Physics Education
In this chapter, we argue for an epistemological shift from viewing coding and computational thinking as mastery over computational logic and symbolic forms, to viewing them as a more complex form of experience. Rather than viewing…
The ability to communicate with all audiences is a skill that is rapidly becoming a must-have for any future scientist. As more physicists engage in communicating science to non-expert audiences, research shows that this experience helps…
We have two basic methods of modeling matter. We can treat matter as a continuum and solve differential equations or we can treat it discretely and solve massive N-body problems. The differential equations produced by meaningful problems…
Exciting scientific results such as the discovery of the Higgs boson offer a great opportunity to engage young people in particle physics. International Particle Physics Masterclasses highlight how high school students across the world can…
This paper describes some of the results of a National Science Foundation Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education project that aims to establish a nanoscience and nanotechnology program at the University of North Dakota. The goal is to…
Nine interviews were conducted with astronomers from Leiden University, and a document analysis was performed on relevant institutional (self-) evaluation documents, annual reports, and CVs of the interviewees. The aim was to perform a…
Research on the test structure of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) has largely ignored gender, and research on FCI gender effects (often reported as "gender gaps") has seldom interrogated the structure of the test. These rarely-crossed…
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…
We present a case study and an experience report on teaching engineering skills to young learners in the 7 to 10 years age group. Teaching engineering skills through a constructivist approach involving hands-on activities by designing and…
We present a fast, simple method for automated data acquisition and visualization of sound directivity, made convenient and accessible via a smartphone app, "Polar Pattern Plotter." The app synchronizes measurements of sound volume with the…
This study aims to find out what instructional strategy and media more properly based on learning styles in middle schools. For this purpose, 307 students of 7th to 9th grade from three middle schools were the respondents. Index Learning…
In this paper, we describe two paradigms in physics education research (PER): recurrence-oriented and case-oriented PER. We connect theory on research methodologies in the social sciences to interviews with physics education researchers and…
We extend on previous research on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) given to first year classical mechanics students (N=66 students, over four years) pre and post score, for students on an international (global) course at Osaka University.…
Creating equitable performance outcomes among students is a focus of many instructors and researchers. One focus of this effort is examining disparities in physics student performance across genders, which is a well-established problem.…
On the sighting of the constellations and their stars, they seem to be near each other at first sight but some of thema are actually quite further from the others. Froma the geocentric point view can the Zodiac Costellations be perceived as…
We report on a laboratory activity carried out together with secondary school (high-school) students, with the aim of increasing their interest toward historical scientific instruments and stimulate their approach to scientific knowledge.…
To increase the attention of students, several physics experiments can be performed at school, as well at home, by using the smartphone as laboratory tools. In the paper we describe a mechanical model of the smartphone's accelerometer,…
To enhance student learning, we demonstrate an experimental study to analyze student learning outcomes in online and in-class sections of a core data communications course of the Undergraduate IT program in the Information Sciences and…
Although compelling assessments have been examined in recent years, more studies are required to yield a better understanding of the several methods where assessment techniques significantly affect student learning process. Most of the…
One way to foster a supportive culture in physics departments is for instructors to provide students with personal attention regarding their academic difficulties. To this end, we have developed the Guided Reflection Form (GRF), an online…