FLEXIBLE PHYSICS INSTRUCTION IN AN INTEGRATED LECTURE/LAB ENVIRONMENT

Phil Young*, Marlann Patterson*, Todd Zimmerman†

*University of Wisconsin - Platteville †Madison Area Technical College

Funded in part by NSF DUE Grant # 0633583

History

Platteville Engineering Physics department moving to new building

MATC holds lectures and labs in same room

Faculty-Flexible Lecture-Lab Instruction in Physics (FLIP)

Goals of FLIP

Implement a department-wide shift towards more active learning

Provide better education for students Ensure changes will stick

Faculty given freedom to choose how much active learning to include

Implementing Changes

Little evidence that PER based material used

Schools report difficulty maintaining PER based curriculum

Past approach to problem

Many schools try but can’t maintain active learning methods

Assumptions: Need to convince instructors of need to change Instructors only need knowledge of techniques

to change

Many instructors have ideas more in line with PER but use more traditional techniques in the class*

*C. Henderson and M. H. Dancy , Barriers to the use of research-based instructional strategies: The influence of both individual and situational characteristics , Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 3, 020102 2007.

Obstacles to change

Expectation of content coverage Department norms Extra prep time Student resistance Class size Room layout Cost of materials

Platteville overcomes these obstacles

Department Norms Cost of materials

Patterson

Young

Platteville overcomes these obstacles

Room Layout Class Size

Whiteboard

Two Rows of 7 Stations

Projector Screen Projector Screen120°

Curriculum will address these obstacles

Expectation of content coverage Student resistance Prep time

Use already existing PER-based Material(PERM)

Assessment Tools Used

Student attitude Colorado Attitude Student Survey

Physic I Force Concept Inventory

Physics II Conceptual Survey on Electricity

and Magnetism Light and Optics Conceptual

Evaluation

Lab skills Measurement Uncertainty Quiz

Acceleration Newton's 1st Law

Circular Mo-tion

Velocity Newton's 2nd Law

Friction Gravity

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Example FCI Data Analysis

Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 4

Faculty Ideas and Practices

Develop assessment of faculty beliefs and practices1

Help choose PERM best suited to their teaching strengths and style

1 M. H. Dancy and C. Henderson, Framework for Articulating Instructional Practices and Conceptions, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 3, 010103 2007.

Where do we go from here?

Test PERM at Platteville and MATC Assess effectiveness of material

Other institutions can use assessments, make changes, using FLIP site

FACULTY-FLEXIBLE LECTURE-LAB INSTRUCTION IN

PHYSICS (FLIP)

Website: http://www.uwplatt.edu/~patterma/flip.html

Funded in part by NSF DUE Grant # 0633583