Helping students set up equations is one of the major goals of teaching a course in physics that contains elements of problem solving. Students must take the stories we present, interpret them, and turn them into physics; from there, they must turn that physical, idealized story into mathematics. How they do so and what problems lie along the way…

Introduces a pictorial, intuitive approach that allows the teaching of thermodynamics equilibrium in an introductory college physics course. (GA)

Discusses the philosophy and organization of an introductory college physics course that emphasizes laboratory experiments. Also presents a brief outline of the laboratory work. (MLH)

Describes a systematic study of skills for solving problems in basic physics. Also discusses how detailed observations of individuals were used to formulate models for problem-solving processes in mechanics and applications for teaching basic college physics or engineering courses. (HM)

Discusses the use of logarithm and reciprocal graphs in the college physics classroom. Provides examples, such as electrical conductivity, reliability function in the Weibull model, and the Clausius-Clapeyron equation for latent heat of vaporation. Shows graphs with weighting of points. (YP)

Discusses the use of relatively unskilled observers from disciplines other than sciences to improve teaching performance of college physics courses which are designed for nonscience majors and engineering and science students. Included is a description of the observer roles within the classroom and in interaction with instructors. (CC)

Two approaches to the content of thermodynamics were used in an introductory college physics course: traditional organization and organization based on Ausubel's learning theory. The influence of these organizations on engineering student's (N=58) cognitive structure was investigated using a word association test analyzed through hierarchical…

Describes a teaching assistant (TA) training program to improve quality of a college physics course. Presents the goals and structures of the physics course and the TA training program. Describes the formative evaluation procedure and its role in developing the training model. Concludes that students in the physics class valued the recitation and…

The study aimed to identify the attitudes of the students toward physics and its relation to some variables such as sex, cumulative average, and University level at three national Palestinian universities. The study sample consisted of 134 students of the Faculty of Science at the Islamic University, Al-Aqsa University and Al-Azhar University. The…

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,…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if self-instructional data analysis sessions could be used effectively as traditional college laboratories to reinforce students' understanding of certain principles of mechanics. The secondary purpose was to determine whether any of the 140 college physics students involved had a dependence on…

There is a growing need for college science faculty to teach a diverse group of learners. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework can be used to create inclusive learning materials and activities in the higher education science classroom. A UDL Academy introduced science faculty to the UDL framework, which led to them implementing UDL in…

The idea that cognitive science can provide useful guidance to the teaching of physics has been met by some with skepticism. One argument is that the current understanding of cognition is too crude to be helpful; another, that any scientific approach to education stifles the art of teaching. Some feel that art and science need not be incompatible.…

This study was concerned with the production, organization, utilization, and evaluation of an individualized program of instruction in introductory college physics. Key features of the program included an open-learning center staffed and equipped with a variety of instructional materials, and a self-paced testing arrangement utilizing a number of…

A study of the objectives and teaching practices of an introductory college physics course was conducted by personally interviewing 24 instructors in six Oklahoma colleges and universities and audiotaping their 45 classes. The instructors' questions in classes were cross-classified by type and purpose. The question-types included directive,…