Normalizing Computational Methods in the Undergraduate Physics Curriculum

Indiana University, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by strengthening undergraduate students' use of computational skills to solve problems. The traditional physics curriculum trains students to think of using mathematical methods as the normal way to solve physics problems. However, the proliferation of and advances in computer hardware and software suggest that students who are trained to use computers to solve problems may be able to tackle more difficult and sophisticated problems than they can with mathematical methods alone. Ideally, students should think of mathematical and computational methods as complementary and make judicious use of both to solve problems. Since the traditional physics curriculum already emphasizes mathematical methods, the goal of this project is to train physics majors to use computers to solve physics problems and to think of computational problem-solving as a normal way to approach problems, in the same way students have traditionally been trained to view mathematical methods. The field of physics should benefit from having students who see computation as a natural way to solve problems, because these students will be confident about tackling a wider range of problems. In addition, students who are trained to use computers to solve scientific problems bring additional tools and understanding to bear on tasks. As a result, they should find themselves well-prepared for employment in business and industry. The investigators aim to get physics students to see computational methods as a normal way to approach physics problems, instead of an unusual technique limited to narrowly defined problems. By modifying physics courses to embed computational methods, the investigators hypothesize that students will gain the confidence to use computation routinely and will develop judgment as to which problems may be solved analytically, which problems require numerical methods, and how the interplay between these complementary techniques can be fruitful. To achieve this vision, the investigators will infuse every course in the undergraduate physics curriculum with computational methods. The primary work will include: (1) developing, testing, and refining curricular materials used to incorporate computational techniques throughout the curriculum; (2) developing, refining, and validating assessment instruments used to measure students' affective and cognitive development with respect to computational methods; and (3) conducting research on students' development of self-efficacy in problem-solving as they progress through the curriculum. The project will address the following research questions: At what points in the curriculum do students gain self-efficacy with respect to various computational skills? Do they gain confidence in their analytical and computational skills at the same points, or independently? How strongly is self-efficacy tied to grades and other external factors? This project is funded by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE: EHR) program, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. 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.