Collaborative Research: Assessing Undergraduate Student Learning in Upper-Level Courses in Thermal and Statistical Physics

合作研究：评估本科生在热物理和统计物理高级课程中的学习情况

基本信息

批准号：
2013332
负责人：
Bethany Wilcox
金额：
$ 28.32万
依托单位：
University of Colorado at Boulder
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2020-09-01 至 2024-08-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2013332&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Collaborative Research Assessing Undergraduate Student

项目摘要

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate physics education. Thermal and statistical physics is a core component of the undergraduate physics major and includes the study of fluids, heat flow, energy transfer, and the connection between atomic-level interactions and macroscopic behavior. These topics are central not only to physics, but also to chemistry, biology, and engineering. Ensuring that physics majors and other students who take thermal and statistical physics understand this subject area is important for producing graduates who can meet the expectations of employers for the STEM workforce. Because of the broad importance of thermal and statistical physics across STEM fields, it is crucial to understand the effectiveness of courses targeting this content area. However, no standardized tool exists to measure student learning in upper-level courses in thermal and statistical physics. To address this gap, the investigators intend to develop and pilot-test an assessment tool that will measure students’ knowledge as well as their ability to "do" physics. It will help instructors identify effective teaching approaches by comparing student learning across courses, instructional strategies, institutions, and student populations. This assessment tool should have long-term impact on the quality of physics students' education as well as their preparedness to enter the STEM workforce.The Thermal and Statistical Physics Assessment (TaSPA) will include items targeting both students' conceptual understanding and their ability to engage in scientific practices (e.g., modeling). To accommodate both the variation in content coverage in different thermal physics courses and the importance of assessing practices, the TaSPA will feature a flexible format in which instructors will be able to select a subset of items that best aligns with the specific learning goals of their course. Development of the TaSPA will be guided by: 1) Evidence-Centered Design, which has been highlighted as an approach to developing assessments that include scientific practices and core ideas; and 2) Item Response Theory, which has historically been used to develop assessments with this type of flexible content coverage. Use of Item Response Theory will also allow explicit attention to assessment tasks that perform differently for different subpopulations, a possibility that is particularly important for identifying and reducing the potential for bias in the TaSPA. Detailed documentation and dissemination of the development process will allow other educators to replicate the process in the development of future assessments for other content areas. This collaborative project involves investigators at the University of Colorado at Boulder (Award DUE-2013332) and Kansas State University (Award DUE-2013339). The project is funded by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE: EHR) program, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目旨在通过改善本科物理教育服务国家利益，是本科物理专业的核心组成部分，包括流体、热流、能量传递以及原子级相互作用与宏观之间的联系的研究。这些主题不仅是物理学的核心，也是化学、生物学和工程学的核心。确保物理专业和其他学习热物理和统计物理学的学生了解这一学科领域对于培养能够满足雇主期望的毕业生非常重要。对于 STEM 劳动力。热物理和统计物理在 STEM 中具有广泛的重要性，因此了解针对该内容领域的课程的有效性至关重要，但是，没有标准化工具可以衡量学生在热物理和统计物理高级课程中的学习情况。研究人员打算开发并试点测试一种评估工具，该工具将衡量学生的知识以及他们“做”物理的能力。它将帮助教师通过比较学生在课程、教学策略、机构和领域的学习情况来确定有效的教学方法。该评估工具应该对学生产生长期影响。物理学生的教育质量以及他们进入 STEM 劳动力的准备情况。热和统计物理评估 (TaSPA) 将包括针对学生概念理解和参与科学实践（例如建模）的能力的项目。为了适应不同热物理课程内容覆盖范围的差异以及评估实践的重要性，TaSPA 将采用灵活的格式，教师将能够选择最符合其课程特定学习目标的项目子集。的发展TaSPA 将遵循以下原则：1) 以证据为中心的设计，它被强调为一种开发评估的方法，其中包括科学实践和核心思想；2) 项目反应理论，它历来用于开发此类评估。灵活的内容覆盖范围。项目反应理论的使用还可以明确关注针对不同亚群体表现不同的评估任务，这对于识别和减少 TaSPA 中潜在的偏见特别重要。详细记录和传播开发过程。将允许其他教育工作者复制其他内容领域的未来评估开发过程。该合作项目涉及科罗拉多大学博尔德分校（奖项 DUE-2013332）和堪萨斯州立大学（奖项 DUE-2013339）的研究人员。改善本科生 STEM 教育（IUSE：EHR）计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生 STEM 教育的有效性。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

期刊论文数量（5）

专著数量（0）

科研奖励数量（0）

会议论文数量（0）

专利数量（0）

A New Paradigm for Research-Based Assessment Development

基于研究的评估开发的新范式

DOI：
10.1119/perc.2022.pr.laverty
发表时间：
2022-01
期刊：
Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings
影响因子：
0
作者：
Laverty, James T.;Sirnoorkar, Amogh;Jambuge, Amali Priyanka;Rainey, Katherine D.;Weaver, Joshua;Adamson, Alexander;Wilcox, Bethany R.
通讯作者：
Wilcox, Bethany R.

Methods for utilizing Item response theory with Coupled, Multiple-Response assessments

利用项目反应理论进行耦合、多重反应评估的方法

DOI：
10.1119/perc.2022.pr.wilcox
发表时间：
2022-09
期刊：
Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings
影响因子：
0
作者：
Wilcox, Bethany R.;Rainey, Katherine D.;Vignal, Michael
通讯作者：
Vignal, Michael

Developing coupled, multiple-response assessment items addressing scientific practices

开发涉及科学实践的耦合、多重响应评估项目

DOI：
10.1119/perc.2020.pr.rainey
发表时间：
2020-09
期刊：
Proceedings of the Physics Education Research Conference
影响因子：
0
作者：
Rainey, Katherine D.;Jambuge, Amali Priyanka;Laverty, James T.;Wilcox, Bethany R.
通讯作者：
Wilcox, Bethany R.

Assessment feedback: A tool to promote scientific practices in upper-division

评估反馈：促进高年级科学实践的工具

DOI：
10.1119/perc.2020.pr.jambuge
发表时间：
2020-09
期刊：
Proceedings of the Physics Education Research Conference
影响因子：
0
作者：
Jambuge, Amali Priyanka;Rainey, Katherine D.;Wilcox, Bethany R.;Laverty, James T.
通讯作者：
Laverty, James T.

Validation of a coupled, multiple response assessment for upper-division thermal physics

高级热物理耦合多重响应评估的验证