Improving Student Understanding of Physics at an Inner-City University through the use of Concept and Activity-Based Tutorials

Chicago State University, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The physics program at Chicago State University (CSU) is making major improvements in its classes by implementing high quality instructional materials that utilize results from Physics Education Research (PER) and stress modern pedagogy and technology. This implementation is expected to produce large gains in student understanding and greatly improve the physics program at CSU. Current conceptual activities are being supplemented with microcomputer-based activities focusing on the same ideas, particularly the University of Maryland Activity-Based Tutorials (UMD-ABTs) and the RealTime Physics Laboratories (RTP-Ls). This combination of concept and activity-based materials (CAB-Ms) will constitute a series of three-hour laboratories in which students will be engaged in "minds-on" and "hands-on" activities. In addition, the University of Illinois Tycho Web-based Homework System is being used in classes. The inclusion of these materials helps students make explicit links between the concepts and how they are applied to real situations. The main goals of this project are (1) to improve learning for all students in the introductory algebra- and calculus-based physics classes at an inner-city university in Chicago, (2) to involve undergraduate science majors in the implementation and creation of innovative teaching materials, and (3) to document the effectiveness of the implementation in promoting student learning through the use of multiple assessment instruments and disseminate these results to the community of physics teachers and education researchers both locally and nationally. Additional goals are to create a program in physics that can serve as a resource and model to the community of teachers and students on the predominantly low-income south-side of Chicago, and to foster new dialogue and to continue collaborations with colleagues testing similar materials at other institutions. The intellectual merit of the project is in the adaptation of well-established, well-tested curricula. Both PIs have experience with these materials and are in an excellent position to build upon existing efforts and improve student understanding of physics. Although the project specifically targets students in the introductory physics courses at CSU, it will have a much broader impact. Current efforts have highlighted the fact that one must be intimately aware of the strengths and weakness of the student population before providing effective instruction. Because of CSU's location on the south-side of Chicago, this work has the potential to be important in informing the community of teachers at inner-city colleges and universities throughout the country and to aid students underrepresented in STEM education. The effectiveness of the implementation will be well documented and therefore closely integrates aspects of research and education.