scholarly journals Enhanced conceptual understanding in first year mechanics through modelling

2016 ◽  
pp. 22-26
Author(s):  
David Sands ◽  
Abigail L Marchant
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
First Year ◽  
Mathematical Equations ◽  
Third Law ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Structured Approach ◽  
Conceptual Difficulties ◽  
Force Concept

As part of the National HE STEM programme, we have developed and implemented a modelling curriculum in first year mechanics to overcome well known conceptual difficulties. By modelling, we mean more than just the development of mathematical equations to describe the evolution of a physical system; we also mean the use of multiple representations both to understand the problem at hand as well as to develop a solution. We have developed a structured approach to both teaching and assessing the use of such representations through the ACME protocol: Assess the problem, Conceptualise the Model, and Evaluate the solution. This paper describes the implementation of this protocol within a conventional lecture setting during a single semester of the 2011-12 academic session and demonstrates the impact on conceptual understanding of 42 students though pre-course and post-course testing using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Detailed analysis shows that on virtually every question in the FCI student performance improved, with questions 4 and 15, relating to Newton’s third law, showing especially large gains. The average FCI score rose from 17.7 (out of 30) to 22.5, with the distribution of post-instruction scores being statistically significantly different (p=0.0001) from the distribution of pre-instruction scores.

INCREASED STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON PHYSICS CONCEPT INVENTORY TEST AFTER STUDENT-CENTRED APPROACH IN UNIVERSITIES OF LATVIA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilva Cinite ◽  
◽  
Girts Barinovs ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Physics Education ◽  
Teaching Approach ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Force Concept Inventory ◽  
Force Concept

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 of understanding of basic physics concepts using Force Concept inventory for students who enrol at different universities in Latvia in calculus-based and non-calculus-based groups and compared the student performance to the pre-test results elsewhere in the world. We measured the growth of concept inventory test results and studied the dependence of the growth on the teaching approach used by university lecturers. About 450 undergraduate students from 12 groups of science and engineering courses taught by 8 lecturers were involved in the study at three universities in Latvia. The Force Concept Inventory multiple-choice test was translated to Latvian and used for pre-/post-tests. The pre-test results showed that the maximum of the distribution of correct answers for non-calculus groups is around 20%, which is the value obtained by the random guessing of test answers, whereas the pre-test results of calculus-based groups was about 50% of correct answers. The test score after taking post-test confirmed that the growth of students’ tests results is closely related to the teaching approach chosen by lecturer, showing that in order to provide physics graduates with a good conceptual understanding of physics, student centred teaching approach was crucial. The use of concept inventories in undergraduate physics education to measure the progress of learning appears to be particularly important in the current situation with a small number of students in physics and a critically small number of future physics teachers, when efficiency of teaching is of crucial importance. Keywords: STEM education quality, conceptual understanding, student-centred approach

scholarly journals Challenges Assessing the Conceptual Understanding of Students With Disabilities in Statistics

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 175-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim H. Dahlstrom-Hakki ◽  
Zachary G. Alstad
Keyword(s):  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Language Processing ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
Generalized Linear Mixed Effects ◽  
K 12 ◽  
The Impact

Standardized assessment of content knowledge for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) topics is pervasive in both K-12 and postsecondary institutions. Yet, most instruments are developed with little to no validation for students with learning disability (LD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of new test instruments designed to assess conceptual understanding of statistics content and the extent to which construct-irrelevant factors, such as language processing, influence the performance of students with disabilities. Generalized linear mixed-effects modeling was used to identify the factors that were predictive of student performance. Results indicate that the average sentence length in word problems was uniquely predictive of student performance on emerging assessments of conceptual understanding. The results provide new evidence of the barriers facing students with disabilities on emerging tests of conceptual knowledge. A general framework for measuring the impact of these barriers and the effectiveness of accommodations is discussed.

scholarly journals A Biology Core Concept Instrument (BCCI) to Teach and Assess Student Conceptual Understanding

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. ar46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawnya L. Cary ◽  
Caroline J. Wienhold ◽  
Janet Branchaw
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Interrater Reliability ◽  
Student Understanding ◽  
First Year ◽  
Core Concept ◽  
Biological Phenomenon ◽  
Biological Phenomena ◽  
Core Concepts

Instruments for teaching and assessing student understanding of the five core concepts in biology from Vision and Change are needed. We developed four Biology Core ­Concept Instruments (BCCIs) that teach and assess students’ ability to describe a concept in their own words, identify concepts represented in biological phenomena, and make connections between concepts. The BCCI includes a narrative, followed by a series of 10 true-false/identify (TF/I) and three open-ended questions. The TF/I questions are aligned with Cary and Branchaw’s Conceptual Elements Framework and were iteratively developed with feedback from biology experts and student performance and feedback obtained during think-aloud interviews. A component scoring system was developed to discriminate between a student’s ability to apply and identify each core concept from his or her ability to make connections between concepts. We field-tested the BCCIs ( n = 152–191) with students in a first-year course focused on learning the five core concepts in biology and collected evidence of interrater reliability (α = 0.70) and item validity. With component scoring, we identified examples in which students were able to identify concepts singularly, but not make connections between concepts, or were better able to apply concepts to one biological phenomenon than another. Identifying these nuanced differences in learning can guide instruction to improve students’ conceptual understanding.

