Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning

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written by Mathew "Sandy" Martinuk, Rachel Moll, and Andrzej Kotlicki

Over the last two years UBC has completely revamped their introductory course for non-physics majors to present physics in terms of everyday situations and to reinforce connections between classroom physics and real-world phenomena throughout the course. One of the key changes was the incorporation of a final project where groups of students research and present on a topic of their choice related to the course. Students were asked to quantitatively model a real-world situation to make a choice or settle a dispute. At the midpoint and end of the 2008 course students were surveyed with a single transfer problem that tested students' ability to apply physics concepts in real-world contexts. The post-test showed students were more likely to engage in simple (rate)*(time) estimates rather than applying more sophisticated physics principles. Implications for instruction and future work are discussed.

Physics Education Research Conference 2009
Part of the PER Conference series
Ann Arbor, Michigan: July 29-30, 2009
Volume 1179, Pages 193-196

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Published: November 11, 2009

Subjects	Levels	Resource Types
Education Foundations - Learning Theory Education Practices - Curriculum Development = Course - Instructional Material Design = Project	- Lower Undergraduate	- Reference Material = Research study

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Mirror:: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3266712
Access Rights:: Free access and
Available for purchase; A preprint of the work is available. A hard copy of the PERC 2009 proceedings is also available.
Restriction:: © 2009 American Institute of Physics
DOI:: 10.1063/1.3266712
PACSs:: 01.40.gb; 01.40.Fk
Keywords:: PERC 2009, physics education research, real-world context, real-world models, reformed curriculum, student research projects, transfer
Record Cloner:: Metadata instance created October 7, 2009 by Alea Smith
Record Updated:: July 12, 2010 by Lyle Barbato
Last Update when Cataloged:: November 11, 2009
Other Collections:: The PER-Central

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Record Link

<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=9481">Martinuk, M, R. Moll, and A. Kotlicki. "Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 29-30, 2009.</a>

AIP Format

M. Martinuk, R. Moll, and A. Kotlicki, , presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2009, WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9481&DocID=1354).

AJP/PRST-PER

M. Martinuk, R. Moll, and A. Kotlicki, Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning, presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2009, <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9481&DocID=1354>.

APA Format

Martinuk, M., Moll, R., & Kotlicki, A. (2009, July 29-30). Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning. Paper presented at Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Retrieved April 29, 2024, from https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9481&DocID=1354

Chicago Format

Martinuk, M, R. Moll, and A. Kotlicki. "Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning." Paper presented at the Physics Education Research Conference 2009, Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 29-30, 2009. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9481&DocID=1354 (accessed 29 April 2024).

MLA Format

Martinuk, Mathew "Sandy", Rachel Moll, and Andrzej Kotlicki. "Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning." Physics Education Research Conference 2009. Ann Arbor, Michigan: 2009. 193-196 Vol. 1179 of PER Conference. 29 Apr. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9481&DocID=1354>.

BibTeX Export Format

@inproceedings{ Author = "Mathew "Sandy" Martinuk and Rachel Moll and Andrzej Kotlicki", Title = {Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning}, BookTitle = {Physics Education Research Conference 2009}, Pages = {193-196}, Address = {Ann Arbor, Michigan}, Series = {PER Conference}, Volume = {1179}, Month = {July 29-30}, Year = {2009} }

Refer Export Format

%A Mathew "Sandy" Martinuk %A Rachel Moll %A Andrzej Kotlicki %T Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning %S PER Conference %V 1179 %D July 29-30 2009 %P 193-196 %C Ann Arbor, Michigan %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9481&DocID=1354 %O Physics Education Research Conference 2009 %O July 29-30 %O application/pdf

EndNote Export Format

%0 Conference Proceedings %A Martinuk, Mathew "Sandy" %A Moll, Rachel %A Kotlicki, Andrzej %D July 29-30 2009 %T Research Projects In Introductory Physics: Impacts On Student Learning %B Physics Education Research Conference 2009 %C Ann Arbor, Michigan %V 1179 %P 193-196 %S PER Conference %8 July 29-30 %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=9481&DocID=1354

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