written by Adam J. Burgasser, Mike A. Lopez, Isabela Rodrigues, and Jordan Campbell

Interactive instruction make measurable gains in concept learning, but problem-solving skills and development of a scientific mindset are often missed in the large lecture environment of introductory physics courses. We describe an implementation of the Cooperative Problem Solving model (Heller & Heller 2010) for over 400 students in an Introductory Mechanics course for Life Science Majors at UC San Diego, aimed at improving problem-solving, relevance and student collaboration in learning. We describe our flipped-model approach with 25 hours of video lectures, problem-solving skill development through training worksheets and strategy scaffolds, and bi-weekly team projects combining physical and life science topics. Nine sections of this course were conducted alongside a large lecture control, all taught by the same instructor. We discuss comparisons in student performance on exams and the Force Concepts Inventory, and demonstrate clear gains in persistence in this and subsequent Physics courses. We also examine students' use of the video lectures.

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Last Modified December 26, 2016

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