The typical introductory physics lecture requires students to consolidate and assimilate a large quantity of complex information that is often novel to them. This can leave students overwhelmed, slow the pace of their learning, and lower their motivation. We find that carefully designed multimedia summaries in the form of one-minute videos and…

This paper describes an alternative approach to teaching and learning practices in an undergraduate physics laboratory. The instructor plans and implements the 5E instructional model into the laboratory instruction. The article includes an example of the 5E lesson for the laboratory component of a physics course, which has separate lecture and…

Flipped classrooms provide students the opportunity to collaboratively solve challenging problems in class with help and scaffolding available from instructors. Because there are many ways to structure a flipped course, research on the effectiveness of flipping classrooms has produced mixed results. Therefore, it is important for researchers to…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of strategic problem solving with peer instruction on college students' performance in physics. The students enrolled in 2 sections of a physics course were studied; 1 section was the treatment group and the other section was the comparison group. Students in the treatment group received peer…

Appropriate technologies able to be easily and economically constructed from readily available materials by local craftspeople have a central role in the alleviation of poverty in the developing world. However, research and development of these technologies are generally apportioned relatively modest support by the developed world's institutions,…

The introductory course in college physics has been criticized as fragmented and lacking in a theme or "story" to tie together the disparate chapters. As physicists, we see it as highly organized and hierarchical, developing from the great principles of Newton, Maxwell, etc. But to the student, it's just the chapter on lost hikers, the chapter on…

A narrative in the form of a courtroom trial is used to compare evidence on the nature of light as part of an introductory college physics course. Prosecuting and defense attorneys present evidence for and against competing wave and particle hypotheses for light behavior while students play the roles of jurors. (Contains 5 figures.)

This paper draws on an action research inquiry into my teaching practice featuring careful analysis of the experiences of some of the students in my college-level introductory college physics course. Specifically, the research describes and interprets the role of Writing-to-Learn pedagogies in a physics classroom with a view to exploring how such…

This mixed methods study focuses on the use of instructional videos in an undergraduate physics classroom. Previous research has explored the effects of videos on student performance however, limited research exists on the effects of science instructional videos with embedded quiz questions on student achievement. This study compares students'…

For students entering college with very little or poor physics background, the transition into fast-paced calculus based physics courses at a large university can be demanding; this thesis documents tools used in a preparatory course which is intended to ease that transition by teaching fundamental skills and problem solving. Within the…

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)

Previous studies have demonstrated that analogies can promote student learning in physics and can be productively taught to students to support their learning, under certain conditions. We build on these studies to explore the use of analogy by students in a large introductory college physics course. In the first large-scale study of its kind, we…

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)