Detailed learning objectives foster an effective and equitable learning environment by clarifying what instructors expect students to learn, rather than requiring students to use prior knowledge to infer these expectations. When questions are labeled with relevant learning goals, students understand which skills are tested by those questions.…

This paper discusses new teaching approaches that are not heavily dependent on hardware, i.e., approaches that replace lectures with other activities such as small-group seminars and individualized instruction. Emphasis is placed on methods relevant to college physics education, such as the Keller Plan, modular instruction, audio-tutorial methods,…

Southern College of Technology (SCT) is the only institution in the University of Georgia system to offer a developmental physics course to give students with no previous physics coursework the conceptual background and vocabulary needed to complete SCT's physics requirements. The eight sections of the developmental course focus on: (1) literal…

Beginning college physics students' misconceptions about moving objects, their mathematics skills, and formal reasoning ability, are all believed to be related to their achievement in physics. It is hypothesized that students whose knowledge structures include misconceptions that are in conflict with concepts in the lectures and text will have…

In teaching a well-organized college physics course that is understandable to students, teachers should first understand students' conditions and circumstances and be clear on the goals of the course. The goals of physics teaching are commonly defined as understanding the nature of scientific reasoning and the concepts and methods of physics,…

Additional to the lack of gender and ethnic diversity, the attrition rate among Physics and Engineering undergraduates is as high as 40%. Considering the impact of STEM gateway course on students' choice of major, we investigated the association between students' Expectancy-Value beliefs at the beginning of the class with their intent to persist…

In six parts, this research panel report focuses on numerous aspects of an institutionally-supported project in Writing and Problem Solving across Disciplines conducted by four teachers at Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon. The report's first section, "Introduction," is descriptive and gives some background on the research…

Small-group cooperative learning was integrated into a physics class to alter the traditional lecture/laboratory format of the course and to provide support for students' feelings of helplessness and isolation in studying physics. At weekly meetings, groups of 4-6 students met to solve physics homework problems assigned during the traditional…

The application of recent advances in the understanding of problem solving to the classroom is reviewed. Current research findings are described, and the instructional validity of these findings is illustrated by a research study of an instructional strategy called novice knowledge engineering. How various instructional strategies serve as…

College Introductory STEM courses impact students' persistence. Guided by Eccles' Expectancy-Value (EV) theory, we examined undergraduates' open-ended explanations for major persistence plans. Students (N=2,737; 45.6% women; 16.4% White, 22.6% Latino/a, 46.5% Asian, 14.5% other; 43% 1st-generation college-going students) reported certainty in…

Successful course reforms rely on the development of courses that support productive patterns of classroom interaction. Particularly in the case of inquiry-based classes, the ways that students talk to each other and how they interpret the instructor's actions can make great differences in their learning. This paper describes results of research…

Brazil is a country that does not invest enough in basic education, thus leaving a gap in the knowledge of young people studying in public schools and jeopardizing their future. One of the main ways to get into college in Brazil is through the National High School Exam (ENEM), a multiple-choice test administered by the National Institute of…

Education research has repeatedly shown that active learning in physics is pedagogically more efficient than traditional lecture courses. Widespread application of the active learning is slowed down by the lack of data on the performance of the active learning in widely varying circumstances of different educational systems. We measured the level…

A promising new development in science education is the use of microcomputer-based laboratory tools that allow for student-directed data acquisition, display, and analysis. Microcomputer-based laboratories (MBL) make use of inexpensive microcomputer-connected probes to measure such physical quantities as temperature, position, and various…

Because of the increasing importance of the so called "third mission", the number of activities toward the public, conducted at various scales by individual scientists, research institutions and universities, is steadily increasing. Educational programs developed by universities and research institutions for secondary schools have also…