Explorations in Physics

1. Explorations in Physics Assessing Student Attitudes and Epistemologies

2. An Important EiP Goal • Encourage appropriate attitudes about the process of science • Coherent rather than isolated facts • Knowledge involves construction not merely memorization • Applies to real life • Can be learned with hard work

3. EBAPS Attitude Survey • Survey adapted from U of MD EBAPS • EBAPS =Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Science • Survey contains 32 Likert scale items (agree-disagree) • Survey probes student views along several dimensions such as: • Structure of scientific knowledge (isolated facts or coherent?) • Nature of learning (memorizing facts or constructing knowledge?) • Real-life applicability (does science apply to real life?) • Source of ability to learn (natural ability vs. hard work?)

4. Preliminary Work • Dickinson College Sp2001 while developing new units • Class of 23 Non-science majors fulfilling lab science requirement (18 Fr, 2 So, 3 Jr) • Pre- and Post course survey administration • Mid-semester interviews w/ about 6 students (L. Lising) • Clarify student responses on pre-course survey • Probe attitudes toward the curriculum • Probe attitudes regarding style of teaching/learning

5. Under Development Energy, Fuels, & Environment Patterns, Fractals and Complexity* Sound, Vibrations, & Music Charge, Magnets, & Electric Motors *Changed to: Atoms, Structures & Snowflakes EiP Units: Dickinson Sp 01 • Published by Wiley • Motion, Forces, & Scientific Theories • Light, Sight, & Rainbows • Heat, Temperature, & Cloud Formation • Buoyancy, Pressure, & Flight

6. Pre & Post Course Responses % Agreement with expert response

7. Interview Ambivalence I • Student says: “I think I understand stuff better if I am put in a position to explain it to someone else.” • Then she says: “I don’t really see the value of making a prediction before doing an experiment.” • Student also says: “I think it is a good experience for me to try to learn in a different setting.” • When asked what would be a good way to assess understanding: “I think a really good question would be to think of your own experiment to test something. Like I hate questions like that, because I can never think of them on my own, but I think it’s a good question.”

8. Interview • Student says: “I definitely prefer the lecture method. It’s a much more ‘efficient’ way to learn. I should have just stayed with the teaching style I liked.” • According to this student: “The value of hands-on work is that it gives you ownership….it gives you so much more pride and so much more, wow, I really did this!” • Student also says: “I think this is a slow and frustrating way to learn.” • And, he depended on the instructor as a source of right answers: “I trust the professor because its kind of like having a textbook with me. It’s that safety and security in knowing that I’m doing all right.” Ambivalence II

9. Interview • He also says during experiments: “We should be able to come out with the reason why this is happening…You come to college to learn how to learn, you know what I mean?” • And he says that when groups get different data and discuss it, it could: “call for some interesting debates and it would make us think in different angles. That would be neat.” Laura Lising goes on to report: “This student’s interview continues a story of contradictory epistemology. An interesting view of a successful student with some very negative attitudes.” Ambivalence II (Continued)

10. RIT Winter 2002 Survey • Rochester Institute of Technology Wi 2002 using established units • Class of 24 students majoring in technical fields (mostly Information Technology) • Pre- and Post course survey administration

11. Under Development Energy, Fuels, & Environment Atoms, Structures & Snowflakes Sound, Vibrations, & Music Charge, Magnets, & Electric Motors EiP Units: RIT Winter ‘02 • Published by Wiley • Motion, Forces, & Scientific Theories • Light, Sight, & Rainbows • Heat, Temperature, & Cloud Formation • Buoyancy, Pressure, & Flight

12. Gain Factors: Dickinson & RIT % Agreement with expert response

13. Gain Factors: Dickinson & RIT % Agreement with expert response

14. Some Observations • Gains in Attitudes can be hard to achieve during the development phase of a curriculum. Losses can inform curricular refinement. • It appears that a few students can be affected dramatically while the attitudes of others remain unchanged or erode • Shifting the rules of the “course game” can be hard for students to adjust too and lead to ambivalence • Technical students and liberal arts students seem to have similar pre-course EBAPs attitudes, except they are more prone to believe that hard work they can learn

15. EiP Information • Summer Workshop • June 15-20, 2003 • Application Deadline: March 15, 2003 • Contact Gail Oliver at oliver@dickinson.edu • EiP Activity Guide • John Wiley & Sons • http://jws-edcv.wiley.com/college and search for Explorations in Physics • Instructor Materials (Sept 1, 2002) • http://physics.dickinson.edu/EiP • Contact info: Kerry Browne • brownek@dickinson.edu

16. Explorations in Physics • Collaborative Effort • David Jackson, Dickinson College • Priscilla Laws, Dickinson College • Scott Franklin, Rochester Institute of Technology • Kerry Browne, Dickinson College • Funding • Dana Foundation • National Science Foundation • FIPSE FIPSE