Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userA Game-Centered, Interactive Approach for Using Programming Exercises in Introductory Physics
153
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
Incorporating computer programming exercises in introductory physics is a delicate task that involves a number of choices that may have a strong affect on student learning. We present an approach that speaks to a number of common concerns that arise when using programming exercises in introductory physics classes where most students are absolute beginner programmers. These students need an approach that is (1) simple, involving 75 or fewer lines of well-commented code, (2) easy to use, with browser-based coding tools, (3) interactive, with a high frame rate to give a video-game like feel, (4) step-by-step with the ability to interact with intermediate stages of the correct program and (5) thoughtfully integrated into the physics curriculum, for example, by illustrating velocity and acceleration vectors throughout. We present a set of hour-long activities for classical mechanics that resemble well-known games such as asteroids, lunar lander and angry birds. Survey results from the first activity from four semesters of introductory physics classes at OSU in which a high percentage of the students are weak or absolute beginner programmers seems to confirm that the level of difficulty is appropriate for this level and that the students enjoy the activity. These exercises are available for general use at http://compadre.org/PICUP In the future we plan to assess conceptual knowledge using an animated version of the Force Concept Inventory originally developed by M. Dancy.
rate research
Read More
While there exists a significant number of web interactives for introductory physics, students are almost never shown the computer code that generates these interactives even when the physics parts of these programs are relatively simple. Building off of a set of carefully-designed classical mechanics programming exercises that were constructed with this goal in mind, we present a series of electromagnetism programming exercises in a browser-based framework called p5.js. Importantly, this framework can be used to highlight the physics aspects of an interactive simulation code while obscuring other details. This approach allows absolute beginner programmers to gain experience in modifying and running the program without becoming overwhelmed. We plan to probe the impact on student conceptual learning using the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment and other questions. We invite collaborators and teachers to adopt this framework in their high school or early undergraduate classes. All exercises are available at http://compadre.org/PICUP
Commercial video games are increasingly using sophisticated physics simulations to create a more immersive experience for players. This also makes them a powerful tool for engaging students in learning physics. We provide some examples to show how commercial off-the-shelf games can be used to teach specific topics in introductory undergraduate physics. The examples are selected from a course taught predominantly through the medium of commercial video games.
Computational Thinking (CT) is still a relatively new term in the lexicon of learning objectives and science standards. There is not yet widespread agreement on the precise definition or implementation of CT, and efforts to assess CT are still maturing, even as more states adopt K-12 computer science standards. In this article we will try to summarize what CT means for a typical introductory (i.e. high school or early college) physics class. This will include a discussion of the ways that instructors may already be incorporating elements of CT in their classes without knowing it. Our intention in writing this article is to provide a helpful, concise and readable introduction to this topic for physics instructors. We also put forward some ideas for what the future of CT in introductory physics may look like.
Mathematical reasoning skills are a desired outcome of many introductory physics courses, particularly calculus-based physics courses. Positive and negative quantities are ubiquitous in physics, and the sign carries important and varied meanings. Novices can struggle to understand the many roles signed numbers play in physics contexts, and recent evidence shows that unresolved struggle can carry over to subsequent physics courses. The mathematics education research literature documents the cognitive challenge of conceptualizing negative numbers as mathematical objects--both for experts, historically, and for novices as they learn. We contribute to the small but growing body of research in physics contexts that examines student reasoning about signed quantities and reasoning about the use and interpretation of signs in mathematical models. In this paper we present a framework for categorizing various meanings and interpretations of the negative sign in physics contexts, inspired by established work in algebra contexts from the mathematics education research community. Such a framework can support innovation that can catalyze deeper mathematical conceptualizations of signed quantities in the introductory courses and beyond.
The Physics Inventory of Quantitative Literacy (PIQL), a reasoning inventory under development, aims to assess students physics quantitative literacy at the introductory level. The PIQLs design presents the challenge of isolating types of mathematical reasoning that are independent of each other in physics questions. In its current form, the PIQL spans three principle reasoning subdomains previously identified in mathematics and physics education research: ratios and proportions, covariation, and signed (negative) quantities. An important psychometric objective is to test the orthogonality of these three reasoning subdomains. We present results from exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and module analysis that inform interpretations of the underlying structure of the PIQL from a student viewpoint, emphasizing ways in which these results agree and disagree with expert categorization. In addition to informing the development of existing and new PIQL assessment items, these results are also providing exciting insights into students quantitative reasoning at the introductory level.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