Progression to intermediate level courses; is a “pass” enough?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-287
Author(s):  
Nicola J. Beatson ◽  
David A.G. Berg ◽  
Jeffrey K. Smith ◽  
Christine Smith-Han
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Intermediate Level ◽  
First Year ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the impact of a rule that affects tertiary students progressing from an introductory level finance course to intermediate level. The rule restricted students from progressing until they achieved a higher grade than just a “pass” mark. Design/methodology/approach Archival data were gathered from 11 semesters regarding student performance pre and post the rule being introduced. Findings Results show that the rule was associated with an increase in the chances of success at intermediate level for those students enrolled after the rule was introduced. Practical implications This paper’s main contribution regards the evidence that increasing prior learning at an introductory level has a positive follow-on effect for students learning at intermediate level. This has a practical implication for educators, as the rule has shown to increase the chance of success for knowledge development in the first year of studies. Originality/value The setting for this paper is unique and could potentially be replicated elsewhere. In 1980, Schaffer and Calkins called for an evaluation of the pre-requisites necessary for finance education at the tertiary level, and this paper answer this call stating that pre-requisites can contribute to the academic success of finance students.

scholarly journals Embedding Digital (Information) Literacy in the First Year Curriculum: An Intervention

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Jane Cooke
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
First Year ◽  
Digital Information ◽  
Collaborative Approach ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Improving Student Performance

This paper describes an intervention aimed at reducing the occurrence of common weaknesses in first level work and thereby improving student performance in assessments. The project involved developing a more systematic approach to embedding information literacy (IL) into the first year curriculum in the Carnegie Faculty at Leeds Beckett University by combining the expertise of subject librarians with that of first year tutors. It was part of a broader programme of institutional curricular change. This collaborative approach was informed by data from individual interviews with previous students and based on a dual rationale: firstly from Sadler’s (2002) call for more high impact, low stakes assessment in the first year and secondly a need to avoid creating a culture of ‘testing’ (Sambell, McDowell, & Montgomery, 2013) in which students position themselves as submitting to others’ judgments rather than developing rational autonomy (Baxter-Magolda, 2003). In other words, we needed to design an assessed activity which encouraged students to engage in learning but created a supportive and collaborative approach. The embedding process together with some of the resources and tools which we developed are described in this paper as well as the respective contributions of the various participants. We explore the impact of two years of implementation based on student interviews and tutor evaluations. Recommendations and examples are provided to demonstrate how a similar approach might work elsewhere either as a local, course-specific intervention or as part of an institution-wide approach to improving students’ digital literacy.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Students’ Perceptions of Physics in Science Foundation Studies at the National University of Laos

2010 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Phimpho Luangrath ◽  
Thongloon Vilaythong
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Physics Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Concept Inventory ◽  
Laboratory Work ◽  
Physics Teaching ◽  
Force Concept Inventory ◽  
Interesting Part ◽  
National University ◽  
Force Concept

This paper presents the situation of physics teaching and learning at the Science Foundation Studies program at National University of Laos. The study has focused on the students’ understanding of concepts in mechanics, and the situation of the laboratory work activities. The research tools used in this study were the Force Concept Inventory test, interviews and questionnaires. The results show that in an international comparison the Lao students reveal a low level of conceptual understanding in mechanics. They also show no improvement in their conceptual understanding after teaching. The students have little experience of laboratory work. They had expectations that laboratory work would be an interesting part of Physics Foundation Studies Course. However, few of the students do get involved in the actual measurements and handling of equipment during the practical activities. So, many of them do not feel that they learn much physics through laboratory work. This corresponds to their teachers’ understandings as well. Some strategies for improving the above mentioned aspects of physics teaching based on physics education research will be suggested. Cet article présentera la situation des processus d’enseignement et d’apprentissage de la physique au sein des classes préparatoires scientifiques de l’Université Nationale du Laos. Le but de ces classes est que les étudiants comprennent les concepts de mécanique et la situation des activités de laboratoire. Afin de mener cette étude, nous avons utilisé le test Force Concept Inventory (Inventaire des Concepts de Force), mené des interviews et appliqué des questionnaires. Au niveau international, les résultats montrent que les étudiants laotiens ont un niveau bas de compréhension des concepts de mécanique. Ils montrent également que ces mêmes étudiants n’améliorent pas leur compréhension après avoir participé au cours. Les étudiants possèdent peu d’expérience en laboratoire. Ils s’attendaient à ce que le travail de laboratoire soit une partie intéressante des classes préparatoires. Cependant, peu d’étudiants s’impliquent vraiment dans les mesures et dans la manipulation de l’équipement pendant les sessions de pratique. La plupart d’entre eux pensent donc ne pas apprendre grand-chose en physique pendant les pratiques de laboratoire. Cette sensation est également partagée par les professeurs. Notre objectif est donc de proposer quelques stratégies d’enseignement, soutenues par les recherches effectuées dans le domaine de l’enseignement de la physique.

