327 citations
Counting papers with at most 25 authors, so collaboration author lists do not stand in for the people here.
- University of MichiganUS15 papers
- University of Colorado BoulderUS6 papers
- University of KansasUS6 papers
- Carnegie Mellon UniversityUS5 papers
- Brown UniversityUS4 papers
- California Institute of TechnologyUS4 papers
- Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueFR4 papers
- Colby CollegeUS4 papers
- Joint Institute for Laboratory AstrophysicsUS4 papers
- The Ohio State UniversityUS4 papers
- University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUS4 papers
- University of Massachusetts AmherstUS4 papers
21 papers · 1 filter
Investigating the Role of Socially Mediated Metacognition During Collaborative Troubleshooting of Electric Circuits
Kevin L. Van De Bogart, Dimitri R. Dounas-Frazer, H. J. Lewandowski +1
Developing students' ability to troubleshoot is an important learning outcome for many undergraduate physics lab courses, especially electronics courses. In other work, metacogniti…
Investigating the role of model-based reasoning while troubleshooting an electric circuit
Dimitri R. Dounas-Frazer, Kevin L. Van De Bogart, MacKenzie R. Stetzer +1
We explore the overlap of two nationally-recognized learning outcomes for physics lab courses, namely, the ability to model experimental systems and the ability to troubleshoot a m…
Student understanding of the Boltzmann factor
Trevor I. Smith, Donald B. Mountcastle, John R. Thompson
We present results of our investigation into student understanding of the physical significance and utility of the Boltzmann factor in several simple models. We identify various ju…
Identifying Student Difficulties with Entropy, Heat Engines, and the Carnot Cycle
Trevor I. Smith, Warren M. Christensen, Donald B. Mountcastle +1
We report on several specific student difficulties regarding the Second Law of Thermodynamics in the context of heat engines within upper-division undergraduates thermal physics co…
The role of metacognition in troubleshooting: an example from electronics
Kevin L. Van De Bogart, Dimitri R. Dounas-Frazer, H. J. Lewandowski +1
Students in physics laboratory courses, particularly at the upper division, are often expected to engage in troubleshooting. Although there are numerous ways in which students may…
The role of modeling in troubleshooting: an example from electronics
Dimitri R. Dounas-Frazer, Kevin L. Van De Bogart, MacKenzie R. Stetzer +1
Troubleshooting systems is integral to experimental physics in both research and instructional laboratory settings. The recently adopted AAPT Lab Guidelines identify troubleshootin…
Mathematics and Climate Infographics: A Mechanism for Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Classroom
Ivan Sudakov, Thomas Bellsky, Svetlana Usenyuk +1
Infographics are a form of data visualization combining data, information, and statistics. Over the last ten years, infographics have become a popular method for displaying concise…
Student Understanding of Taylor Series Expansions in Statistical Mechanics
Trevor I. Smith, John R. Thompson, Donald B. Mountcastle
One goal of physics instruction is to have students learn to make physical meaning of specific mathematical ideas, concepts, and procedures in different physical settings. As part…
Probing Student Understanding With Alternative Questioning Strategies
Jeffrey M. Hawkins, Brian W. Frank, John R. Thompson +2
Common research tasks ask students to identify a correct answer and justify their answer choice. We propose expanding the array of research tasks to access different knowledge that…
Fluctuations in Student Understanding of Newton's 3rd Law
Jessica W. Clark, Eleanor C. Sayre, Scott V. Franklin
We present data from a between-student study on student response to questions on Newton's Third Law given throughout the academic year. The study, conducted at Rochester Institute…
Students' Responses To Different Representations Of A Vector Addition Question
Jeffrey M. Hawkins, John R. Thompson, Michael C. Wittmann +2
We investigate if the visual representation of vectors can affect which methods students use to add them. We gave students one of four questions with different graphical representa…
Multiple Conceptual Coherences in the Speed Tutorial: Micro-processes of Local Stability
Brian W. Frank
Researchers working within knowledge-in-pieces traditions have often employed observational approaches to investigate micro-processes of learning. There is growing evidence from th…
Using conceptual blending to describe emergent meaning in wave propagation
Michael C. Wittmann
Students in interviews on a wave physics topic give answers through embodied actions which connect their understanding of the physics to other common experiences. When answering a…
The role of sign in students' modeling of scalar equations
Kate Hayes, Michael C. Wittmann
We describe students revising the mathematical form of physics equations to match the physical situation they are describing, even though their revision violates physical laws. In…
Effectiveness of Ninth-Grade Physics in Maine: Conceptual Understanding
Michael O'Brien, John Thompson
The Physics First movement - teaching a true physics course to ninth grade students - is gaining popularity in high schools. There are several different rhetorical arguments for an…
Making Sense of the Legendre Transform
R. K. P. Zia, Edward F. Redish, Susan R. McKay
The Legendre transform is an important tool in theoretical physics, playing a critical role in classical mechanics, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics. Yet, in typical under…
Applying a resources framework to analysis of the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation
Trevor I. Smith, Michael C. Wittmann
We suggest one redefinition of common clusters of questions used to analyze student responses on the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). Our goal is to move beyond the e…
Using resource graphs to represent conceptual change
Michael C. Wittmann
We introduce resource graphs, a representation of linked ideas used when reasoning about specific contexts in physics. Our model is consistent with previous descriptions of resourc…
Laboratory-Tutorial activities for teaching probability
Michael C. Wittmann, Jeffrey T. Morgan, Roger E. Feeley
We report on the development of students' ideas of probability and probability density in a University of Maine laboratory-based general education physics course called Intuitive Q…
Addressing student models of energy loss in quantum tunnelling
Micael C. Wittmann, Jeffrey T. Morgan, Lei Bao
We report on a multi-year, multi-institution study to investigate student reasoning about energy in the context of quantum tunnelling. We use ungraded surveys, graded examination q…
Investigating Student Understanding of Quantum Mechanics: Spontaneous Models of Conductivity
Michael C. Wittmann, Richard N. Steinberg, Edward F. Redish
Students are taught several models of conductivity, both at the introductory and the advanced level. From early macroscopic models of current flow in circuits, through the discussi…