written by Christopher M. Nakamura, Sytil K. Murphy, Nasser M. Juma, N. Sanjay Rebello, and Dean A. Zollman

Online implementation of physics learning materials may present a powerful method of data collection for physics education research, in addition to being useful for supplemental instruction. This may have implications for composite instruction and research designs. We have developed three lessons on Newton's laws and implemented them on the Internet. The lessons ask students to make observations and measurements using video clips, perform calculations and answer open-ended questions. Responses are collected via an online response system. One hundred ten university students enrolled in an algebra-based physics course and 30 high school physics students worked through some or all of our lessons, and their responses were collected. We present a qualitative and quantitative analysis of their responses and assess the implications for optimal design of online lesson materials for collecting meaningful data about students' understanding of basic physics concepts.

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Published November 11, 2009
Last Modified October 11, 2009

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