scholarly journals PROMOTING PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS’ CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING ABOUT BOILING BY DIALOGIC TEACHING

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-471
Author(s):  
Mehmet Demirbağ ◽  
Sevgi Kingir
Keyword(s):  
Science Teachers ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Service Science ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
First Year ◽  
Dialogic Teaching ◽  
Instructional Activities ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Conceptual Difficulties

In order to reach students who can efficiently use intended scientific understandings, it is important to have science teachers without conceptual difficulties. The aim of present research is to enhance pre-service science teachers’ conceptual understanding about boiling by dialogic teaching. The sample consisted of forty-three pre-service science teachers in their first year of teacher education. Dialog-based instructional activities were conducted in a chemistry laboratory course. Audio recordings of classroom discourse and written texts were used for data collection. Pre-service science teachers’ conceptions about boiling identified before and after dialogic teaching were analyzed using content analysis.. The findings showed that dialogic teaching efficiently supported pre-service science teachers’ understanding about boiling. Keywords: dialogic teaching, conceptual change, boiling topic, pre-service science teachers.

scholarly journals “A little flip goes a long way” The impact of a ‘partial’-flipped classroom design on student performance and engagement in a first year undergraduate economics classroom

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Singh
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Control Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Classroom Design ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Traditional Lectures ◽  
Undergraduate Economics ◽  
The Impact

The flipped classroom is gaining prominence as an active learning pedagogy to engage a new generation of students. However, all courses do not lend themselves to a fully flipped design and instructors are often reluctant to flip lectures. In this study, I experimented with a “partial” flipped classroom design in a first-year undergraduate economics course. In this partial flipped format, traditional lectures were substituted with micro-lectures and the remaining class time was devoted to activities like quizzes, group work and student presentations. The full lectures were panopto recorded and put up on the e-learning site, Blackboard. This format enabled me to combine the benefits of a traditional lecture with a flipped classroom design. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the partial flipped classroom format, I compared the final exam scores of students in the partial flipped classroom with those in the control group, which followed a traditional lecture-based approach. The key results from the analysis revealed that students in the partial flipped classroom performed better in the final exams vis-à-vis students in the traditional classroom format. Furthermore, the partial flipped classroom format was associated with lower odds of students failing in the module. This format also resulted in better student engagement, more flexibility and enhanced student-tutor interaction within the classroom.

ENHANCING STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN FIRST YEAR CHEMISTRY THROUGH WEB -BASED LEARNING IN AN OPEN DISTANCE UNIVERSITY CONTEXT

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-86
Author(s):  
Hadley S Clayton ◽  
Mark G Smith
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Pass Rate ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
First Year ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Web Based Learning ◽  
The Impact

This paper reports the results of a study to assess the impact of MasteringChemistry® on student performance in chemistry. The proprietary MasteringChemistry® is a web-based tutoring application and assessment system currently used in first year chemistry modules at the University of South Africa (Unisa). This web-based programme provides supplementary work, giving students practice with instructor-assigned problems. The system is able to coach students with feedback specific to their needs and with simpler problems upon request. The application also provides the individual student with immediate and specific feedback on incorrect or partially incorrect answers. There is great potential for web-based learning in an open distance-learning environment. In particular, in subjects such as chemistry where problem-solving strategies are intrinsic to the learning process, the internet could be an effective medium for teaching and learning. The rationale for this study was to explore new teaching strategies to increase the pass rate in chemistry. A profile of the student demographic, with data gathered from registration records, is presented. Data collection on student assessment occurred through the instructor diagnostic tools in the MasteringChemistry® application or with the assistance of the Unisa Examination Administration. Here we present preliminary results that indicate that most students who regularly accessed the material achieved better examination results than those who did not. This pilot study has led to improved and innovative formative assessment practices by the academic staff in the Chemistry Department at Unisa. It further formed an interesting and challenging learning experience for staff investigating web-based approaches directed at improvement of their assessment activities. 

Impact of Merit-based Financial Aidon Student achievement

2014 ◽  
pp. 112-126
Author(s):  
O. Poldin ◽  
M. Yudkevich
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Financial Aid ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Average Distribution ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Russian Universities

Some Russian universities provide tuition fee discount to their students conditioned on their academic achievement. The paper examines the impact of this type of financial aid on student performance. The amount of this discounts for the first academic year depends on the admission test results, and its extension for the second year depends on the student’s academic achievement in the first year. Using regression discontinuity design and quantile regression, we show that financial aid stimulates the performance of those fee-paying students, who are in the upper part of the grade-point-average distribution.

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