in doing the project. Qualitative analysis of the students' reflections showed that the majority of the students reported satisfaction and achievement, functional team dynamics, learning outcomes unique to this experience, practicing modeling skills, and potential future improvements. We suggest that reflections are useful as support for student learning as well as in guiding curricular improvements. Our findings may be useful for other course redesign initiatives incorporating project-based learning and student reflections.

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“…In the late 1980s, Hestenes and Halloun [6,7] laid the groundwork for a model-centered curriculum that is now known as Modeling Instruction [8,9], a widely used pedagogy for introductory physics at the high school and university levels. Since then, several other introductory courses and curricula have been developed to engage students in the iterative process of creating and revising models [10][11][12][13][14][15]. At the upperdivision level, the Advanced Lab [16][17][18] and Electronics Lab [19,20] at the University of Colorado Boulder have both been transformed to emphasize model-based reasoning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing lab instructors’ self-reported learning goals to inform development of an experimental modeling skills assessment

Dounas-Frazer

Rios

Pollard

et al. 2018

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res.

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The ability to develop, use, and refine models of experimental systems is a nationally recognized learning outcome for undergraduate physics lab courses. However, no assessments of students' model-based reasoning exist for upper-division labs. This study is the first step toward development of modeling assessments for optics and electronics labs. We interviewed 35 lab instructors about the ways they incorporate modeling in their courses, and we used their self-reported learning goals and activity designs to identify test contexts and objectives that are likely relevant across many institutional settings. The study design was informed by the Modeling Framework for Experimental Physics, which conceptualizes modeling as consisting of multiple subtasks: making measurements, constructing system models, comparing data to predictions, proposing causes for discrepancies, and enacting revisions to models or apparatus. We found that each modeling subtask was identified by multiple instructors as an important learning outcome for their course. Based on these results, we argue that test objectives should include probing students' competence with most modeling subtasks, and test items should be designed to elicit students' justifications for choosing particular modeling pathways. In addition to discussing these and other implications for assessment, we also identify future areas of research related to the role of modeling in optics and electronics labs. *

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Attending to experimental physics practices and lifelong learning skills in an introductory laboratory course

Cited by 26 publications

References 22 publications

Increasing STEM success: a near-peer mentoring program in the physical sciences

Increasing STEM success: a near-peer mentoring program in the physical sciences

Using reflections to explore student learning during the project component of an advanced laboratory course

Characterizing lab instructors’ self-reported learning goals to inform development of an experimental modeling skills assessment

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