Next Generation Research-Based and Research-Validated Instructional Materials for Teaching Physics in Different Instructional Environments

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

To sustain a robust STEM workforce and a STEM-literate population, the Nation faces a critical need for improved science education. Our country needs well-prepared workers in STEM fields to increase our economic competitiveness, improve our national security, and provide quality employment opportunities for the next generation of citizens. As a result, colleges and universities must graduate students who are effective in conducting scientific investigations and designing solutions to our most pressing problems. They must also graduate students who can assess scientific facts and arguments, make judgements about the value of scientific inquiry, and communicate ideas effectively. Thus, students must learn not only scientific concepts and principles but also the practices, applications, and ways of reasoning in science. Significant improvements in science education have been made, but a great deal more remains to be done. This four-year project will develop curriculum that not only has a proven effect on improving student learning and reasoning, but will also develop and test resources that help instructors implement and adapt the instructional strategies in their own classrooms. The focus will be on physics, but the findings will be applicable across all science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. An additional underlying goal is to identify core science concepts and reasoning skills that are taken for granted in standard introductory physics courses, but that are difficult for students who lack strong preparation in science. Although there is a consensus that active engagement is necessary for learning, it is not sufficient. It is also necessary to use topic-specific strategies that guide students to construct scientific concepts and models so that they can apply them to situations not explicitly studied. Through systematic, ongoing research, the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington has developed research-based and research-validated materials that embed such strategies in courses for K-12 teachers and in introductory physics courses for math, engineering, and physics majors. The goal of this project is to extend this body of work by identifying additional concepts and reasoning skills that many students find difficult when learning physics, and to use those results to guide instruction. The primary outcome will be sets of curricular materials that have a demonstrated impact on student learning when used in different instructional settings, including large lectures, small-group sections, and online. It is intended that the materials will be effective in supplementing lecture-based courses, as well as supporting instruction in 'flipped' classrooms. The project will also respond to increasing awareness of differences between students in introductory algebra-based physics courses and calculus-based physics courses. The students in algebra-based courses are typically life science majors. Those in the calculus-based courses are typically physical science and engineering majors. Simply developing effective instructional materials is not enough. Consequently, the materials will be accompanied by detailed online guides to help faculty adapt the materials for their individual goals and institutional constraints. The project will also develop a User Community that aims to provide faculty with access to enhanced support. Research on the needs of faculty and the effectiveness of mechanisms to support them will guide the design of the User Community. The project will also provides professional development for up to 100 current and future faculty through seminars and workshops. Finally, this project will provide broad dissemination through articles and presentations at national and local meetings. This dissemination strategy will ensure that instructors have access to advances in knowledge about how people learn. In addition, through the involvement of postdocs and graduate students, the project will develop capacity for ongoing improvements in STEM education on a national level. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.